The Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government in the

Government of Australia The Australian Government, also known as the Commonwealth Government or simply as the federal government, is the national Executive (government), executive government of Australia, a federalism, federal Parliamentary system, parliamentary con ...

is a position currently held by Catherine King following the swearing in of the full Albanese ministry on 1 June 2022. The Minister for Regional Development, Local Government and Territories is a position currently held by Kristy McBain.

Scope

In the

, the minister for infrastructure has overall responsibility for all of the matters falling within the Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Communications portfolio, including regulation, safety and funding in relation to aviation, shipping, roads and railways and policy on regional development and local government.

History

Under the

Constitution of Australia The Constitution of Australia (also known as the Commonwealth Constitution) is the fundamental law that governs the political structure of Australia. It is a written constitution, which establishes the country as a Federation of Australia, ...

the federal government was not given any specific responsibilities for transport, except for "railway construction and extension in any State with the consent of that State" (section 51(xxxiv)). In

1916 Events Below, the events of the First World War have the "WWI" prefix. January * January 1 – The British Empire, British Royal Army Medical Corps carries out the first successful blood transfusion, using blood that has been stored ...

Billy Hughes William Morris Hughes (25 September 1862 – 28 October 1952) was an Australian politician who served as the seventh prime minister of Australia from 1915 to 1923. He led the nation during World War I, and his influence on national politics s ...

appointed Patrick Lynch as Minister for Works and Railways to administer

Commonwealth Railways The Commonwealth Railways were established in 1917 by the Government of Australia with the Commonwealth Railways Act to administer the Trans-Australian Railway, Trans-Australia and Adelaide-Darwin railway, Port Augusta to Darwin railways. In 1 ...

and the construction of the

Trans-Australian Railway The Trans-Australian Railway, opened in 1917, runs from Port Augusta railway station, Port Augusta in South Australia to Kalgoorlie railway station, Kalgoorlie in Western Australia, crossing the Nullarbor Plain in the process. Built to standa ...

. In December 1928,

Stanley Bruce Stanley Melbourne Bruce, 1st Viscount Bruce of Melbourne (15 April 1883 – 25 August 1967) was an Australian politician, statesman and businessman who served as the eighth prime minister of Australia from 1923 to 1929. He held office as ...

appointed

Thomas Paterson Thomas Paterson (20 November 1882 – 24 January 1952) was an Australian politician who served as deputy leader of the Country Party from 1929 to 1937. He held ministerial office in the governments of Stanley Bruce and Joseph Lyons, represent ...

as Minister for Markets and Transport, which included responsibility for funding road construction via grants to the states. In January 1932, this portfolio was renamed Minister for Transport, but in April 1932 it was absorbed into the new portfolio of Minister for the Interior along with the position of Minister for Works and Railways. In December 1938, with the growth of significance of civil aviation and the commonwealth's assumption of responsibility for regulating it under international treaties,

Joseph Lyons Joseph Aloysius Lyons (15 September 1879 – 7 April 1939) was an Australian politician who served as the tenth prime minister of Australia, from 1932 until his death in 1939. He held office as the inaugural leader of the United Australia Par ...

appointed

Harold Thorby Harold Victor Campbell Thorby (2 October 1888 – 1 January 1973) was an Australian politician. He was a member of the Australian Country Party (1920), Country Party and served as the party's deputy leader from 1937 to 1940. He represented the D ...

as the first Minister for Civil Aviation. In 1941

Robert Menzies The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of '' Hruod'' () "fame, glory, honour, praise, reno ...

re-established the transport portfolio with the appointment of

Hubert Lawrence Anthony Hubert Lawrence "Larry" Anthony (12 March 189712 July 1957) was an Australian politician. He was a member of the Country Party and held ministerial office in the governments of Arthur Fadden and Robert Menzies, serving as Minister for Transport ...

. The

Curtin government The Curtin government was the federal executive government of Australia led by Prime Minister John Curtin. It was made up of members of the Australian Labor Party in the Australian Parliament from 1941 to 1945. Background John Curtin was firs ...

was determined to establish a government shipping company, ultimately the

Australian National Line Australian National Line (ANL) is a coastal shipping line established by the Government of Australia in 1956. It was sold in 1998 to CMA CGM. History Australian National Line was formed on 1 October 1956 as the Australian Coastal Shipping C ...

s, and

John Curtin John Curtin (8 January 1885 – 5 July 1945) was an Australian politician who served as the 14th prime minister of Australia from 1941 until his death in 1945. He held office as the leader of the Australian Labor Party (ALP), having been most ...

appointed

Jack Beasley John Albert Beasley (9 November 1895 – 2 September 1949) was an Australian politician who was a member of the Australian House of Representatives, House of Representatives from 1928 to 1946. He served in the Australian War Cabinet from 1941 ...

as Minister for Supply and Development in

1941 The Correlates of War project estimates this to be the deadliest year in human history in terms of conflict deaths, placing the death toll at 3.49 million. However, the Uppsala Conflict Data Program estimates that the subsequent year, 1942, wa ...

