Minister for Health and Ageing
Template:Short description Template:Use dmy dates Template:Use Australian English Template:Infobox official post 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,[1] 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 [sic]" in some informal contexts due to Everingham's support of Spelling Reform.[2][3][4]
List of ministers
Health
The following individuals have been appointed as Minister for Health, or any of its precedent titles:[5]
Notes
- 1 Barnard was part of a two-man ministry that comprised just Gough Whitlam and Barnard for fourteen days until the full ministry was announced.
- 2 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).
- 3 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.
- 4 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:[5]
| Order | Minister | Party | Prime Minister | Title | Term start | Term end | Term in office | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Christopher Pyne | Template:Australian party style| | Liberal | Howard | Assistant Minister for Health and Ageing | Template:Start date | Template:End date | Script error: No such module "age". days |
| 2 | Ken Wyatt | rowspan=2 Template:Australian party style | | Liberal | Turnbull | Assistant Minister for Health | Template:Start date | Template:End date | Template:Age in years and days |
| Assistant Minister for Health and Aged Care | Template:Start date | Template:End date | ||||||
| 3 | David Gillespie | Template:Australian party style | | Nationals | Assistant Minister for Health | Template:Start date | Template:End date | Template:Age in years and days | |
| 4 | Ged Kearney | rowspan=2 Template:Australian party style| | Labor | Albanese | Assistant Minister for Health and Aged Care | Template:Start date | Template:End date | Template:Age in years and days |
| 5 | Rebecca White | Template:Start date | Incumbent | Template:Age in years and days | ||||
Indigenous health
The following individuals have been appointed as Assistant Minister for Indigenous Health, or any of its precedent titles:[5]
| Order | Minister | Party | Prime Minister | Title | Term start | Term end | Term in office | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Warren Snowdon | rowspan="4" Template:Australian party style | | Labor | Rudd | Minister for Indigenous Health, Rural and Regional Health and Regional Services Delivery | 9 June 2009 | 24 June 2010 | Template:Age in years and days |
| Gillard | 24 June 2010 | 14 September 2010 | ||||||
| Minister for Indigenous Health | 14 September 2010 | 27 June 2013 | ||||||
| Rudd | 27 June 2013 | 18 September 2013 | ||||||
| 2 | Ken Wyatt | Template:Australian party style| | Liberal | Turnbull Morrison |
Minister for Indigenous Health | Template:Start date | Template:End date | Template:Age in years and days |
| 3 | Malarndirri McCarthy | rowspan=3 Template:Australian party style | | Labor | Albanese | Assistant Minister for Indigenous Health | Template:Start date | Template:End date | Template:Age in years and days |
| 4 | Ged Kearney | Template:Start date | Template:End date | Template:Age in years and days | ||||
| 5 | Rebecca White | Template:Start date | Incumbent | Template:Age in years and days | ||||
Rural and regional health
The following individuals have been appointed as Assistant Minister for Rural and Regional Health, or any of its precedent titles:[5]
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:[5]
| Order | Minister | Party | Prime Minister | Title | Term start | Term end | Term in office | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Melissa Parke | Template:Australian party style | | Labor | Gillard | Parliamentary Secretary for Mental Health | Template:Start date | Template:End date | Template:Age in years and days |
| 2 | David Coleman | Template:Australian party style | | Liberal | Morrison | Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister for Mental Health and Suicide Prevention | Template:Start date | Template:End date | Template:Age in years and days |
| 3 | Emma McBride | Template:Australian party style | | Labor | Albanese | Assistant Minister for Mental Health and Suicide Prevention | Template:Start date | Incumbent | Template:Age in years and days |
Ageing
| Order | Minister | Party | Prime Minister | Title | Term start | Term end | Term in office | Reference | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kate Thwaites | Template:Australian party style| | Labor | Albanese | Assistant Minister for Ageing | Template:Start date | Template:End date | Script error: No such module "age". days | [9] |
References
External links
Template:Australian federal ministerial portfolios
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