The Minister for Immigration and Multicultural Affairs is a ministerial post of the Australian Government and is currently held by Tony Burke since July 2024 in the Albanese ministry.
The post was created in 1945 and its inaugural officeholder was Arthur Calwell as the Minister for Immigration. On 20 December 2017, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull introduced a new major portfolio responsible for national security: Home Affairs.[1] The Hon Peter Dutton MP retained the duties of Minister for Immigration and Border Protection, with additional responsibilities awarded as the Minister for Home Affairs.[2] Following the appointment of Prime Minister Scott Morrison in August 2018, Morrison re-appointed Peter Dutton to the Home Affairs Ministry, previously introduced to the 'super-Ministry' under the Turnbull government in December 2017, and appointed David Coleman as Immigration Minister.
The portfolio and department were created in July 1945, during the last months of World War II. Previously, immigration affairs were handled by the Minister for Home Affairs (1901–1932) and the Minister for the Interior (1932–1945), except that between January 1925 and January 1928 Victor Wilson and Thomas Paterson were Ministers for Markets and Migration.[3]
The Minister for Immigration, Multicultural Affairs and Citizenship was usually one of the senior members of Cabinet, although between the Tenth Menzies Ministry and the Third Fraser Ministry, the post was downgraded to that of a junior minister. The minister and department have on several occasions been responsible for another portfolio in addition to immigration, such as ethnic/multicultural affairs, local government[4] or border protection.
The following individuals have held responsibility for immigration:[5]
Notes
On 24 July 1987 the third Hawke ministry implemented a two-level ministerial structure, with distinctions drawn between senior and junior ministers. This arrangement has been continued by subsequent governments; although there has not always been a junior minister in the immigration portfolio. Senior ministers are shown above. Junior ministers are shown below. The following individuals have held responsibility for citizenship and multicultural affairs or any precedent titles:[5]
The following individuals served as the Assistant Minister for Immigration, or any precedent titles:[5]
The following individuals served as the Assistant Minister for Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs, or any precedent titles:[5]
Peter Dutton will become Minister for Home Affairs, for the first time bringing together the nation's security, border and intelligence agencies under one department. As Minister for Home Affairs, Peter Dutton will be supported by two Ministers: Angus Taylor as Minister for Law Enforcement and Cybersecurity and Alan Tudge as Minister for Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs. He will also continue to have the assistance of Alex Hawke as Assistant Minister for Home Affairs. The Department of Home Affairs will keep Australians safer by ensuring full coordination between ASIO, the AFP, Australian Border Force, the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission and AUSTRAC. It will also contribute enormously to nation building through its focus on our immigration program.