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Minister for Veterans' Affairs

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For ministers in other countries, see Minister for Veterans.

Minister for Veterans’ Affairs
Incumbent
Matt Keogh
since 1 June 2022 (2022-06-01)
Department of Veterans' Affairs
StyleThe Honourable
AppointerGovernor-General on the recommendation of the Prime Minister of Australia
Inaugural holderEdward Millen
(as Minister for Repatriation)
Formation28 September 1917 (1917-09-28)
Websiteminister.dva.gov.au/minister-veterans-affairs

The Minister for Veterans' Affairs is an Australian Government position. In the Government of Australia, the minister oversees income support, compensation, care and commemoration programs for more than 400,000 veterans and their widows, widowers and dependants; and administers the portfolio through the Department of Veterans' Affairs. Since 2017 the office has been held in conjunction with the Minister for Defence Personnel

Scope

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The minister is also responsible for the following agencies:[1]

List of ministers

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Veterans' affairs

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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.

The following individuals have been appointed as Minister for Veterans' Affairs, or any of its precedent titles:[2]

Order Minister Party Prime Minister Title Term start Term end Term in office
1 Edward Millen Nationalist Hughes Minister for Repatriation 28 September 1917 (1917-09-28) 9 February 1923 (1923-02-09) 5 years, 134 days
2 Frank Anstey Labor Scullin Minister for Repatriation 22 October 1929 (1929-10-22) 3 March 1931 (1931-03-03) 1 year, 132 days
3 John McNeill 3 March 1931 (1931-03-03) 6 January 1932 (1932-01-06) 309 days
4 Charles Hawker United Australia Lyons 6 January 1932 (1932-01-06) 12 April 1932 (1932-04-12) 97 days
5 Charles Vukovich 12 April 1932 (1932-04-12) 12 October 1934 (1934-10-12) 2 years, 183 days
6 Billy Hughes 12 October 1934 (1934-10-12) 6 November 1935 (1935-11-06) 1 year, 25 days
7 Joseph Lyons 8 November 1935 (1935-11-08) 6 February 1936 (1936-02-06) 90 days
n/a Billy Hughes 6 February 1936 (1936-02-06) 29 November 1937 (1937-11-29) 1 year, 296 days
8 Harry Foll 29 November 1937 (1937-11-29) 7 April 1939 (1939-04-07) 1 year, 148 days
Page 7 April 1939 (1939-04-07) 26 April 1939 (1939-04-26)
9 Eric Harrison Menzies 26 April 1939 (1939-04-26) 14 March 1940 (1940-03-14) 323 days
10 Geoffrey Street 14 March 1940 (1940-03-14) 13 August 1940 (1940-08-13) 152 days
11 Philip McBride 14 August 1940 (1940-08-14) 28 October 1940 (1940-10-28) 75 days
12 George McLeay 28 October 1940 (1940-10-28) 26 June 1941 (1941-06-26) 241 days
13 Herbert Collett 26 June 1941 (1941-06-26) 29 August 1941 (1941-08-29) 103 days
Fadden 29 August 1941 (1941-08-29) 7 October 1941 (1941-10-07)
14 Charles Frost Labor Curtin 7 October 1941 (1941-10-07) 6 July 1945 (1945-07-06) 5 years, 25 days
Forde 6 July 1945 (1945-07-06) 13 July 1945 (1945-07-13)
Chifley 13 July 1945 (1945-07-13) 1 November 1946 (1946-11-01)
15 Claude Barnard 1 November 1946 (1946-11-01) 19 December 1949 (1949-12-19) 3 years, 48 days
16 Walter Cooper Country Menzies 19 December 1949 (1949-12-19) 29 December 1960 (1960-12-29) 11 years, 10 days
17 Frederick Osborne Liberal 29 December 1960 (1960-12-29) 22 December 1961 (1961-12-22) 358 days
