Minister for Housing (Australia)

Australian cabinet position

Minister for Housing

Commonwealth Coat of Arms

Flag of Australia

Incumbent
Clare O'Neil

since 29 July 2024 (2024-07-29)

Department of Social Services
Style| The Honourable
Appointer| Governor-General on the recommendation of the Prime Minister of Australia
Inaugural holder| Bert Lazzarini
(as Minister for Works and Housing)
Formation| 13 July 1945 (1945-07-13)
Website| ministers.dss.gov.au/clare-oneil

The Minister for Housing is an Australian Government cabinet position which is currently held by Clare O'Neil since July 2024 in the Albanese ministry.

In the Government of Australia, the minister administers this portfolio through the Department of Social Services.

The first Minister for Housing was Les Bury, appointed in 1963, although there were Ministers in charge of War Service Homes from 1932 to 1938 and 1941 to 1945. In 1945, Bert Lazzarini was appointed Minister for Works and Housing and this title continued until 1952, when Wilfrid Kent Hughes became Minister for Works. No minister included "works" or "construction" in his portfolio after Stewart West lost this title in 1987, partly reflecting the progressive outsourcing of the Commonwealth's construction activities and even ownership of assets. The Howard government had no Minister of Housing, partly reflecting the decline of the significance of the commonwealth-state housing agreements as a means of providing new housing since the post-war years.

Between 2010 and 2013 and since 2020, the minister appointed to the position is also appointed the Minister for Homelessness.

## List of ministers for housing

[edit]

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

Order  | Minister  | Party  | Ministry  | Title  | Term start  | Term end  | Term in office

|
|
|
|
|
|
|

1  | Bert Lazzarini |  | Labor | 1st Chifley | Minister for Works and Housing  | 13 July 1945 (1945-07-13) | 1 November 1946 (1946-11-01) | 1 year, 111 days
2  | Nelson Lemmon | 2nd Chifley | 1 November 1946 (1946-11-01) | 19 December 1949 (1949-12-19) | 3 years, 48 days
3  | Richard Casey |  | Liberal | 4th Menzies | 19 December 1949 (1949-12-19) | 11 May 1951 (1951-05-11) | 1 year, 143 days
4  | Wilfrid Kent Hughes | 5th Menzies | 11 May 1951 (1951-05-11) | 4 June 1952 (1952-06-04) | 1 year, 24 days
5  | Les Bury |  | Liberal  | 10th Menzies | Minister for Housing  | 18 December 1963 (1963-12-18) | 26 January 1966 (1966-01-26) | 2 years, 39 days
6  | Annabelle Rankin | 1st Holt
2nd Holt
McEwen
1st Gorton
2nd Gorton
McMahon | 26 January 1966 (1966-01-26) | 22 March 1971 (1971-03-22) | 5 years, 55 days
7  | Kevin Cairns | McMahon | 22 March 1971 (1971-03-22) | 5 December 1972 (1972-12-05) | 1 year, 258 days
8  | Gough Whitlam1 |  | Labor  | 1st Whitlam | 5 December 1972 (1972-12-05) | 19 December 1972 (1972-12-19) | 14 days
9  | Les Johnson | 2nd Whitlam | 19 December 1972 (1972-12-19) | 30 November 1973 (1973-11-30) | 2 years, 169 days
2nd Whitlam
3rd Whitlam | Minister for Housing and Construction | 30 November 1973 (1973-11-30) | 6 June 1975 (1975-06-06)
10  | Joe Riordan | 3rd Whitlam | 6 June 1975 (1975-06-06) | 11 November 1975 (1975-11-11) | 158 days
11  | John Carrick |  | Liberal  | 1st Fraser | 11 November 1975 (1975-11-11) | 22 December 1975 (1975-12-22) | 41 days
12  | Ivor Greenwood | 2nd Fraser | Minister for Environment, Housing and Community Development  | 22 December 1975 (1975-12-22) | 8 July 1976 (1976-07-08) | 199 days
13  | Kevin Newman | 2nd Fraser | 8 July 1976 (1976-07-08) | 20 December 1977 (1977-12-20) | 1 year, 165 days
14  | Ray Groom | 3rd Fraser | 20 December 1977 (1977-12-20) | 5 December 1978 (1978-12-05) | 2 years, 319 days
Minister for Housing and Construction | 5 December 1978 (1978-12-05) | 3 November 1980 (1980-11-03)
15  | Tom McVeigh |  | National Country | 4th Fraser | 3 November 1980 (1980-11-03) | 7 May 1982 (1982-05-07) | 1 year, 185 days
16  | Chris Hurford |  | Labor  | 1st Hawke | Minister for Housing and Construction | 11 March 1983 (1983-03-11) | 13 December 1984 (1984-12-13) | 1 year, 277 days
17  | Stewart West | 2nd Hawke | 13 December 1984 (1984-12-13) | 24 July 1987 (1987-07-24) | 2 years, 223 days
18  | Peter Morris |  | Labor  | 3rd Hawke | Minister for Housing and Aged Care | 19 January 1988 (1988-01-19) | 15 February 1988 (1988-02-15) | 27 days
19  | Peter Staples | 3rd Hawke
4th Hawke | 15 February 1988 (1988-02-15) | 7 May 1990 (1990-05-07) | 2 years, 81 days
20  | Brian Howe | 4th Hawke | Minister for Community Services and Health  | 7 May 1990 (1990-05-07) | 7 June 1991 (1991-06-07) | 5 years, 309 days
4th Hawke
1st Keating | Minister for Health, Housing and Community Services | 7 June 1991 (1991-06-07) | 24 March 1993 (1993-03-24)
2nd Keating | Minister for Housing, Local Government and Community Services | 24 March 1993 (1993-03-24) | 23 December 1993 (1993-12-23)
Minister for Housing, Local Government and Human Services | 23 December 1993 (1993-12-23) | 25 March 1994 (1994-03-25)
Minister for Housing and Regional Development | 25 March 1994 (1994-03-25) | 11 March 1996 (1996-03-11)
21  | Tanya Plibersek |  | Labor  | 1st Rudd
1st Gillard | Minister for Housing  | 3 December 2007 (2007-12-03) | 14 September 2010 (2010-09-14) | 2 years, 285 days
22  | Mark Arbib | 2nd Gillard | Minister for Social Housing and Homelessness | 14 September 2010 (2010-09-14) | 14 December 2011 (2011-12-14) | 1 year, 91 days
23  | Robert McClelland | Minister for Housing  | 14 December 2011 (2011-12-14) | 5 March 2012 (2012-03-05) | 82 days
24  | Brendan O'Connor | 5 March 2012 (2012-03-05) | 4 February 2013 (2013-02-04) | 336 days
25  | Mark Butler | Minister for Housing and Homelessness | 4 February 2013 (2013-02-04) | 1 July 2013 (2013-07-01) | 147 days
26  | Julie Collins | 2nd Rudd | 1 July 2013 (2013-07-01) | 18 September 2013 (2013-09-18) | 79 days
27  | Michael Sukkar |  | Liberal  | 2nd Morrison | Minister for Housing  | 29 May 2019 (2019-05-29) | 23 May 2022 (2022-05-23) | 2 years, 359 days
(26)  | Julie Collins |  | Labor  | Albanese | 1 June 2022 (2022-06-01) | 29 July 2024 (2024-07-29) | 2 years, 58 days
28  | Clare O'Neil | 29 July 2024 (2024-07-29) | Incumbent | 46 days

