Minister for Communications (Australia) explained

Post:	Minister for Communications
Insignia:	Coat_of_Arms_of_Australia.svg
Insigniacaption:	Commonwealth Coat of Arms
Flag:	Flag of Australia (converted).svg
Flagcaption:	Flag of Australia
Flagborder:	yes
Incumbent:	Michelle Rowland
Style:	The Honourable
Appointer:	Governor-General on the recommendation of the Prime Minister of Australia
Department:	Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts

The Australian Minister for Communications has the overall responsibility for broadcasting, the information and communications technology industry, the information economy, and telecommunications within Australia. The portfolio is currently held by Michelle Rowland in the Albanese ministry since 1 June 2022, following the Australian federal election in 2022.^[1]

In the Government of Australia, the ministers administer the portfolio through the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts.

Scope

Portfolio agencies and bodies include:

Australian Broadcasting Corporation
Australian Communications and Media Authority
Australia Post
Australian Classification Board
National Library of Australia
NBN Co
Special Broadcasting Service

List of ministers

The minister responsible for telecommunications policy has had various titles. From 1901 until December 1975 it was the Postmaster-General, who administered the portfolio through the Postmaster-General's Department.

The following individuals have been appointed as Minister for Communications, or any of its precedent titles:^[2]

width=5	Order	width=150	Minister	width=150 colspan="2"	Party	width=75	Prime Minister	width=300	Title	width=150	Term start	width=150	Term end	width=130	Term in office
1	John Forrest			Protectionist	Barton	Postmaster-General	align=center		align=center		align=right	days
2	James Drake						align=center		align=center		align=right
3	Philip Fysh						align=center		align=center		days
	Philip Fysh		Deakin		align=center			align=center
4	Hugh Mahon			Labor	Watson		align=center		align=center		align=right	days
5	Sydney Smith			Free Trade	George Reid		align=center		align=center		align=right	days
6	Austin Chapman			Protectionist	Deakin		align=center		align=center		align=right
7	Samuel Mauger			Protectionist	Deakin		align=center		align=center		align=right
8	Josiah Thomas			Labor	Fisher		align=center		align=center		align=right	days
9	John Quick			Protectionist	Deakin		align=center		align=center		align=right	days
10	Josiah Thomas			Labor	Fisher		align=center		align=center		align=right
11	Charlie Frazer			Labor	Fisher		align=center		align=center		align=right
12	Agar Wynne			Liberal	Cook		align=center		align=center		align=right
13	William Spence			Labor	Fisher		align=center		align=center		align=right
14	William Webster			Labor	Hughes		align=center		align=center
			National Labor	align=center				align=center
			Nationalist	align=center				align=center
15	George Wise						align=center		align=center		align=right
16	Alexander Poynton						align=center		align=center		align=right
17	William Gibson			Country	Bruce		align=center		align=center		align=right
18	Joseph Lyons			Labor	Scullin		align=center		align=center		align=right
19	Albert Green			Labor	Scullin		align=center		align=center		align=right	days
20	James Fenton			United Australia	Lyons		align=center		align=center		align=right	days
21	Archdale Parkhill						align=center		align=center		align=right
22	Alexander McLachlan						align=center		align=center		align=right
23	Archie Cameron			Country			align=center		align=center		days
	Archie Cameron		Page	Country	align=center			align=center
24	Eric Harrison			United Australia	Menzies		align=center		align=center		align=right	days
25	Harold Thorby			Country			align=center		align=center		align=right	days
26	George McLeay			United Australia			align=center		align=center		align=right	days
27	Thomas Collins			Country			align=center		align=center		days
	Thomas Collins		Fadden	Country	align=center			align=center
28	Bill Ashley			Labor	Curtin		align=center		align=center		align=right
29	Don Cameron				Curtin		align=center		align=center
			Forde		align=center			align=center
			Chifley		align=center			align=center
30	Larry Anthony			Country	Menzies		align=center		align=center		align=right
31	Charles Davidson			Country			align=center		align=center		align=right
32	Alan Hulme			Liberal			align=center		align=center
			Holt		align=center			align=center
			McEwen		align=center			align=center
			Gorton		align=center			align=center
			McMahon		align=center			align=center
33	Lance Barnard			Labor	Whitlam		align=center		align=center		align=right	days
34	Lionel Bowen						align=center		align=center		align=right
35	Reg Bishop						align=center		align=center		align=right
36	Peter Nixon			National Country	Fraser		align=center		align=center		align=right	days
37	Victor Garland			Liberal		Minister for Post and Telecommunications	align=center		align=center		align=right	days
38	Eric Robinson						align=center		align=center		align=right
39	Tony Staley						align=center		align=center		align=right
40	Ian Sinclair			National Country		Minister for Communications	align=center		align=center		align=right
41	Neil Brown			Liberal			align=center		align=center		align=right	days
42	Michael Duffy			Labor	Hawke		align=center		align=center		align=right
43	Gareth Evans					Minister for Transport and Communications	align=center		align=center		align=right
44	Ralph Willis						align=center		align=center		align=right
45	Kim Beazley						align=center		align=center		align=right
46	John Kerin						align=center		align=center		days
	John Kerin		Keating		align=center			align=center
47	Graham Richardson						align=center		align=center		align=right	days
48	Bob Collins						align=center		align=center		align=right
49	Michael Lee					Minister for Communications	align=center		align=center
	Michael Lee				Minister for Communications and the Arts	align=center		align=center
50	Richard Alston			Liberal	Minister for Communications and the Arts	Howard	align=center		align=center
			Minister for Communications, the Information Economy and the Arts		align=center			align=center
			Minister for Communications, Information Technology and the Arts		align=center			align=center
51	Daryl Williams						align=center		align=center		align=right	days
52	Helen Coonan						align=center		align=center		align=right
53	Stephen Conroy			Labor	Rudd	Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy	align=center		align=center
	Stephen Conroy		Gillard		align=center			align=center
align=center	54	Anthony Albanese					Rudd	align=center		align=center		align=right	days
55	Malcolm Turnbull		Liberal	Abbott	Minister for Communications	align=center		align=center
Turnbull	Malcolm Turnbull	align=center				align=center
Turnbull	56	Mitch Fifield		align=center			align=center
Morrison	Minister for Communications and the Arts	Mitch Fifield		align=center		align=center
	57	Paul Fletcher		Minister for Communications, Cyber Safety and the Arts	align=center		align=center
	Minister for Communications, Urban Infrastructure, Cities and the Arts	Paul Fletcher		align=center		align=center
align=center	58	Michelle Rowland			Labor	Albanese	Minister for Communications	align=center		align=center	Incumbent	align=right

