Minister for Communications (Australia)

Minister for Communications
Incumbent Mitch Fifield since 21 September 2015 (2015-09-21)
Department of Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy
Style	The Honourable
Appointer	Governor-General on the recommendation of the Prime Minister of Australia
Inaugural holder	John Forrest
Formation	1 January 1901 (1901-01-01)

The Australian Minister for Communications is Senator the Honourable Mitch Fifield.

In the Government of Australia, the minister administers the portfolio through the Department of Communications and a range of other government agencies.

The minister has overall responsibility for broadcasting, the information and communications technology industry, the information economy, and telecommunications within Australia.

Scope

Portfolio agencies and bodies include:

• Australian Broadcasting Corporation
• Australian Communications and Media Authority
• Australian Postal Corporation
• Special Broadcasting Service
• NBNCo

List of ministers

The minister responsible for telecommunications policy has had various titles. From 1901 until December 1975 it was the Postmaster-General, who administered the portfolio through the Postmaster-General's Department.

The following individuals have been appointed as Minister for Communications, or any of its precedent titles:

Order	Minister	Party		Prime Minister	Title	Term start	Term end	Term in office
1	John Forrest		Protectionist	Barton	Postmaster-General	1 January 1901 (1901-01-01)	17 January 1901 (1901-01-17)	days
2	James Drake					5 February 1901 (1901-02-05)	10 August 1903 (1903-08-10)
3	Philip Fysh					10 August 1903 (1903-08-10)	24 September 1903 (1903-09-24)	days
				Deakin		24 September 1903 (1903-09-24)	27 April 1904 (1904-04-27)
4	Hugh Mahon		Labor	Watson		27 April 1904 (1904-04-27)	17 August 1904 (1904-08-17)	days
5	Sydney Smith		Free Trade	Reid		17 August 1904 (1904-08-17)	5 July 1905 (1905-07-05)	days
6	Austin Chapman		Protectionist	Deakin		5 July 1905 (1905-07-05)	30 July 1907 (1907-07-30)
7	Samuel Mauger					30 July 1907 (1907-07-30)	13 November 1908 (1908-11-13)
8	Josiah Thomas		Labor	Fisher		13 November 1908 (1908-11-13)	2 June 1909 (1909-06-02)	days
9	John Quick		Protectionist	Deakin		2 June 1909 (1909-06-02)	29 April 1910 (1910-04-29)	days
10	Josiah Thomas		Labor	Fisher		29 April 1910 (1910-04-29)	14 October 1911 (1911-10-14)
11	Charles Frazer					14 October 1911 (1911-10-14)	24 June 1913 (1913-06-24)
12	Agar Wynne		Commonwealth Liberal	Cook		24 June 1913 (1913-06-24)	17 September 1914 (1914-09-17)
13	William Spence		Labor	Fisher		17 September 1914 (1914-09-17)	27 October 1915 (1915-10-27)
14	William Webster			Hughes		27 October 1915 (1915-10-27)	14 November 1916 (1916-11-14)
			National Labor			14 November 1916 (1916-11-14)	17 February 1917 (1917-02-17)
			Nationalist			17 February 1917 (1917-02-17)	3 February 1920 (1920-02-03)
15	George Wise					3 February 1920 (1920-02-03)	21 December 1921 (1921-12-21)
16	Alexander Poynton					21 December 1921 (1921-12-21)	5 February 1923 (1923-02-05)
17	William Gibson			Bruce		5 February 1923 (1923-02-05)	22 October 1929 (1929-10-22)
18	Joseph Lyons		Labor	Scullin		22 October 1929 (1929-10-22)	4 February 1931 (1931-02-04)
19	Albert Green					4 February 1931 (1931-02-04)	6 January 1932 (1932-01-06)	days
20	James Fenton		United Australia	Lyons		6 January 1932 (1932-01-06)	13 October 1932 (1932-10-13)	days
21	Archdale Parkhill					13 October 1932 (1932-10-13)	12 October 1934 (1934-10-12)
22	Alexander McLachlan					12 October 1934 (1934-10-12)	7 November 1938 (1938-11-07)
23	Archie Cameron		Country			7 November 1938 (1938-11-07)	7 April 1939 (1939-04-07)	days
				Page		7 April 1939 (1939-04-07)	26 April 1939 (1939-04-26)
24	Eric Harrison		United Australia	Menzies		26 April 1939 (1939-04-26)	14 March 1940 (1940-03-14)	days
25	Harold Thorby		Country			14 March 1940 (1940-03-14)	28 October 1940 (1940-10-28)	days
26	George McLeay		United Australia			28 October 1940 (1940-10-28)	26 June 1941 (1941-06-26)	days
27	Thomas Collins		Country			26 June 1941 (1941-06-26)	29 August 1941 (1941-08-29)	days
				Fadden		29 August 1941 (1941-08-29)	7 October 1941 (1941-10-07)
28	Bill Ashley		Labor	Curtin		7 October 1941 (1941-10-07)	2 February 1945 (1945-02-02)
29	Don Cameron					2 February 1945 (1945-02-02)	6 July 1945 (1945-07-06)
				Forde		6 July 1945 (1945-07-06)	13 July 1945 (1945-07-13)
				Chifley		13 July 1945 (1945-07-13)	19 December 1949 (1949-12-19)
30	Larry Anthony		Country	Menzies		19 December 1949 (1949-12-19)	11 January 1956 (1956-01-11)
31	Charles Davidson					11 January 1956 (1956-01-11)	18 December 1963 (1963-12-18)
32	Alan Hulme		Liberal			18 December 1963 (1963-12-18)	26 January 1966 (1966-01-26)
				Holt		26 January 1966 (1966-01-26)	19 December 1967 (1967-12-19)
				McEwen		19 December 1967 (1967-12-19)	10 January 1968 (1968-01-10)
				Gorton		10 January 1968 (1968-01-10)	10 March 1971 (1971-03-10)
				McMahon		10 March 1971 (1971-03-10)	5 December 1972 (1972-12-05)
33	Lance Barnard		Labor	Whitlam		5 December 1972 (1972-12-05)	19 December 1972 (1972-12-19)	days
34	Lionel Bowen					19 December 1972 (1972-12-19)	12 June 1974 (1974-06-12)
35	Reg Bishop					12 June 1974 (1974-06-12)	11 November 1975 (1975-11-11)
36	Peter Nixon		National Country	Fraser		11 November 1975 (1975-11-11)	22 December 1975 (1975-12-22)	days
37	Victor Garland		Liberal		Minister for Post and Telecommunications	22 December 1975 (1975-12-22)	6 December 1976 (1976-12-06)	days
38	Eric Robinson					6 December 1976 (1976-12-06)	20 December 1977 (1977-12-20)
39	Tony Staley					20 December 1977 (1977-12-20)	3 November 1980 (1980-11-03)
40	Ian Sinclair		National Country		Minister for Communications	3 November 1980 (1980-11-03)	7 May 1982 (1982-05-07)
41	Neil Brown		Liberal			7 May 1982 (1982-05-07)	11 March 1983 (1983-03-11)	days
42	Michael Duffy		Labor	Hawke		11 March 1983 (1983-03-11)	24 July 1987 (1987-07-24)
43	Gareth Evans				Minister for Transport and Communications	24 July 1987 (1987-07-24)	2 September 1988 (1988-09-02)
44	Ralph Willis					2 September 1988 (1988-09-02)	4 April 1990 (1990-04-04)
45	Kim Beazley					4 April 1990 (1990-04-04)	9 December 1991 (1991-12-09)
46	John Kerin					9 December 1991 (1991-12-09)	20 December 1991 (1991-12-20)	days
				Keating		20 December 1991 (1991-12-20)	27 December 1991 (1991-12-27)
47	Graham Richardson					27 December 1991 (1991-12-27)	18 May 1992 (1992-05-18)	days
48	Bob Collins					18 May 1992 (1992-05-18)	23 December 1993 (1993-12-23)
49	Michael Lee				Minister for Communications	23 December 1993 (1993-12-23)	30 January 1994 (1994-01-30)
					Minister for Communications and the Arts	30 January 1994 (1994-01-30)	11 March 1996 (1996-03-11)
50	Richard Alston		Liberal	Howard		11 March 1996 (1996-03-11)	9 October 1997 (1997-10-09)
					Minister for Communications, the Information Economy and the Arts	9 October 1997 (1997-10-09)	21 October 1998 (1998-10-21)
					Minister for Communications, Information Technology and the Arts	21 October 1998 (1998-10-21)	7 October 2003 (2003-10-07)
51	Daryl Williams					7 October 2003 (2003-10-07)	18 July 2004 (2004-07-18)	days
52	Helen Coonan					18 July 2004 (2004-07-18)	3 December 2007 (2007-12-03)
53	Stephen Conroy		Labor	Rudd	Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy	3 December 2007 (2007-12-03)	24 June 2010 (2010-06-24)
				Gillard		24 June 2010 (2010-06-24)	1 July 2013 (2013-07-01)
54	Anthony Albanese			Rudd		1 July 2013 (2013-07-01)	18 September 2013 (2013-09-18)	days
55	Malcolm Turnbull		Liberal	Abbott	Minister for Communications	18 September 2013 (2013-09-18)	14 September 2015 (2015-09-14)
				Turnbull		15 September 2015 (2015-09-15)	21 September 2015 (2015-09-21)	days
56	Mitch Fifield					21 September 2015 (2015-09-21)	Incumbent	days