18 Reginald Swartz 22 December 1961 (1961-12-22) 22 December 1964 (1964-12-22) 3 years, 0 days
19 Colin McKellar Country 22 December 1964 (1964-12-22) 26 January 1966 (1966-01-26) 4 years, 325 days
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) 12 November 1969 (1969-11-12)
20 Mac Holten 12 November 1969 (1969-11-12) 10 March 1971 (1971-03-10) 3 years, 23 days
McMahon 10 March 1971 (1971-03-10) 5 December 1972 (1972-12-05)
21 Lance Barnard1 Labor Whitlam 5 December 1972 (1972-12-05) 19 December 1972 (1972-12-19) 14 days
22 Reg Bishop 19 December 1972 (1972-12-19) 12 June 1974 (1974-06-12) 1 year, 175 days
23 John Wheeldon Minister for Repatriation and Compensation 12 June 1974 (1974-06-12) 11 November 1975 (1975-11-11) 1 year, 152 days
24 Don Chipp Liberal Fraser 11 November 1975 (1975-11-11) 22 December 1975 (1975-12-22) 41 days
25 Kevin Newman Minister for Repatriation 22 December 1975 (1975-12-22) 8 July 1976 (1976-07-08) 199 days
26 Peter Durack 8 July 1976 (1976-07-08) 5 October 1976 (1976-10-05) 1 year, 60 days
Minister for Veterans' Affairs 5 October 1976 (1976-10-05) 6 September 1977 (1977-09-06)
26 Victor Garland2 6 September 1977 (1977-09-06) 4 July 1978 (1978-07-04) 301 days
27 Evan Adermann Nationals 4 July 1978 (1978-07-04) 3 November 1980 (1980-11-03) 2 years, 122 days
28 Tony Messner Liberal 3 November 1980 (1980-11-03) 11 March 1983 (1983-03-11) 2 years, 128 days
29 Arthur Gietzelt Labor Hawke 11 March 1983 (1983-03-11) 24 July 1987 (1987-07-24) 4 years, 135 days
30 Ben Humphreys 24 July 1987 (1987-07-24) 20 December 1991 (1991-12-20) 5 years, 243 days
Keating 20 December 1991 (1991-12-20) 24 March 1993 (1993-03-24)
31 John Faulkner 24 March 1993 (1993-03-24) 25 March 1994 (1994-03-25) 1 year, 1 day
32 Con Sciacca 25 March 1994 (1994-03-25) 11 March 1996 (1996-03-11) 1 year, 352 days
33 Bruce Scott Nationals Howard 11 March 1996 (1996-03-11) 26 November 2001 (2001-11-26) 5 years, 260 days
35 Danna Vale Liberal 26 November 2001 (2001-11-26) 26 October 2004 (2004-10-26) 2 years, 335 days
36 De-Anne Kelly Nationals 26 October 2004 (2004-10-26) 27 January 2006 (2006-01-27) 1 year, 93 days
37 Bruce Billson Liberal 27 January 2006 (2006-01-27) 3 December 2007 (2007-12-03) 1 year, 310 days
38 Alan Griffin Labor Rudd 3 December 2007 (2007-12-03) 24 June 2010 (2010-06-24) 2 years, 284 days
Gillard 24 June 2010 (2010-06-24) 13 September 2010 (2010-09-13)
39 Warren Snowdon 13 September 2010 (2010-09-13) 1 July 2013 (2013-07-01) 3 years, 5 days
Rudd 1 July 2013 (2013-07-01) 18 September 2013 (2013-09-18)
40 Michael Ronaldson Liberal Abbott 18 September 2013 (2013-09-18) 15 September 2015 2 years, 3 days
  Turnbull 15 September 2015 21 September 2015
41 Stuart Robert   21 September 2015 (2015-09-21) 18 February 2016 150 days
42 Dan Tehan   18 February 2016 (2016-02-18) 20 December 2017 (2017-12-20) 1 year, 305 days
43 Michael McCormack   Nationals 20 December 2017 (2017-12-20) 5 March 2018 (2018-03-05) 68 days
44 Darren Chester   5 March 2018 (2018-03-05) 28 August 2018 (2018-08-28) 3 years, 119 days
Morrison 28 August 2018 (2018-08-28) 2 July 2021 (2021-07-02)
45 Andrew Gee   2 July 2021 (2021-07-02) 23 May 2022 (2022-05-23) 325 days
46 Matt Keogh   Labor Albanese 1 June 2022 (2022-06-01) Incumbent 2 years, 161 days

Notes

1 Barnard was part of a two-man ministry that comprised Barnard and Gough Whitlam for fourteen days, until the full ministry was commissioned.
2 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.