Notes

Barnard served as part of a two-man ministry together with Gough Whitlam for fourteen days, until the full ministry was commissioned.

On, the third Hawke ministry implemented a two-level ministerial structure, with distinctions drawn between senior and junior ministers. This arrangement has been continued by subsequent ministries.^[2] Junior ministers are shown in the table below.

Former ministerial portfolios

List of ministers for regional communications

The following individuals have been appointed as Minister for Regional Communications, or any of its precedent titles:^[3]


width=5	Order	width=150	Minister	width=150 colspan="2"	Party affiliation	width=75	Prime Minister	width=300	Ministerial title	width=150	Term start	width=150	Term end	width=130	Term in office
1	Sharon Bird			Labor	Rudd	Minister for Regional Communications	align=center		align=center		align=right
2	Fiona Nash			National	Turnbull	Minister for Regional Communications	align=center		align=center	26 October 2017	align=right

3	Bridget McKenzie			National	Turnbull	Minister for Regional Communications	align=center		align=center		align=right

4	Mark Coulton			National	Morrison	Minister for Regional Services, Decentralisation and Local Government	align=center		align=center
	Mark Coulton		Minister for Regional Health, Regional Communications and Local Government			align=center		align=center
align=center	(3)	Bridget McKenzie					Minister for Regionalisation, Regional Communications and Regional Education	align=center		align=center		align=right

List of ministers for digital transformation

On, the third Hawke Ministry implemented a two-level ministerial structure, with distinctions drawn between senior and junior ministers. This arrangement has been continued by subsequent ministries; however, junior ministers have been appointed in the telecommunications portfolio on only five occasions. Senior ministers are shown in the table above.

The following individuals have been appointed as the Minister for Digital Transformation, or any of its precedent titles:^[2] ^[4]


width=5	Order	width=150	Minister	width=150 colspan="2"	Party affiliation	width=75	Prime Minister	width=300	Ministerial title	width=150	Term start	width=150	Term end	width=130	Term in office
1	Gary Punch			Labor	Hawke	Minister for Telecommunications and Aviation Support	align=center		align=center		align=right
2	Ros Kelly			Labor	Hawke	Minister for Telecommunications and Aviation Support	align=center		align=center		align=right	days
3	David Beddall			Labor	Keating	Minister for Communications	align=center		align=center		align=right	days

4	Angus Taylor			Liberal	Turnbull		align=center		align=center		align=right
5	Michael Keenan				Turnbull	Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for Digital Transformation	align=center		align=center
	Michael Keenan		Morrison		Minister for Digital Transformation	align=center		align=center

Parliamentary Secretaries

The following individuals have been appointed as the Parliamentary Secretary for Communications, or any of its precedent titles:

width=5	Order	width=150	Secretary	width=150 colspan="2"	Party affiliation	width=75	Prime Minister	width=300	Ministerial title	width=150	Term start	width=150	Term end	width=130	Term in office
1	Ed Husic			Labor	Rudd	Parliamentary Secretary for Broadband	align=center		align=center		align=right
2	Paul Fletcher			Liberal	Abbott	Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Communications	align=center		align=center		align=right

Notes and References

Web site: Press Conference - Parliament House, Canberra Prime Minister of Australia . 23 May 2022. 27 May 2022 . www.pm.gov.au.
Web site: Ministries and Cabinets . 43rd Parliamentary Handbook: Historical information on the Australian Parliament . . 2010 . 9 July 2013 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20140813030853/http://parlinfo.aph.gov.au/parlInfo/search/display/display.w3p%3Badv%3Dyes%3BorderBy%3Dcustomrank%3Bpage%3D2%3Bquery%3DLazzarini%3Brec%3D12%3BresCount%3DDefault . 13 August 2014 .
News: High court citizenship case: Barnaby Joyce and four others ruled ineligible. Karp. Paul. 27 October 2017. The Guardian. 9 November 2017. en-GB. 0261-3077.
Web site: Second Rudd Ministry . . 3 July 2013 . 6 July 2013 . Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet .