The Minister for Immigration and Citizenship is a ministerial post of the Australian Government and is currently held by Tony Burke since July 2024 in the Albanese ministry.
The post was created in 1945 and its inaugural officeholder was Arthur Calwell as the Minister for Immigration. On 20 December 2017, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull introduced a new major portfolio responsible for national security: Home Affairs. The Hon Peter Dutton retained the duties of Minister for Immigration and Border Protection, with additional responsibilities awarded as the Minister for Home Affairs. Following the appointment of Prime Minister Scott Morrison in August 2018, Morrison re-appointed Peter Dutton to the Home Affairs Ministry, previously introduced to the 'super-Ministry' under the Turnbull government in December 2017, and appointed David Coleman as Immigration Minister.
Scope The portfolio and department were created in July 1945, during the last months of World War II. Previously, immigration affairs were handled by the Minister for Home Affairs (1901–1932) and the Minister for the Interior (1932–1945), except that between January 1925 and January 1928 Victor Wilson and Thomas Paterson were Ministers for Markets and Migration.
The Minister for Immigration, Multicultural Affairs and Citizenship was usually one of the senior members of Cabinet, although between the Tenth Menzies Ministry and the Third Fraser Ministry, the post was downgraded to that of a junior minister. The minister and department have on several occasions been responsible for another portfolio in addition to immigration, such as ethnic/multicultural affairs, local government or border protection.
List of ministers for immigration The following individuals have held responsibility for immigration:
Order Minister Party Prime Minister Title Term start Term end Term in office1 Arthur Calwell Labor Chifley Minister for Immigration 2 Harold HoltLiberal Menzies 3 Athol Townley 4 Alick Downer 5 Hubert Opperman Holt 6 Billy Snedden McEwen Gorton 7 Phillip Lynch McMahon 8 Jim Forbes 9 Lance Barnard Labor Whitlam days10 Al Grassby 11 Clyde Cameron Minister for Labour and Immigration days12 Jim McClelland days13 Tony Street Liberal Fraser days 14 Michael MacKellar Minister for Immigration and Ethnic Affairs 15 Ian Macphee 16 John Hodges days 17 Stewart West Labor Hawke 18 Chris Hurford 19 Mick Young Minister for Immigration, Local Government and Ethnic Affairs days20 Clyde Holding days21 Robert Ray 22 Gerry Hand Keating 23 Nick Bolkus Minister for Immigration and Ethnic Affairs 24 Philip Ruddock Liberal Howard Minister for Immigration and Multicultural Affairs Minister for Immigration, Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs 25 Amanda Vanstone Minister for Immigration and Multicultural Affairs 26 Kevin Andrews Minister for Immigration and Citizenship days27 Chris Evans Labor Rudd Gillard 28 Chris Bowen 29 Brendan O'Connor days30 Tony Burke Rudd Minister for Immigration, Multicultural Affairs and Citizenship days31 Scott Morrison Liberal Abbott Minister for Immigration and Border Protection 32 Peter Dutton Turnbull 33 David Coleman Morrison Minister for Immigration, Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs Minister for Immigration, Citizenship, Migrant Services and Multicultural Affairs (acting) Alan Tudge 34 Alex Hawke 35 Andrew Giles Labor Albanese Minister for Immigration, Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs (30) Tony Burke Minister for Immigration and Multicultural Affairs Minister for Immigration and Citizenship Incumbent
Notes Barnard was one of a two-man ministry consisting of himself and Gough Whitlam for two weeks until the full ministry was announced.
List of ministers for citizenship The following individuals have held responsibility for citizenship or any precedent titles: Order Minister Party affiliation Prime Minister Ministerial title Term start Term end Term in office 1 Gary Hardgrave Liberal Howard Minister for Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs 2 Peter McGauran National days 3 John Cobb days 4 Kevin Andrews Liberal Howard Minister for Immigration and Citizenship days 5 Chris Evans Labor Rudd Gillard 6 Chris Bowen 7 Brendan O'Connor days 8 Alan Tudge Liberal Turnbull Minister for Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs 9 David Coleman Morrison Minister for Immigration, Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs Minister for Immigration, Citizenship, Migrant Services and Multicultural Affairs (acting) Alan Tudge 10 Alex Hawke 11 Andrew Giles Labor Albanese Minister for Immigration, Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs 12 Tony Burke Labor Albanese Minister for Immigration and Citizenship Incumbent
Assistant ministers Assistant ministers for immigration The following individuals served as the Assistant Minister for Immigration, or any precedent titles: Order Minister Party affiliation Prime Minister Ministerial title Term start Term end Term in office 1 Teresa Gambaro Liberal Howard Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Immigration and Citizenship days Assistant Minister for Immigration and Citizenship 2 Laurie Ferguson Labor Rudd Parliamentary Secretary for Multicultural Affairs and Settlement Services Gillard 3 Kate Lundy Parliamentary Secretary for Immigration and Citizenship Parliamentary Secretary for Immigration and Multicultural Affairs 4 Michaelia Cash Liberal Abbott Assistant Minister for Immigration and Border Protection Turnbull 21 September 2015 5 James McGrath Liberal Turnbull Assistant Minister for Immigration and Border Protection days 6 Alex Hawke 7 Matt Thistlethwaite Labor Albanese Assistant Minister for Immigration incumbent
Assistant ministers for citizenship The following individuals served as the Assistant Minister for Citizenship, or any precedent titles: Order Minister Party affiliation Prime Minister Ministerial title Term start Term end Term in office 1 Teresa Gambaro Liberal Howard Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Immigration and Citizenship days Assistant Minister for Immigration and Citizenship 2 Laurie Ferguson Labor Rudd Parliamentary Secretary for Multicultural Affairs and Settlement Services Gillard 3 Kate Lundy Parliamentary Secretary for Immigration and Citizenship 4 Jason Wood Liberal Morrison Assistant Minister for Customs, Community Safety and Multicultural Affairs 5 Julian Hill Labor Albanese Assistant Minister for Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs Assistant Minister for Citizenship, Customs and Multicultural Affairs Incumbent
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