The Minister for Trade and Tourism is a portfolio in the Government of Australia, falling within the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT). The position is currently held by Senator Don Farrell, sworn in as part of the Albanese ministry on 1 June 2022, following the Australian federal election in 2022. The minister is assisted by the Assistant Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, held by Matt Thistlethwaite, and the Assistant Minister for Tourism, held by Nita Green.
Portfolio In the Government of Australia, the minister and assistant minister(s) administer the portfolio through the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) jointly with the Minister for Foreign Affairs. Other trade-related bodies for which the minister and assistant minister are responsible are: Austrade Export Finance Australia Tourism Australia
DFAT was created in 1987 through the merger of the Department of Foreign Affairs and the Department of Trade. In sequence, the trade portfolio has been administered by the following departments:
Department of Trade and Customs (1901–1956) Department of Trade (1956–1963) Department of Trade and Industry (1963–1972) Department of Overseas Trade (1972–1977) Department of Trade and Resources (1977–1983) Department of Trade (1983–1987) Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (1987–present)
List of ministers for trade The following individuals have been appointed as minister for trade, tourism and investment, or any of its precedent titles:
Order Minister Party Prime Minister Title Term start Term end Term in office 1 Charles Kingston Protectionist Barton Minister for Trade and Customs 2 William Lyne Protectionist Barton Minister for Trade and Customs days Deakin 3 Andrew Fisher Labor Watson days 4 Allan McLean Protectionist Reid days n/a William Lyne Deakin 5 Austin Chapman 6 Frank Tudor Labor Fisher days 7 Robert Best Liberal Deakin days n/a Frank Tudor Labor Fisher 8 Littleton Groom Liberal Cook n/a Frank Tudor Labor Fisher Hughes 9 Billy Hughes Labor Hughes Minister for Trade and Customs days 10 William Archibald National Labor days 11 Jens Jensen Nationalist 12 William Watt days 13 Walter Massy-Greene 14 Arthur Rodgers n/a Austin Chapman Nationalist Bruce Minister for Trade and Customs n/a Littleton Groom days 15 Herbert Pratten 16 Stanley Bruce days 17 Henry Gullett days 18 James Fenton Labor Scullin 19 Frank Forde days n/a Henry Gullett United Australia Lyons 20 Thomas White 21 John Perkins days Page 22 John Lawson Menzies days 23 Robert Menzies days 24 George McLeay days 25 Eric Harrison days Fadden 26 Richard Keane Labor Curtin Forde Chifley 27 John Dedman days 28 James Fraser days 29 Ben Courtice 30 Neil O'Sullivan Liberal Menzies 31 John McEwen Country Minister for Trade Minister for Trade and Industry Holt McEwen Gorton 32 Doug Anthony McMahon 33 Gough Whitlam Labor Whitlam days 34 Jim Cairns Minister for Overseas Trade 35 Frank Crean days n/a Doug Anthony National Country Fraser Minister for Trade and Resources 16 October 1982 National 16 October 1982 11 March 1983 36 Lionel Bowen Labor Hawke Minister for Trade 37 John Dawkins 38 Michael Duffy Minister for Trade Negotiations 39 Neal Blewett Minister for Trade and Overseas Development Keating 40 John Kerin 41 Peter Cook Minister for Trade days 42 Bob McMullan 43 Tim Fischer National Howard 44 Mark Vaile 45 Warren Truss 46 Simon Crean Labor Rudd Gillard 47 Stephen Smith days 48 Craig Emerson Minister for Trade and Competitiveness 49 Richard Marles Rudd Minister for Trade days 50 Andrew Robb Liberal Abbott Minister for Trade and Investment 15 September 2015 Turnbull 51 Steven Ciobo Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment 52 Simon Birmingham Morrison 53 Dan Tehan 54 Don Farrell Labor Albanese Minister for Trade and Tourism 1 June 2022 Incumbent
Notes Whitlam was part of a two-man ministry that comprised just Gough Whitlam and Lance Barnard for fourteen days, until the full ministry was announced.
