Minister for Communications (Australia)
Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy | |
---|---|
since 3 December 2007 | |
Style | The Honourable |
Appointer | Governor-General on the recommendation of the Prime Minister of Australia |
Inaugural holder | John Forrest |
Formation | 1901 |
The Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy is currently Senator the Hon Stephen Conroy. He replaced Senator the Hon Helen Coonan (Minister for Communications, Information Technology and the Arts) on 3 December 2007.
Portfolio
The current Minister, Stephen Conroy has overall responsibility for all of the matters falling within the Communications and Information Technology industry:
- Broadcasting
- Information and Communications Technology Industry
- Information economy
- Telecommunications
Agency and bodies
Portfolio agencies and bodies include:
- Department of Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy
- Australian Broadcasting Corporation
- Australian Communications and Media Authority
- Australian Postal Corporation
- Special Broadcasting Service
- NBNCo
The Communications Department was also responsible for Telstra until 1997 when the then new Howard Government decided to privatize it completely. The Australian Government has recently bought back infrastructure from its former agency, Telstra in order to decrease the cost of construction of the National Broadband Network to taxpayers.
Australian Postmasters-General and Ministers for Communications
The minister responsible for telecommunications policy has had various titles but from 1901 until December 1975 it was always Postmaster-General, in charge of the Postmaster-General's Department.
Minister | Party affiliation | Period | Ministerial Title |
---|---|---|---|
John Forrest | Protectionist | 1901 | Postmaster-General |
James Drake | 1901–1903 | ||
Philip Fysh | 1903–1904 | ||
Hugh Mahon | Labor | 1904 | |
Sydney Smith | Free Trade | 1904–1905 | |
Austin Chapman | Protectionist | 1905–1902 | |
Samuel Mauger | 1907–1908 | ||
Josiah Thomas | Labor | 1908–1909 | |
John Quick | Commonwealth Liberal | 1909–1910 | |
Josiah Thomas | Labor | 1910–1911 | |
Charles Frazer | 1911–1913 | ||
Agar Wynne | Commonwealth Liberal | 1913–1914 | |
William Spence | Labor | 1914–1915 | |
William Webster | Labor/Nationalist | 1915–1920 | |
George Wise | Nationalist | 1920–1921 | |
Alexander Poynton | 1921–1923 | ||
William Gibson | 1923–1929 | ||
Joseph Lyons | Labor | 1929–1931 | |
Albert Green | 1931–1932 | ||
James Fenton | United Australia | 1932 | |
Archdale Parkhill | 1932–1934 | ||
Alexander McLachlan | 1934–1938 | ||
Archie Cameron | Country | 1938–1939 | |
Eric Harrison | United Australia | 1939–1940 | |
Harold Thorby | 1939–1940 | ||
George McLeay | 1940–1941 | ||
Thomas Collins | 1941 | ||
Bill Ashley | Labor | 1941–1945 | |
Don Cameron | 1945–1949 | ||
Larry Anthony | Country | 1949–1956 | |
Charles Davidson | 1956–1963 | ||
Alan Hulme | Liberal | 1963–1972 | |
Lionel Bowen | Labor | 1972–1974 | |
Reg Bishop | 1974–1975 | ||
Peter Nixon | National Country | 1975–1975 | |
Victor Garland | Liberal | 1975–1976 | Minister for Post and Telecommunications |
Eric Robinson | 1976–1977 | ||
Tony Staley | 1977–1980 | ||
Ian Sinclair | National Country | 1980–1982 | Minister for Communications |
Neil Brown | Liberal | 1982–1983 | |
Michael Duffy | Labor | 1983–1987 | |
Gareth Evans | 1987–1988 | Minister for Transport and Communications | |
Ralph Willis | 1988–1990 | ||
Kim Beazley | 1990–1991 | ||
John Kerin | 1991 | ||
Graham Richardson | 1991–1992 | ||
Bob Collins* | 1992–1993 | ||
David Beddall* | 1993 | Minister for Communications | |
Michael Lee | 1993–1994 | ||
1994–1996 | Minister for Communications and the Arts | ||
Richard Alston | Liberal | 1996–1997 | |
1997–1998 | Minister for Communications, the Information Economy and the Arts | ||
1998–2003 | Minister for Communications, Information Technology and the Arts | ||
Daryl Williams | 2003–2004 | ||
Helen Coonan | 2004–2007 | ||
Stephen Conroy | Labor | 2007– | Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy |
- David Beddall was a junior minister who had served concurrently as Minister For Communications with his Cabinet colleague, Transport and Communications Minister Bob Collins from 24 March to 24 December 1993.