- Minister for Veterans' Affairs (Australia)
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Minister for Veterans Affair Style The Honourable Appointer Governor-General on the recommendation of the
Prime Minister of AustraliaInaugural holder Edward Millen Formation 1917 The Australian Minister for Veterans' Affairs oversees income support, compensation, care and commemoration programs for more than 400,000 veterans and their widows, widowers and dependants.
The current Minister is Warren Snowdon, who was appointed on 14 September 2010, following the Labor Party's win at the 2010 election. He is responsible for the Veterans’ Affairs portfolio, including:[1]
- Department of Veterans' Affairs
- Repatriation Commission
- Military Rehabilitation and Compensation Commission
- Office of Australian War Graves
- Australian War Memorial
- Veterans' Review Board
- Repatriation Medical Authority
- Specialist Medical Review Council
Australian Ministers for Veterans' Affairs
The portfolio was created by Billy Hughes. It was called Minister for Repatriation from the appointment of the first Minister, Edward Millen on 28 September 1917 to deal with ex-soldiers returning from World War I. Stanley Bruce chose not to include a Minister for Repatriation in his ministry (1923–29), but his successor James Scullin restored it, and it has continued ever since, under different names. Gough Whitlam changed the portfolio title to Minister for Repatriation and Compensation in 1974; Malcolm Fraser restored it to its original title in 1975, and then changed it to Minister for Veterans' Affairs on 5 October 1976, Peter Durack being the last minister under the old title and the first under the new.
Between 1932 and 1938 there were also a Minister in charge of War Service Homes. This position was revived with Herbert Collett's appointment as Minister without portfolio administering War Service Homes in 1939, but was subsumed by Hubert Lazzarini's appointment as Minister for Works and Housing in 1945.
Minister Party affiliation Period Prime
MinisterMinisterial Title Edward Millen Nationalist Party 1917–1923 Hughes Minister for Repatriation Frank Anstey Australian Labor Party 1929–1931 Scullin John McNeill 1931–1932 Charles Hawker United Australia Party 1932 Lyons Charles Marr 1932–1934 Billy Hughes 1934–1935 Joseph Lyons 1935–1936 Billy Hughes 1936–1937 Harry Foll 1937–1939 1939 Page Eric Harrison 1939–1940 Menzies Geoffrey Street 1940 Philip McBride 1940 George McLeay 1940–1941 Herbert Collett 1941 1941 Fadden Charles Frost Australian Labor Party 1941–1945 Curtin 1945 Forde 1945–1946 Chifley Claude Barnard 1946–1949 Walter Cooper Country Party 1949–1960 Menzies Frederick Osborne Liberal Party 1960–1961 Reginald Swartz 1961–1964 Colin McKellar 1964–1966 1966–1967 Holt 1967–1968 McEwen 1968–1969 Gorton Mac Holten 1969–1971 1971–1972 McMahon Lance Barnard Australian Labor Party 1972 Whitlam Reg Bishop 1972–1974 John Wheeldon 1974–1975 Minister for Repatriation and Compensation Don Chipp Liberal Party 1975 Fraser Kevin Newman 1975–1976 Minister for Repatriation Peter Durack 1976 1976–1977 Minister for Veterans' Affairs Victor Garland[2] 1977–1978 Evan Adermann National Party 1978–1980 Tony Messner Liberal Party 1980–1983 Arthur Gietzelt Australian Labor Party 1983–1987 Hawke Ben Humphreys 1987–1991 1991–1993 Keating John Faulkner 1993–1994 Con Sciacca 1994–1996 Bruce Scott National Party 1996–2001 Howard Danna Vale Liberal Party 2001–2004 De-Anne Kelly National Party 2004–2006 Bruce Billson Liberal Party 2006–2007 Alan Griffin Australian Labor Party 2007–2010 Rudd 2010 Gillard Warren Snowdon 2010– Ministers in charge of War Service Homes
Minister Party affiliation Period Prime
MinisterMinisterial Title Josiah Francis United Australia Party 1932–1934 Lyons Minister in charge of War Service Homes Harold Thorby Country Party 1934–1936 Minister without portfolio in charge of War Service Homes James Hunter Country Party 1936–1937 Harry Foll United Australia Party 1937–1938 Minister in charge of War Service Homes Herbert Collett United Australia Party 1939–1940 Menzies Minister without portfolio administering War Service Homes 1940–1940 Minister without portfolio in charge of War Service Homes 1940–1940 Minister in charge of War Service Homes 1940–1941 Minister without portfolio administering War Service Homes Charles Frost Australian Labor Party 1941–1945 Curtin Minister in charge of War Service Homes 1941–1945 Forde References
- ^ "Minister for Veterans' Affairs". Government of Australia. http://minister.dva.gov.au/. Retrieved 2007-12-09.
- ^ Malcolm Fraser initially chose Senator Glen Sheil for the portfolio, and he was sworn in as a member of the Federal Executive Council. But before he was sworn in as a minister, Sheil professed his support for the South African apartheid regime, which was very much at odds with the Fraser government's position. Fraser decided not to proceed with Sheil’s appointment to the Ministry, and his appointment as an Executive Councillor was terminated. Garland was appointed in his place.
Categories:- Lists of government ministers of Australia
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