List of ministers for tourism Since 1966, Australia had ministers responsible for tourism under various titles. The following individuals have been appointed as Minister for Tourism, or any of its precedent titles:
Order Minister Party Prime Minister Ministerial title Term start Term end Term in office 1 Don Chipp Liberal Holt Minister in charge of Tourist Activities McEwen Gorton 2 Reg Wright McMahon 3 Peter Howson 4 Frank Stewart Labor Whitlam Minister for Tourism and Recreation 5 Reg Withers Liberal Fraser days 6 John Brown Labor Hawke Minister for Sport, Recreation and Tourism Minister for Arts, Sport, the Environment, Tourism and Territories 7 Graham Richardson Labor Hawke Minister for Arts, Sport, the Environment, Tourism and Territories 8 Ros Kelly Keating 9 Alan Griffiths Minister for Tourism 10 Michael Lee 11 John Moore Liberal Howard Minister for Industry, Science and Tourism11 March 199621 October 1998 12 Jackie Kelly Minister for Sport and Tourism 13 Ian Macfarlane Minister for Industry, Tourism and Resources26 November 20013 December 2007 14 Martin Ferguson Labor Rudd Minister for Tourism Gillard 15 Gary Gray days Rudd 16 Richard Colbeck Liberal Turnbull Minister for Tourism and International Education 17 Steven Ciobo Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment 18 Simon Birmingham Morrison 19 Dan Tehan 20 Don Farrell Labor Albanese Minister for Trade and Tourism 1 June 2022 Incumbent
Former ministerial titles List of ministers assisting the minister for trade and tourism
The following individuals have been appointed as minister assisting the minister for trade and investment, or its preceding titles: Order Minister Party Prime Minister Title Term start Term end Term in office 1Ian Sinclair Country HoltMinister assisting the Minister for Trade and Industry McEwen Gorton 2John Howard LiberalFraser Minister for Special Trade Negotiations days 3Victor Garland Minister for Special Trade Representations 4Douglas Scott National Country Minister for Special Trade RepresentationsMinister assisting the Minister for Trade and Resources days 5Ian Sinclair Minister for Special Trade Representations days 6Tom McVeigh Minister Assisting the Minister for Trade and Resources 7 Andrew Thomson Liberal Howard Minister for Sport and Tourism 8 Jackie Kelly 9 Joe Hockey Minister for Small Business and Tourism 10 Fran Bailey 11Richard Colbeck Liberal Turnbull Minister Assisting the Minister for Trade and Investment days 12Andrew Gee MorrisonNational Minister Assisting the Minister for Trade and Investment 13David Gillespie Parliamentary secretaries and assistant ministers List of parliamentary secretaries and assistant ministers for trade
The following individuals have been appointed as parliamentary secretary and assistant ministers for trade: Order Minister Party Prime Minister Title Term start Term end Term in office 1 Stephen Martin Labor Keating Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade 2 David Brownhill NationalHowardParliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Trade 3 Larry Anthony 4 De-Anne Kelly NationalHoward Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Trade 5 Bruce Billson Liberal Parliamentary Secretary for Foreign Affairs and Trade 6 Sandy Macdonald NationalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Trade (4) De-Anne Kelly 7 John Murphy LaborRudd Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Trade 8Anthony ByrneParliamentary Secretary for Trade Gillard 9 Justine Elliot 10 Kelvin Thomson 11 Steven Ciobo Liberal Abbott Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Trade and Investment days 12Keith Pitt NationalTurnbull Assistant Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment 13Luke Hartsuyker 14Mark Coulton Morrison Assistant Minister for Trade and Investment 15 Tim Ayres Labor Albanese Assistant Minister for Trade16Matt Thistlethwaite LaborAlbaneseAssistant Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade13 May 2025Incumbent
List of assistant ministers for tourism Order Minister Party Prime Minister Title Term start Term end Term in office Reference 1Keith Pitt NationalTurnbull Assistant Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment 2Luke Hartsuyker 3 Mark Coulton 4 Jonathon Duniam Liberal Morrison Assistant Minister for Regional Tourism 5 Nita Green Labor Albanese Assistant Minister for Tourism Incumbent
See also Minister for Industry and Trade (New South Wales) Minister for Jobs and Tourism (New South Wales) Minister for Tourism (Victoria) Minister for Tourism (Western Australia)
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