Minister for Foreign Affairs (Australia)

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Template:Short description Template:Use Australian English Template:Use dmy dates Template:Infobox official post The Minister for Foreign Affairs, also known as the Foreign Minister, is the minister of state of the Commonwealth of Australia charged with overseeing the creation and implementation of international diplomacy, relations and foreign affairs policy, as the head of the foreign affairs section of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. The current Foreign Minister is Senator Penny Wong, who was appointed by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in May 2022 following the 2022 federal election.

Wong is the first female Foreign Minister from the Australian Labor Party (ALP) and the third female foreign minister in a row, following Julie Bishop and Marise Payne. The position is one of two cabinet-level portfolio ministers under the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, the other being the Minister for Trade and Tourism. The Foreign Minister is vested with several subordinate positions, including the Minister for International Development, currently held by Anne Aly, Minister for Pacific Island Affairs, currently held by Pat Conroy, and the Assistant Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, currently held by Matt Thistlethwaite.

Scope

File:Head office of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Canberra, Australia.jpg
R. G. Casey House, the headquarters of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

The minister is usually one of the most senior members of Cabinet – the position is equivalent to that of Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs in Britain or Secretary of State in the United States – as shown by the fact that eleven Prime Ministers of Australia have also worked as the Minister for Foreign Affairs. The minister is seen as one of the people most responsible for formulating Australia's foreign policy, as they along with other relevant ministers advise the Prime Minister in developing and implementing foreign policy, and also acts as the government's main spokesperson on international affairs issues. In recent times, the minister also undertakes numerous international trips to meet with foreign representatives and Heads of State or Government.

List of ministers for foreign affairs

The portfolio has existed continuously since 1901, except for the period 14 November 1916 to 21 December 1921. Prior to 6 November 1970, the office was known as the Minister for External Affairs. Between 24 July 1987 and 24 March 1993 it was known as the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade. Starting with the Keating government, the Trade portfolio has been administered separately by the Minister for Trade.

The following individuals have been appointed as Minister for Foreign Affairs, or any of its precedent titles:[1]

