The Minister for Health and Ageing is the position in the Australian cabinet responsible for national health and wellbeing and medical research. The incumbent Minister is Labor MP Mark Butler.
In the Government of Australia, the minister is responsible for national health and medical research policy, providing direction and oversight of the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing.
History Under Section 55(ix) of the Australian Constitution, the Commonwealth Parliament had the power to "make laws for the peace, order and good government of the Commonwealth with respect to Quarantine." This was the only area of public health in which the Commonwealth had authority at the time of Federation. The federal parliament did not use this power until the proclamation of the Quarantine Act 1908, on 30 March 1908. The control of the administration of quarantine was under the administration of the Minister for Trade and Customs from 1908 until 1921. This Minister's responsibilities in health matters increased as the Australian Government took a greater role in the provision of public health services during the early 20th century, in particular after the First World War.
A separate Department of Health was established on 10 March 1921, and the position of Minister for Health was then formally created in the fifth Hughes Ministry. The role of the Department of Health has continued to expand and further federal responsibility for health was authorised by the passage, at referendum, of a constitutional amendment in 1946. From 1987 until the establishment of the current department in 2013, the department controlled by the minister had various different names – Department of Community Services and Health (1987–1991), Department of Health, Housing and Community Services (1991–1993), Department of Health, Housing, Local Government and Community Services (1993), Department of Human Services and Health (1993–1996), Department of Health and Family Services (1996–1998), Department of Health and Aged Care (1998–2001), and Department of Health and Ageing (2001–2013).
Section 51 (xxiiiA) of the Constitution now states the Commonwealth (federal) Parliament has the power to make laws for the peace, order and good government of the Commonwealth [of Australia] with respect to the provision of maternity allowances, widows' pensions, child endowment, unemployment, pharmaceutical, sickness and hospital benefits, medical and dental services (but not so as to authorise any form of civil conscription), benefits to students and family allowances. As a result of this amendment the federal government now has a key role in financing and providing medical services through entities such as Medicare and the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme.
From 1972 to 1975 under Doug Everingham, the minister was named the "Minister for Helth" in some informal contexts due to Everingham's support of Spelling Reform.
List of ministers Health The following individuals have been appointed as Minister for Health, or any of its precedent titles:
Order Minister Party Prime Minister Title Term start Term end Term in office 1 Walter Massy-Greene Nationalist Hughes Minister for Health 2 Austin Chapman Bruce 3 Littleton Groom days 4 Herbert Pratten days 5 Sir Neville Howse 6 Stanley Bruce days (5) Sir Neville Howse 7 Frank Anstey Labor Scullin 8 John McNeill days 9 Charles Marr United AustraliaLyons 10 Billy Hughes 11 Joseph Lyons days (10) Billy Hughes 12 Sir Earle Page Country days 13 Harry Foll United Australia days Page 14 Sir Frederick StewartMenzies days 15 Harold Thorby Country days (14) Sir Frederick Stewart United Australia days Fadden 16 Jack Holloway Labor Curtin 17James Fraser Forde days Chifley days 18 Nick McKenna (12) Sir Earle Page CountryMenzies 19 Donald Cameron Liberal 20 Harrie Wade Country 21 Reginald Swartz Liberal 22 Jim Forbes Holt McEwen GortonMcMahon 23 Ivor Greenwood days 24 Sir Ken Anderson 25 Lance Barnard Labor Whitlam days 26 Doug Everingham Minister for Health 27 Don Chipp LiberalFraser Minister for Health days 28 Ralph Hunt National Country 29 Michael MacKellar Liberal 30 Peter Baume days 31 Jim Carlton days 32 Neal Blewett Labor Hawke Minister for Community Services and Health 33 Brian Howe Keating Minister for Health, Housing and Community Services 34 Graham Richardson Minister for Health 35 Carmen Lawrence Minister for Human Services