. This position was renamed Minister for Shipping, Fuel and Transport in 1950 under the Menzies government and Minister for Shipping and Transport in 1951.

Gough Whitlam Edward Gough Whitlam (11 July 191621 October 2014) was the 21st prime minister of Australia, serving from December 1972 to November 1975. To date the longest-serving federal leader of the Australian Labor Party (ALP), he was notable for being ...

combined the transport and civil aviation portfolios in 1973, but it was re-divided with

Malcolm Fraser John Malcolm Fraser (; 21 May 1930 – 20 March 2015) was an Australian politician who served as the 22nd prime minister of Australia from 1975 to 1983. He held office as the leader of the Liberal Party of Australia, and is the fourth List of ...

's appointment of

Wal Fife Wallace Clyde Fife (2 October 1929 – 16 November 2017) was an Australian politician and minister in the New South Wales Government and Federal Government. He served for 35 years as a Member in both the New South Wales Parliament and the Federa ...

as Minister for Aviation in 1982.

Bob Hawke Robert James Lee Hawke (9 December 1929 – 16 May 2019) was an Australian politician and trade unionist who served as the 23rd prime minister of Australia from 1983 to 1991. He held office as the Australian Labor Party, leader of the La ...

abolished the aviation portfolio in

1987 Events January * January 1 – Bolivia reintroduces the Boliviano currency. * January 2 – Chadian–Libyan conflict – Battle of Fada: The Military of Chad, Chadian army destroys a Libyan armoured brigade. * January 3 – Afghan leader ...

with the creation of the "super" departments. Since 1987, there has been a single senior transport minister in Cabinet.

Agency and bodies

Other agencies and bodies the portfolio include: *

Australian Transport Safety Bureau The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) is Australia's national transport safety investigator. The ATSB is the federal government body responsible for investigating transport-related accidents and incidents within Australia. It covers ai ...

Airservices Australia Airservices Australia is an Australian Government-owned corporation, responsible for providing services to the aviation industry within the Australian Flight Information Region (FIR). Some of Airservices Australia’s responsibilities includ ...

* Australian Bicycle Council * Australian Global Navigation Satellite System Coordination Committee (AGCC) * Australian Local Government and Planning Ministers' Council *

Australian Maritime College The Australian Maritime College (AMC) is a tertiary education institution based in Launceston, Tasmania, established by the ''Maritime College Act 1978'' (Cth). Tertiary education is provided and organised by the University of Tasmania (UTAS) a ...

Australian Maritime Safety Authority Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) is an Australian statutory authority responsible for the regulation and safety oversight of Australia's shipping fleet and management of Australia's International Maritime Organization, international ...

* Australian Motor Vehicle Certification Board * Australian Rail Operations Unit *

Australian Rail Track Corporation The Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC) is an Australian Government-owned statutory corporation. It operates one of the largest rail networks in the nation, spanning across five states and 39 worksites. ARTC continues to expand the networ ...

* Australian Transport Advisory Council * Christmas Island Administration *

Civil Aviation Safety Authority The Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) is an Australian statutory authority responsible for the regulation and safety oversight of Australia's civil aviation. CASA was formed on 6 July 1995 under the ''Civil Aviation Act 1988'' when the Civil ...

* Cocos (Keeling) Islands Administration * East Kimberley Council of Australian Governments (COAG) Indigenous Trial * International Air Services Commission * Jervis Bay Territory Administration * Local Government and Planning Joint Committee *

National Capital Authority The National Capital Authority (NCA) is a statutory authority of the Australian Government that was established to manage the Commonwealth's interest in the planning and development of Canberra as the capital city of Australia. Timeline of th ...

* National Transport Commission * Navigation Safety Advisory Committee *

Administrator of the Northern Territory The administrator of the Northern Territory is an official appointed by the governor-general of Australia to represent the Crown in right of the Northern Territory. They perform functions similar to those of a state governor. Strictly speaking ...

* Office of the Administrator Norfolk Island * Regional Development Council * Regional Women's Advisory Council * Standing Committee on Regional Development Secretariat * Stevedoring Industry Finance Committee * Tasmanian Freight Equalisation Scheme Review Authority

List of ministers for infrastructure and transport

The following individuals have been appointed as Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development, or any precedent titles:

List of ministers for regional development

The following individuals have been appointed Minister for Regional Development, or any precedent titles:

List of ministers for local government

The following individuals have been appointed Minister for Local Government, or any precedent titles:

List of ministers for cities

Former ministerial titles and portfolios

List of ministers for aviation

The following individuals have been appointed as Minister for Aviation, or any precedent titles:

List of ministers for shipping

The following individuals were appointed as Ministers for Shipping, or any precedent titles:

List of ministers for works

The following individuals have been appointed as Minister for Works, or any precedent titles: Notes : 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 ministers for land transport

Since the creation of the enlarged portfolios in the third Hawke ministry on 24 July 1987 there has usually been a minister or assistant outside cabinet supporting the Minister for Transport and Infrastructure, or any precedent title.

List of ministers for road safety

List of assistant ministers

References

External links

* {{Australian federal ministerial portfolios Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government Urban planning in Australia Transport in Australia