Order Minister Party Prime Minister Title Term start Term end Term in office
1 Edmund Barton1 2 rowspan="2" Template:Australian party style |   Protectionist Barton Minister for External Affairs Template:Start date Template:End date Template:Age in years and days
2 Alfred Deakin1 Deakin Template:Start date Template:End date Script error: No such module "age". days
3 Billy Hughes Template:Australian party style | Labor Watson Template:Start date Template:End date Script error: No such module "age". days
4 George Reid1 Template:Australian party style | Free Trade Reid Template:Start date Template:End date Script error: No such module "age". days
n/a Alfred Deakin1 Template:Australian party style | Protectionist Deakin Template:Start date Template:End date Template:Age in years and days
5 Lee Batchelor Template:Australian party style | Labor Fisher Template:Start date Template:End date Script error: No such module "age". days
6 Littleton Groom Template:Australian party style | Liberal Deakin Template:Start date Template:End date Script error: No such module "age". days
n/a Lee Batchelor rowspan="2" Template:Australian party style | Labor Fisher Template:Start date Template:End date Template:Age in years and days
7 Josiah Thomas Template:Start date Template:End date Template:Age in years and days
8 Paddy Glynn Template:Australian party style | Liberal Cook Template:Start date Template:End date Template:Age in years and days
9 John Arthur rowspan="3" Template:Australian party style | Labor Fisher Template:Start date Template:End date Script error: No such module "age". days
10 Hugh Mahon Template:Start date Template:End date Script error: No such module "age". days
Hughes Template:Start date Template:End date Template:Age in years and days
n/a Billy Hughes1 rowspan="2" Template:Australian party style | Nationalist Hughes Minister for External Affairs Template:Start date Template:End date Template:Age in years and days
11 Stanley Bruce1 Bruce Template:Start date Template:End date Template:Age in years and days
12 James Scullin1 Template:Australian party style | Labor Scullin Template:Start date Template:End date Template:Age in years and days
13 John Latham rowspan="5" Template:Australian party style | United Australia Lyons Template:Start date Template:End date Template:Age in years and days
14 Sir George Pearce Template:Start date Template:End date Template:Age in years and days
n/a Billy Hughes Template:Start date Template:End date Template:Age in years and days
Page Template:Start date Template:End date Script error: No such module "age". days
15 Sir Henry Somer Gullett Menzies Template:Start date Template:End date Script error: No such module "age". days
16 John McEwen Template:Australian party style | Country Template:Start date Template:End date Script error: No such module "age". days
17 Frederick Stewart rowspan="2" Template:Australian party style | United Australia Template:Start date Template:End date Script error: No such module "age". days
Fadden Template:Start date Template:End date Script error: No such module "age". days
18 H. V. Evatt rowspan="3" Template:Australian party style | Labor Curtin Template:Start date Template:End date Template:Age in years and days
Forde Template:Start date Template:End date
Chifley Template:Start date Template:End date
19 Percy Spender rowspan="14" Template:Australian party style | Liberal Menzies Template:Start date Template:End date Template:Age in years and days
20 Richard Casey Template:Start date Template:End date Template:Age in years and days
21 Robert Menzies1 Template:Start date Template:End date Template:Age in years and days
22 Sir Garfield Barwick Template:Start date Template:End date Template:Age in years and days
23 Paul Hasluck Template:Start date Template:End date Template:Age in years and days
Holt Template:Start date Template:End date
McEwen Template:Start date Template:End date
Gorton Template:Start date Template:End date
24 Gordon Freeth Template:Start date Template:End date Script error: No such module "age". days
25 William McMahon Template:Start date Template:End date Template:Age in years and days
Minister for Foreign Affairs Template:Start date Template:End date
McMahon Template:Start date Template:End date
26 Leslie Bury Template:Start date Template:End date Script error: No such module "age". days
27 Nigel Bowen Template:Start date Template:End date Template:Age in years and days
28 Gough Whitlam1 rowspan="2" Template:Australian party style | Labor Whitlam Template:Start date Template:End date Script error: No such module "age". days
29 Don Willesee Template:Start date Template:End date Template:Age in years and days
30 Andrew Peacock rowspan="2" Template:Australian party style | Liberal Fraser Template:Start date Template:End date Template:Age in years and days
31 Tony Street Template:Start date Template:End date Template:Age in years and days
32 Bill Hayden rowspan="5" Template:Australian party style | Labor Hawke Template:Start date Template:End date Template:Age in years and days
Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade Template:Start date Template:End date
33 Gareth Evans Template:Start date Template:End date Template:Age in years and days
Keating Template:Start date Template:End date
Minister for Foreign Affairs Template:Start date Template:End date
34 Alexander Downer Template:Australian party style | Liberal Howard Template:Start date Template:End date Template:Age in years and days
35 Stephen Smith rowspan="5" Template:Australian party style | Labor Rudd Template:Start date Template:End date Template:Age in years and days
Gillard Template:Start date Template:End date
36 Kevin Rudd Template:Start date Template:End date Template:Age in years and days
37 Bob Carr Template:Start date Template:End date Template:Age in years and days
Rudd Template:Start date Template:End date
38 Julie Bishop rowspan="4" Template:Australian party style | Liberal Abbott Template:Start date Template:End date Template:Age in years and days
Turnbull Template:Start date Template:End date
Morrison Template:End date Template:End date
39 Marise Payne Template:End date Template:End date Template:Age in years and days
40 Penny Wong Template:Australian party style | Labor Albanese Template:End date Incumbent Template:Age in years and days

Notes

1 Also served as Prime Minister for some or all of their term.
2 Barton was knighted in 1902, while serving as Minister.

List of ministers for international development and the Pacific

The Minister for International Development was responsible, in the Rudd Cabinet, for the Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID) and the international development and humanitarian aid policies of the Commonwealth of Australia, administered through the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT).[2][3][4] AusAID was abolished by the incoming prime minister, Tony Abbott, in September 2013 and under the operations of the Abbott Cabinet its functions were absorbed into DFAT.

In 2025, in the second Albanese ministry, the portfolio of Minister for International Development and the Pacific was split into two: Minister for International Development, held by Anne Aly, and Minister for Pacific Island Affairs, held by Pat Conroy.[5]

The following individuals have been appointed as Minister for International Development and the Pacific, or any precedent title:

Order Minister Party Prime Minister Ministerial title Term start Term end Term in office
1 Bill Morrison rowspan="2" Template:Australian party style |  Labor Whitlam Minister assisting the Minister for Foreign Affairs in matters relating to Papua New Guinea 30 November 1973 6 June 1975 Template:Age in years and days
Minister assisting the Minister for Foreign Affairs in matters relating to the Islands of the Pacific 6 June 1975 11 November 1975
2 Neal Blewett rowspan=4 Template:Australian party style|  Labor Hawke Minister for Trade and Overseas Development Template:Start date Template:End date Template:Age in years and days
Keating Template:Start date Template:End date
3 John Kerin Template:Start date Template:End date Template:Age in years and days
4 Gordon Bilney Minister for Development Cooperation and Pacific Island Affairs Template:Start date Template:End date Template:Age in years and days
5 Melissa Parke Template:Australian party style|  Labor Rudd Minister for International Development Template:Start date Template:End date Script error: No such module "age". days
6 Steven Ciobo rowspan=2 Template:Australian party style |  Liberal Turnbull Minister for International Development and the Pacific Template:Start date Template:End date Script error: No such module "age". days
7 Concetta Fierravanti-Wells Template:Start date Template:End date Template:Age in years and days
8 Alex Hawke rowspan=2 Template:Australian party style |  Liberal Morrison Minister for International Development and the Pacific Template:Start date Template:End date Template:Age in years and days
9 Zed Seselja Template:Start date Template:End date Template:Age in years and days
10 Pat Conroy rowspan=2 Template:Australian party style|  Labor Albanese Template:Start date Template:End date Template:Age in years and days
11 Anne Aly Minister for International Development Template:Start date Incumbent Template:Age in years and days

