The Minister for Housing is an Australian Government cabinet position which is currently held by Clare O'Neil since July 2024 in the Albanese government.
In the Government of Australia, the minister administers this portfolio through the Department of the Treasury.
The first Minister for Housing was Les Bury, appointed in 1963, although there were Ministers in charge of War Service Homes from 1932 to 1938 and 1941 to 1945. In 1945, Bert Lazzarini was appointed Minister for Works and Housing and this title continued until 1952, when Wilfrid Kent Hughes became Minister for Works. No minister included "works" or "construction" in his portfolio after Stewart West lost this title in 1987, partly reflecting the progressive outsourcing of the Commonwealth's construction activities and even ownership of assets. The Howard government had no Minister of Housing, partly reflecting the decline of the significance of the commonwealth-state housing agreements as a means of providing new housing since the post-war years.
Between 2010 and 2013 and since 2020, the minister appointed to the position is also appointed the Minister for Homelessness.
List of ministers for housing The following individuals have been appointed as Minister for Housing, or any of its precedent titles:
Order Minister Party Ministry Title Term start Term end Term in office 1 Bert Lazzarini Labor 1st Chifley Minister for Works and Housing 2 Nelson Lemmon 2nd Chifley 3 Richard Casey Liberal 4th Menzies 4 Wilfrid Kent Hughes 5th Menzies 5 Les Bury Liberal 10th Menzies Minister for Housing 6 Annabelle Rankin 1st Holt2nd HoltMcEwen1st Gorton2nd GortonMcMahon 7 Kevin Cairns McMahon 8 Gough Whitlam Labor 1st Whitlam 9 Les Johnson 2nd Whitlam 2nd Whitlam3rd Whitlam Minister for Housing and Construction 10 Joe Riordan 3rd Whitlam 11 John Carrick Liberal 1st Fraser 12 Ivor Greenwood 2nd Fraser Minister for Environment, Housing and Community Development 13 Kevin Newman 2nd Fraser 14 Ray Groom 3rd Fraser Minister for Housing and Construction 15 Tom McVeigh National Country 4th Fraser 16 Chris Hurford Labor 1st Hawke Minister for Housing and Construction 17 Stewart West 2nd Hawke 18 Peter Morris Labor 3rd Hawke Minister for Housing and Aged Care 19 Peter Staples 3rd Hawke4th Hawke 20 Brian Howe 4th Hawke Minister for Community Services and Health 4th Hawke1st Keating Minister for Health, Housing and Community Services 2nd Keating Minister for Housing, Local Government and Community Services Minister for Housing, Local Government and Human Services Minister for Housing and Regional Development 21 Tanya Plibersek Labor 1st Rudd1st Gillard Minister for Housing 22 Mark Arbib 2nd Gillard Minister for Social Housing and Homelessness 23 Robert McClelland Minister for Housing 24 Brendan O'Connor 25 Mark Butler Minister for Housing and Homelessness 26 Julie Collins 2nd Rudd 27 Michael Sukkar Liberal 2nd Morrison Minister for Housing (26) Julie Collins Labor Albanese 28 Clare O'Neil Incumbent
Notes Whitlam was one of a two-man ministry consisting of himself and Lance Barnard for two weeks until the full ministry was announced.
List of assistant ministers The following individuals have been appointed as Assistant Minister for Community Housing, Homelessness and Community Services, or any of its precedent titles:
Order Minister Party Ministry Title Term start Term end Term in office 1 Herbert Johnson Labor 1st Chifley Minister assisting the Minister for Works and Housing 2 Gary Johns Labor 1st Keating Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Health, Housing and Community Services 3 Andrew Theophanous 2nd Keating Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Human Services Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Human Services 4 Mary Crawford Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Housing and Regional Development 5 Melissa Parke Labor 2nd Gillard Parliamentary Secretary for Homelessness and Social Housing 6 Doug Cameron 2nd Rudd Parliamentary Secretary for Housing and Homelessness 7 Sarah Henderson Liberal 1st Morrison Assistant Minister for Social Services, Housing and Disability Services 8 Luke Howarth Liberal National 2nd Morrison Assistant Minister for Community Housing, Homelessness and Community Services
See also Minister for Housing (Victoria) Minister for Housing (New South Wales) Minister for Housing (Western Australia) References
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