The Minister for Veterans' Affairs is an Australian Government position. In the Government of Australia, the minister oversees income support, compensation, care and commemoration programs for more than 400,000 veterans and their widows, widowers and dependants; and administers the portfolio through the Department of Veterans' Affairs. Since 2017 the office has been held in conjunction with the Minister for Defence Personnel.
Scope The minister is also responsible for the following agencies: Australian War Memorial Military Rehabilitation and Compensation Commission Office of Australian War Graves Repatriation Commission Repatriation Medical Authority Review of Service Delivery Arrangements Specialist Medical Review Council Veterans' Review Board Vietnam Veterans Counselling Service
List of ministers Veterans' affairs The portfolio was created by Billy Hughes. It was called Minister for Repatriation from the appointment of the first Minister, Edward Millen on 28 September 1917 to deal with ex-soldiers returning from World War I. Stanley Bruce chose not to include a Minister for Repatriation in his ministry (1923–29), but his successor James Scullin restored it, and it has continued ever since, under different names. Gough Whitlam changed the portfolio title to Minister for Repatriation and Compensation in 1974; Malcolm Fraser restored it to its original title in 1975, and then changed it to Minister for Veterans' Affairs on 5 October 1976, Peter Durack being the last minister under the old title and the first under the new.
The following individuals have been appointed as Minister for Veterans' Affairs, or any of its precedent titles:
Order Minister Party Prime Minister Title Term start Term end Term in office 1 Edward Millen Nationalist Hughes Minister for Repatriation 2 Frank AnsteyLaborScullin Minister for Repatriation 3 John McNeill days 4 Charles HawkerUnited AustraliaLyons days 5 Charles Vukovich 6 Billy Hughes 7 Joseph Lyons days n/a Billy Hughes 8Harry Foll Page 9 Eric HarrisonMenzies days 10 Geoffrey Street days 11 Philip McBride days 12 George McLeay days 13Herbert Collett days Fadden 14Charles Frost Labor Curtin Forde Chifley 15 Claude Barnard 16 Walter Cooper Country Menzies 17 Frederick OsborneLiberal days 18 Reginald Swartz 19Colin McKellar Country Holt McEwen Gorton 20Mac Holten McMahon 21 Lance Barnard LaborWhitlam days 22 Reg Bishop 23 John WheeldonMinister for Repatriation and Compensation 24 Don ChippLiberalFraser days 25 Kevin NewmanMinister for Repatriation days 26Peter Durack Minister for Veterans' Affairs 26 Victor Garland days 27 Evan Adermann Nationals 28 Tony Messner Liberal 29 Arthur Gietzelt LaborHawke 30Ben Humphreys Keating 31 John Faulkner 32 Con Sciacca 33 Bruce Scott NationalsHoward 35 Danna Vale Liberal 36 De-Anne Kelly Nationals 37 Bruce Billson Liberal 38Alan Griffin Labor Rudd Gillard 39 Warren Snowdon Rudd 40 Michael Ronaldson Liberal Abbott 15 September 2015 Turnbull15 September 201521 September 2015 41 Stuart Robert 18 February 2016 42 Dan Tehan 43 Michael McCormack Nationals days 44 Darren Chester Morrison 45 Andrew Gee 46 Matt Keogh Labor Albanese Incumbent Notes Barnard was part of a two-man ministry that comprised Barnard and Gough Whitlam for fourteen days, until the full ministry was commissioned. Malcolm Fraser initially chose Senator Glen Sheil for the portfolio, and he was sworn in as a member of the Federal Executive Council. But before he was sworn in as a minister, Sheil professed his support for the South African apartheid regime, which was very much at odds with the Fraser government's position. Fraser decided not to proceed with Sheil’s appointment to the Ministry, and his appointment as an Executive Councillor was terminated. Garland was appointed in his place.
Assisting the prime minister for the centenary of ANZAC
Order Minister Party Prime Minister Title Term start Term end Term in office 1Warren SnowdonLabor Gillard Minister Assisting the Prime Minister on the Centenary of ANZAC 3 March 2011 27 June 2013 Rudd 27 June 2013 18 September 20132 Michael Ronaldson Liberal Abbott18 September 201315 September 2015 Turnbull15 September 201521 September 2015 3 Stuart Robert 4 Dan Tehan 5 Michael McCormack National 6 Darren Chester Morrison
War service homes
Between 1932 and 1938 there was also a Minister in charge of War Service Homes, responsible for the War Service Homes Scheme. This position was revived with Herbert Collett's appointment as Minister without portfolio administering War Service Homes in 1939, but was subsumed by Bert Lazzarini's appointment as Minister for Works and Housing in 1945.
The following individuals have been appointed as Minister in charge of War Service Homes, or any of its precedent titles:
Order Minister Party Prime Minister Title Term start Term end Term in office 1 Josiah Francis United Australia Lyons Minister in charge of War Service Homes 2 Harold Thorby Country Minister without portfolio in charge of War Service Homes 3 James Hunter 4 Harry Foll United Australia Minister in charge of War Service Homes days 5 Herbert Collett United Australia Menzies Minister without portfolio administering War Service Homes Minister without portfolio in charge of War Service Homes Minister in charge of War Service Homes Minister without portfolio administering War Service Homes 6 Charles Frost Labor Curtin Minister in charge of War Service Homes Forde
List of assistant ministers Order Minister Party Prime Minister Title Term start Term end Term in office 1 Matt Thistlethwaite Labor Albanese Assistant Minister for the Veterans' Affairs
See also Minister for Veterans (Victoria) Minister for Veterans (New South Wales) Minister for Veterans (Western Australia)
References
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