and Health 36 Michael Wooldridge Liberal Howard Minister for Health and Family Services Minister for Health and Aged Care 37 Kay Patterson Minister for Health and Ageing 38 Tony Abbott 39 Nicola Roxon Labor Rudd Gillard 40 Tanya Plibersek Minister for Health Rudd Minister for Health and Medical Research 41 Peter Dutton Liberal Abbott Minister for Health 42 Sussan Ley Turnbull Minister for Health and Ageing (acting) Arthur Sinodinos 43 Greg Hunt Minister for Health Morrison Minister for Health and Aged Care Scott Morrison Minister for Health (acting) Katy Gallagher Labor Albanese Minister for Health and Aged Care 44 Mark Butler Minister for Health and Ageing Incumbent
Notes Barnard was part of a two-man ministry that comprised just Gough Whitlam and Barnard for fourteen days until the full ministry was announced. Doug Everingham was a supporter of Spelling Reform and he preferred to spell it "Helth", but this was not the formal spelling of the portfolio's name (see above). Morrison was appointed as Minister for Health by the Governor-General on Morrison's advice in March 2020, with both Morrison and Hunt holding the position of Minister for Health until May 2022. However, the appointment of Morrison was not made public until August 2022. Senator Gallagher is part of an interim Albanese ministry that consisted of Anthony Albanese, Richard Marles, Penny Wong, Jim Chalmers and herself until the full ministry was sworn in on 1 June 2022.
Aged care
List of assistant ministers Health and aged care The following individual has been appointed as Assistant Ministers of Health and Aged Care, or any of its precedent titles: Order Minister Party Prime Minister Title Term start Term end Term in office 1 Christopher Pyne Liberal Howard Assistant Minister for Health and Ageing days 2 Ken Wyatt Liberal Turnbull Assistant Minister for Health Assistant Minister for Health and Aged Care 3 David Gillespie Nationals Assistant Minister for Health 4 Ged Kearney Labor Albanese Assistant Minister for Health and Aged Care 5 Rebecca White Incumbent
Indigenous health The following individuals have been appointed as Assistant Minister for Indigenous Health, or any of its precedent titles:
Order Minister Party Prime Minister Title Term start Term end Term in office 1 Warren Snowdon Labor Rudd Minister for Indigenous Health, Rural and Regional Health and Regional Services Delivery 9 June 2009 24 June 2010 Gillard 24 June 2010 14 September 2010Minister for Indigenous Health 14 September 2010 27 June 2013 Rudd 27 June 2013 18 September 2013 2 Ken Wyatt Liberal TurnbullMorrison Minister for Indigenous Health 3 Malarndirri McCarthy Labor Albanese Assistant Minister for Indigenous Health 4 Ged Kearney 5 Rebecca White Incumbent
Rural and regional health The following individuals have been appointed as Assistant Minister for Rural and Regional Health, or any of its precedent titles: Order Minister Party Prime Minister Title Term start Term end Term in office 1 Warren Snowdon Labor Rudd Minister for Indigenous Health, Rural and Regional Health and Regional Services Delivery 9 June 2009 24 June 2010 Gillard 24 June 2010 14 September 2010 2 Fiona Nash Nationals Abbott Assistant Minister for Health Turnbull Minister for Rural Health 3 David Gillespie Assistant Minister for Rural Health Assistant Minister for Health 4 Bridget McKenzie Minister for Rural Health 5 Mark Coulton Nationals Morrison Minister for Regional Health, Regional Communications and Local Government (3) David Gillespie Minister for Regional Health 6 Emma McBride Labor Albanese Assistant Minister for Rural and Regional Health Incumbent
Mental health and suicide prevention The following individuals have been appointed as Assistant Minister for Mental Health and Suicide Prevention, or any of its precedent titles: Order Minister Party Prime Minister Title Term start Term end Term in office 1 Melissa Parke Labor Gillard Parliamentary Secretary for Mental Health 2 David Coleman Liberal Morrison Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister for Mental Health and Suicide Prevention 3 Emma McBride Labor Albanese Assistant Minister for Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Incumbent
Ageing Order Minister Party Prime Minister Title Term start Term end Term in office Reference 1 Kate Thwaites Labor Albanese Assistant Minister for Ageing days
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