Minister for Home Affairs

The Australian Minister for Home Affairs has been Jason Clare since 14 December 2011. The Home Affairs portfolio brings together agencies such as the Australian Customs Service (including the Border Protection Command), the Australian Federal Police and the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation, which were previously the responsibility of the Minister for Justice and Customs and the Attorney-General. The Minister for Home Affairs also has an influence on the Australian Office of Film & Literature Classification.^[1]

Australian Ministers for Home Affairs

There were Ministers for Home Affairs continuously from 1901 to 12 April 1932, when Archdale Parkhill became Minister for the Interior in the first Lyons Ministry—subsuming his portfolios of Home Affairs and Transport. The Home Affairs or Interior portfolio was responsible for various internal matters, not handled by other ministries. In due course other portfolios were established that took over functions from it, including:

• Transport from 1928 to 1932 and continuously since 1941
• Immigration since 1945
• Agriculture or Primary Industry since 1942
• Industry from 1928 to 1945 and since 1963

The establishment of such portfolios left the Minister for the Interior mainly responsible for administering the Australian Capital Territory and the Northern Territory. On 19 December 1972 the interior porfolio was replaced in the Whitlam Ministry by the Minister for the Capital Territory and the Minister for the Northern Territory. The Northern Territory porfolio was abolished on 28 September 1978, following the granting of self-government to the Northern Territory. From July 1987, administration of the Australian Capital Territory was subsumed in the portfolio of Arts, Sport, the Environment, Tourism and Territories, anticipating ACT self-government on 11 May 1989.

Australian Ministers for the Interior

Australian Ministers for Territories

Australian Ministers for the Capital Territory

Australian Ministers for the Northern Territory

Customs ministers

From 1901 to 1956 Customs was handled by the Minister for Trade and Customs. In 1956 Frederick Osborne was appointed Minister for Customs and Excise. Kep Enderby was appointed Minister for Police and Customs in 1975. In 1975 responsibility for customs was absorbed into the portfolio of the Minister for Business and Consumer Affairs, John Howard. In May 1982, the portfolio of the Minister for Business and Consumer Affairs was abolished and customs functions were transferred to the Minister for Industry and Commerce, Phillip Lynch. In January 1988, Barry Jones became responsible for customs as Minister for Science, Customs and Small Business within John Button's portfolio of Industry and Commerce and there were subsequently junior ministers responsible for customs within the industry portfolio until March 1993 and from March 1994 until December 2007, when customs became part of the responsibility of the Minister for Home Affairs, Bob Debus.

References