Notes

Barnard served as part of a two-man ministry together with Gough Whitlam for fourteen days, until the full ministry was commissioned.

On 24 July 1987 (1987-07-24), 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 ministries. Junior ministers are shown in the table below.

List of junior ministers within the portfolio

On 24 July 1987 (1987-07-24), 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 ministries; however, junior ministers have been appointed in the telecommunications portfolio on only four occasions. Senior ministers are shown in the table above.

The following individuals have been appointed as junior ministers in the telecommunications portfolio, reporting to the Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy, or any of its precedent titles:

Order	Minister	Party affiliation		Prime Minister	Ministerial title	Term start	Term end	Term in office
1	Gary Punch		Labor	Hawke	Minister for Telecommunications and Aviation Support	24 July 1987 (1987-07-24)	28 March 1989 (1989-03-28)
2	Ros Kelly					6 April 1989 (1989-04-06)	4 April 1990 (1990-04-04)	days
3	David Beddall		Labor	Keating	Minister for Communications	24 March 1993 (1993-03-24)	23 December 1993 (1993-12-23)	days
4	Sharon Bird		Labor	Rudd	Minister for Regional Communications	1 July 2013 (2013-07-01)	18 September 2013 (2013-09-18)	days

See also

• Department of Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy

External links

• Official website
• AUBroadband — Information about various broadband plans and availability of fibre optic broadband in Australia