Notes

1 Whitlam was one of a two-man ministry consisting of himself and Lance Barnard for two weeks until the full ministry was announced.

## List of assistant ministers

[edit]

The following individuals have been appointed as Assistant Minister for Community Housing, Homelessness and Community Services, or any of its precedent titles:[1]

Order  | Minister  | Party  | Ministry  | Title  | Term start  | Term end  | Term in office

|
|
|
|
|
|
|

1  | Herbert Johnson |  | Labor  | 1st Chifley | Minister assisting the Minister for Works and Housing  | 13 July 1945 (1945-07-13) | 1 November 1946 (1946-11-01) | 1 year, 111 days
2  | Gary Johns |  | Labor  | 1st Keating | Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Health, Housing and Community Services  | 27 December 1991 (1991-12-27) | 24 March 1993 (1993-03-24) | 1 year, 87 days
3  | Andrew Theophanous | 2nd Keating | Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Human Services  | 24 March 1993 (1993-03-24) | 23 December 1993 (1993-12-23) | 1 year, 1 day
Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Human Services  | 23 December 1993 (1993-12-23) | 25 March 1994 (1994-03-25)
4  | Mary Crawford | Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Housing and Regional Development  | 25 March 1994 (1994-03-25) | 11 March 1996 (1996-03-11) | 1 year, 352 days
5  | Melissa Parke |  | Labor  | 2nd Gillard | Parliamentary Secretary for Homelessness and Social Housing  | 4 February 2013 (2013-02-04) | 1 July 2013 (2013-07-01) | 147 days
6  | Doug Cameron | 2nd Rudd | Parliamentary Secretary for Housing and Homelessness  | 1 July 2013 (2013-07-01) | 18 September 2013 (2013-09-18) | 79 days
7  | Sarah Henderson |  | Liberal  | 1st Morrison | Assistant Minister for Social Services, Housing and Disability Services  | 28 August 2018 (2018-08-28) | 29 May 2019 (2019-05-29) | 274 days
8  | Luke Howarth |  | Liberal National | 2nd Morrison | Assistant Minister for Community Housing, Homelessness and Community Services  | 29 May 2019 (2019-05-29) | 22 December 2020 (2020-12-22) | 1 year, 207 days

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b "The 45th Parliament: Parliamentary Handbook of the Commonwealth of Australia 2017". Parliament of Australia. 2017. Archived from the original on 11 July 2017. Retrieved 18 July 2017.

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[edit]

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