List of ministers assisting the minister for foreign affairs

The following individuals have been appointed as Minister assisting the Minister for Foreign Affairs or any of its precedent titles:

Order Minister Party Prime Minister Ministerial title Term start Term end Term in office
1 John Gorton Template:Australian party style |  Liberal Menzies Minister Assisting the Minister for External Affairs Template:Start date Template:End date Template:Age in years and days
2 Don Willesee rowspan="3" Template:Australian party style |  Labor Whitlam Minister assisting the Minister for Foreign Affairs 19 December 1972 6 November 1973 Script error: No such module "age". days
3 Bill Morrison Minister assisting the Minister for Foreign Affairs in matters relating to Papua New Guinea 30 November 1973 6 June 1975 Template:Age in years and days
Minister assisting the Minister for Foreign Affairs in matters relating to the Islands of the Pacific 6 June 1975 11 November 1975
4 Gareth Evans Template:Australian party style|  Labor Hawke Minister assisting the Minister for Foreign Affairs 13 December 1984 24 July 1987 Template:Age in years and days

List of parliamentary secretaries and assistant ministers for foreign affairs

The following individuals have been appointed as parliamentary secretaries and assistant ministers for Foreign Affairs or any of its precedent titles:

Order Minister Party Prime Minister Ministerial title Term start Term end Term in office
1 Stephen Martin Template:Australian party style|  Labor Keating Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade Template:Start date Template:End date Template:Age in years and days
2 Andrew Thomson rowspan="9" Template:Australian party style |  Liberal Howard Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Foreign Affairs Template:Start date Template:End date Template:Age in years and days
3 Kathy Sullivan Template:Start date Template:End date Template:Age in years and days
4 Kay Patterson Template:Start date Template:End date Template:Age in years and days
5 Chris Gallus Template:Start date Template:End date Template:Age in years and days
6 Bruce Billson Template:Start date Template:End date Template:Age in years and days
Parliamentary Secretary for Foreign Affairs and Trade Template:Start date Template:End date
Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Foreign Affairs Template:Start date Template:End date
7 Teresa Gambaro Template:Start date Template:End date Template:Age in years and days
8 Greg Hunt Template:Start date Template:End date Script error: No such module "age". days
9 Richard Marles Template:Australian party style|  Labor Gillard Parliamentary Secretary for Foreign Affairs Template:Start date Template:End date Script error: No such module "age". days
10 Brett Mason rowspan="2" Template:Australian party style |  Liberal Abbott Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Foreign Affairs Template:Start date Template:End date Template:Age in years and days
11 Steven Ciobo Template:Start date Template:End date Script error: No such module "age". days
12 Tim Watts rowspan="2" Template:Australian party style|  Labor Albanese Assistant Minister for Foreign Affairs Template:Start date Template:End date Template:Age in years and days
13 Matt Thistlethwaite Assistant Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade Template:Start date Incumbent Template:Age in years and days

List of parliamentary secretaries and assistant ministers for international development and the pacific

The following individuals have been appointed as parliamentary secretaries and assistant ministers for Foreign Affairs or any of its precedent titles:

Order Minister Party Prime Minister Ministerial title Term start Term end Term in office
1 Richard Marles rowspan=3 Template:Australian party style|  Labor Gillard Parliamentary Secretary for Pacific Island Affairs Template:Start date Template:End date Template:Age in years and days
2 Matt Thistlethwaite Template:Start date Template:End date Template:Age in years and days
Rudd Template:Start date Template:End date
3 Anne Ruston Template:Australian party style |  Liberal Morrison Assistant Minister for International Development and the Pacific Template:Start date Template:End date Script error: No such module "age". days

See also

References

Template:Reflist

External links

Template:Sister project

Template:Australian federal ministerial portfolios Template:Foreign relations of Australia

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