The Minister for Multicultural Affairs is an Australian Government cabinet position which is currently held by Anne Aly following her swearing-in on 13 May 2025 as a result of Anthony Albanese's Labor government being re-elected at the 2025 Australian federal election.
The post was created in 1975 by being added to the Immigration portfolio with Michael MacKellar being the inaugural officeholder as the Minister for Immigration and Ethnic Affairs. It was a cabinet position throughout the Fraser, Hawke and Keating governments. In Howard's first ministry, the portfolio took its current name of multicultural affairs and was dropped to the outer ministry. It returned to cabinet in the second Howard ministry and remained there until the end of the Howard government. Philip Ruddock, became the longest serving minister during this time, serving in the role between 1996 and 2003. Multicultural affairs was managed at the parliamentary secretary level during the first Rudd and first Gillard ministries. Midway through the second Gillard ministry, Kate Lundy was promoted from parliamentary secretary to the outer ministry and during the short lived second Rudd ministry, the portfolio was both in cabinet managed by Tony Burke and the outer ministry with Lundy. The return of the Coalition to government in 2013, saw the portfolio dropped altogether until Turnbull's first ministry where an assistant minister was appointed. The role returned to the outer ministry halfway into to Turnbull's second and remained there until July 2024, when after a 11-year absence it was converted back into a cabinet post with Tony Burke returning to his former role as Minister for Immigration and Multicultural Affairs. In the second Albanese ministry, immigration and multicultural affairs were split into two cabinets roles with Anne Aly currently serving as the minister.
List of cabinet ministers for multicultural affairs The following individuals served as the Minister for Multicultural Affairs, or any precedent titles and sat in the Cabinet:
Order Minister Party Ministry Title Term start Term end Term in office 1 Michael MacKellar Liberal 2nd Fraser3rd Fraser Minister for Immigration and Ethnic Affairs 2 Ian Macphee 3rd Fraser4th Fraser 3 John Hodges 4th Fraser 4 Stewart West Labor 1st Hawke 5 Chris Hurford 2nd Hawke 6 Mick Young 2nd Hawke3rd Hawke Minister for Immigration, Local Government and Ethnic Affairs 7 Clyde Holding 3rd Hawke Minister for Immigration, Local Government and Ethnic AffairsMinister Assisting the Prime Minister for Multicultural Affairs 8 Robert Ray 3rd Hawke Minister for Immigration, Local Government and Ethnic Affairs 9 Gerry Hand 4th Hawke1st Keating 10 Nick Bolkus 2nd Keating Minister for Immigration and Ethnic Affairs 11 Philip Ruddock Liberal 2nd Howard Minister for Immigration and Multicultural Affairs 3rd Howard Minister for Immigration, Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs 12 Amanda Vanstone 3rd Howard4th Howard 13 Tony Burke Labor 2nd Rudd Minister for Immigration, Multicultural Affairs and Citizenship (13) Tony Burke Labor 1st Albanese Minister for Immigration and Multicultural Affairs 14 Anne Aly 2nd Albanese Minister for Multicultural Affairs Incumbent
List of ministers for multicultural affairs outside of cabinet 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 governments; although there has not always been a junior minister in the multicultural affairs portfolio. The following individuals served as the Minister for Multicultural Affairs, or any precedent titles but did not sit in the Cabinet:
Order Minister Party affiliation Ministry Ministerial title Term start Term end Term in office 1 Clyde Holding Labor 3rd Hawke Minister Assisting the Minister for Immigration, Local Government and Ethnic Affairs 2 Philip Ruddock Liberal 1st Howard Minister for Immigration and Multicultural Affairs 3 Gary Hardgrave Liberal 3rd Howard Minister for Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs 4 Peter McGauran National 4th Howard 5 John Cobb 6 Kate Lundy Labor 2nd Gillard Minister for Multicultural Affairs 2nd Rudd 7 Alan Tudge Liberal 2nd Turnbull Minister for Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs 8 David Coleman 1st Morrison Minister for Immigration, Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs 2nd Morrison Minister for Immigration, Citizenship, Migrant Services and Multicultural Affairs (acting) Alan Tudge 9 Alex Hawke 10 Andrew Giles Labor 1st Albanese Minister for Immigration, Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs
Assistant ministers Assistant ministers for multicultural affairs The following individuals served as the Parliamentary Secretary or Assistant Minister for Citizenship, Customs and Multicultural Affairs, or any precedent titles: Order Minister Party affiliation Ministry Ministerial title Term start Term end Term in office 1 Mick Young Labor 3rd Hawke Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for Multicultural Affairs 2 Clyde Holding 3 Robert Ray Clyde Holding Minister Assisting the Minister for Immigration, Local Government and Ethnic Affairs 4 Gerry Hand 4th Hawke Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for Multicultural Affairs 1st Keating 5 Nick Bolkus 2nd Keating 6 Kay Patterson Liberal 2nd Howard Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Immigration and Multicultural Affairs 7 Bruce Billson Liberal 4th Howard Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Immigration and Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs 8 Andrew Robb Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Immigration and Multicultural Affairs 9 Laurie Ferguson Labor 1st Rudd Parliamentary Secretary for Multicultural Affairs and Settlement Services 1st Gillard 10 Kate Lundy Labor 2nd Gillard Parliamentary Secretary for Immigration and Multicultural Affairs 11 Matt Thistlethwaite Labor 2nd Gillard Parliamentary Secretary for Multicultural Affairs 2nd Rudd 12 Concetta Fierravanti-Wells Liberal 1st Turnbull Assistant Minister for Multicultural Affairs 13 Craig Laundy 14 Zed Seselja 2nd Turnbull Assistant Minister for Social Services and Multicultural Affairs 15 Jason Wood Liberal 2nd Morrison Assistant Minister for Customs, Community Safety and Multicultural Affairs 16 Julian Hill Labor 1st Albanese Assistant Minister for Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs Incumbent 2nd Albanese Assistant Minister for Citizenship, Customs and Multicultural Affairs
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