Minister for Government Services

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Minister for Government Services
Coat of Arms of Australia.svg
Commonwealth Coat of Arms
Flag of Australia (converted).svg
Flag of Australia
Katy Gallagher 2022.jpg
Incumbent
Katy Gallagher
since 20 January 2025 (2025-01-20)
Department of Social Services
Services Australia
Style The Honourable
Appointer Governor-General
on the advice of the prime minister
Inaugural holder Frederick Stewart (as Minister for Social Services)
Formation26 April 1939 (1939-04-26)
Website ministers.dss.gov.au/katy-gallagher

The Minister for Government Services is the minister in the Government of Australia responsible for Services Australia. The current minister is Senator Katy Gallagher, who has held the position since 20 January 2025 following a cabinet reshuffle prompted by the retirement of the previous minister, Bill Shorten. [1]

Contents

The portfolio was given its current title in machinery of government changes ordered by then-Prime Minister Scott Morrison following the 2019 federal election. [2]

Scope

In the Government of Australia, the Minister is responsible for a number of welfare agencies and administers their portfolio through Services Australia and its component bodies:

The Department of Human Services was created on 26 October 2004, as part of the Finance Portfolio, to improve the development and delivery of Government social and health related services to the Australian people.

As a result of the Administrative Arrangements Orders (AAOs) issued on 30 January 2007, the Department of Human Services and its agencies were transferred to a newly created Human Services Portfolio.

The Minister for Government Services provides a central policy and coordination role for the delivery of services across the Portfolio as well as being the delivery agency for child support and vocational rehabilitation services. The AAOs of 25 January 2008 clarified the Department’s responsibility for the development of policy or service delivery, directed at ensuring the effective, innovative, and efficient delivery of Government services. The Department works with other departments and agencies to ensure early consideration of service delivery issues in the policy development process to improve the quality and cost effectiveness of service delivery by agencies in the Human Services Portfolio.

List of ministers for government services

There was a Minister for Social Services or Social Security continuously from 1939 to 1998, when service delivery was partially privatised and residual functions were transferred to the Minister for Finance and Administration. In 2004, the position of Minister for Human Services was recreated to handle the residual functions; Scott Morrison renamed the portfolio to Government Services in 2019.

The following individuals have been appointed as Minister for Government Services, or any precedent titles: [3] [4]

OrderMinisterParty affiliationPrime MinisterMinisterial titleTerm startTerm endTerm in office
1 Frederick Stewart   United Australia Menzies Minister for Social Services26 April 193929 August 19412 years, 164 days
Fadden 29 August 19417 October 1941
2 Jack Holloway   Labor Curtin 7 October 194121 September 19431 year, 349 days
3 James Fraser 21 September 19436 July 19452 years, 270 days
Forde 6 July 194513 July 1945
Chifley 13 July 194518 June 1946
4 Nick McKenna 18 June 194619 December 19493 years, 184 days
5 Bill Spooner   Liberal Menzies19 December 194911 May 19511 year, 143 days
6 Athol Townley 11 May 19519 July 19543 years, 59 days
7 William McMahon 9 July 195428 February 19561 year, 234 days
8 Hugh Roberton   Country 28 February 195621 January 19658 years, 328 days
9 Reginald Swartz  Liberal21 January 196522 February 196532 days
10 Ian Sinclair  Country22 February 196526 January 19663 years, 6 days
Holt 26 January 196619 December 1967
McEwen 19 December 196710 January 1968
Gorton 10 January 196828 February 1968
11 Bill Wentworth  Liberal28 February 196810 March 19714 years, 281 days
McMahon 10 March 19715 December 1972
12 Lance Barnard  Labor Whitlam 5 December 197219 December 197214 days
13 Bill Hayden Minister for Social Security19 December 19726 June 19752 years, 169 days
14 John Wheeldon 6 June 197511 November 1975158 days
15 Don Chipp  Liberal Fraser 12 November 197522 December 197540 days
16 Margaret Guilfoyle 22 December 19753 November 19804 years, 317 days
17 Fred Chaney 3 November 198011 March 19832 years, 128 days
18 Don Grimes  Labor Hawke 11 March 198313 December 19841 year, 277 days
19 Brian Howe 13 December 19844 April 19905 years, 112 days
20 Graham Richardson 4 April 199020 December 19911 year, 267 days
Keating 20 December 199127 December 1991
21 Neal Blewett 27 December 199124 March 19931 year, 87 days
22 Peter Baldwin 24 March 199311 March 19962 years, 353 days
23 Jocelyn Newman  Liberal Howard 11 March 199621 October 19982 years, 224 days
24 Joe Hockey  LiberalHowardMinister for Human Services26 October 200430 January 20072 years, 96 days
25 Ian Campbell 30 January 20079 March 200738 days
26 Chris Ellison 9 March 20073 December 2007269 days
27 Joe Ludwig  Labor Rudd 3 December 20079 June 20091 year, 188 days
28 Chris Bowen 9 June 200924 June 20101 year, 97 days
Gillard 24 June 201014 September 2010
29 Tanya Plibersek 14 September 201014 December 20111 year, 91 days
30 Brendan O'Connor 14 December 20115 March 201282 days
31 Kim Carr 5 March 201223 March 20131 year, 18 days
32 Jan McLucas 23 March 201327 June 2013179 days
Rudd27 June 201318 September 2013
33 Marise Payne  Liberal Abbott 18 September 201315 September 20152 years, 3 days
Turnbull 15 September 201521 September 2015
34 Stuart Robert 21 September 201512 February 2016144 days
35 Alan Tudge 18 February 201620 December 20171 year, 305 days
36 Michael Keenan 20 December 201724 August 20181 year, 160 days
Morrison 24 August 201829 May 2019
(34) Stuart Robert Minister for Government Services29 May 201930 March 20211 year, 305 days
37 Linda Reynolds 30 March 202123 May 20221 year, 56 days
38 Bill Shorten  Labor Albanese 1 June 202220 January 20252 years, 233 days
39 Katy Gallagher 20 January 2025Incumbent115 days

References

  1. ↑ "Ministry changes". pm.gov.au. 16 January 2025. Retrieved 20 January 2025.
  2. ↑ Donaldson, David (29 May 2019). "Administrative orders: Home Affairs to grow". The Mandarin. Retrieved 29 May 2019.
  3. ↑ Turnbull, Malcolm (20 December 2017). "Ministerial Arrangements" (Press release). Government of Australia. Archived from the original on 13 March 2018. Retrieved 3 February 2018. Michael Keenan will join Cabinet as Minister for Human Services and Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for Digital Transformation - a central role in ensuring all Australians get the services they expect when dealing with the Government, particularly as more and more services shift online.
  4. ↑ "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 29 September 2013.
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