Assisting the prime minister for the centenary of ANZAC

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Order Minister Party Prime Minister Title Term start Term end Term in office
1 Warren Snowdon Labor Gillard Minister Assisting the Prime Minister on the Centenary of ANZAC 3 March 2011 27 June 2013 2 years, 199 days
Rudd 27 June 2013 18 September 2013
2 Michael Ronaldson   Liberal Abbott 18 September 2013 15 September 2015 2 years, 3 days
  Turnbull 15 September 2015 21 September 2015
3 Stuart Robert   21 September 2015 (2015-09-21) 18 February 2016 (2016-02-18) 150 days
4 Dan Tehan   18 February 2016 (2016-02-18) 20 December 2017 (2017-12-20) 1 year, 305 days
5 Michael McCormack   National 20 December 2017 (2017-12-20) 5 March 2018 (2018-03-05) 75 days
6 Darren Chester   5 March 2018 (2018-03-05) 28 August 2018 (2018-08-28) 1 year, 85 days
Morrison 28 August 2018 (2018-08-28) 29 May 2019 (2019-05-29)

War service homes

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Between 1932 and 1938 there was 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 Bert Lazzarini's appointment as Minister for Works and Housing in 1945.

The following individuals have been appointed as Minister in charge of War Service Homes, or any of its precedent titles:[2]

Order Minister Party Prime Minister Title Term start Term end Term in office
1 Josiah Francis   United Australia Lyons Minister in charge of War Service Homes 6 January 1932 (1932-01-06) 9 November 1934 (1934-11-09) 2 years, 307 days
2 Harold Thorby Country Minister without portfolio in charge of War Service Homes 9 November 1934 (1934-11-09) 11 September 1936 (1936-09-11) 1 year, 307 days
3 James Hunter 11 September 1936 (1936-09-11) 29 November 1937 (1937-11-29) 1 year, 79 days
4 Harry Foll United Australia Minister in charge of War Service Homes 29 November 1937 (1937-11-29) 7 November 1938 (1938-11-07) 343 days
5 Herbert Collett United Australia Menzies Minister without portfolio administering War Service Homes 26 April 1939 (1939-04-26) 14 March 1940 (1940-03-14) 2 years, 61 days
Minister without portfolio in charge of War Service Homes 14 March 1940 (1940-03-14) 13 August 1940 (1940-08-13)
Minister in charge of War Service Homes 14 August 1940 (1940-08-14) 28 October 1940 (1940-10-28)
Minister without portfolio administering War Service Homes 28 October 1940 (1940-10-28) 26 June 1941 (1941-06-26)
6 Charles Frost Labor Curtin Minister in charge of War Service Homes 7 October 1941 (1941-10-07) 6 July 1945 (1945-07-06) 3 years, 279 days
Forde 6 July 1945 (1945-07-06) 13 July 1945 (1945-07-13)

List of assistant ministers

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Order Minister Party Prime Minister Title Term start Term end Term in office
1 Matt Thistlethwaite   Labor Albanese Assistant Minister for the Veterans' Affairs 1 June 2022 (2022-06-01) Incumbent 2 years, 161 days

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Minister for Veterans' Affairs". Government of Australia. Retrieved 9 December 2007.
  2. ^ a b "Ministries and Cabinets". 43rd Parliamentary Handbook: Historical information on the Australian Parliament. Parliament of Australia. 2010. Archived from the original on 13 August 2014. Retrieved 9 July 2013.
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