| Minister for Aboriginal Affairs | |
|---|---|
 | |
 IncumbentTony Buti since 21 December 2021 (2021-12-21) | |
| Department of Aboriginal Affairs | |
| Style | The Honourable |
| Nominator | Premier of Western Australia |
| Appointer | Governor of Western Australia |
| Inaugural holder | Ross McDonald (as Minister for Native Affairs) |
| Formation | 1 April 1947 |
| Website | Minister Ben Wyatt MP |
The Minister for Aboriginal Affairs is a position in the Cabinet of Western Australia, first created in 1947 during the McLarty–Watts Ministry.
The current Minister for Aboriginal Affairs is Tony Buti of the Labor Party. The minister is responsible for the state government's Department of Aboriginal Affairs (DAA), which exists "to facilitate the development of policy and programs which deliver sustainable economic, environmental and social benefits to Aboriginal communities".
List of ministers for Aboriginal affairs
Twenty one people have been appointed as Minister for Aboriginal Affairs in Western Australia, with Edgar Lewis's 8 years and 325 days during the Brand–Nalder Ministry the longest period in the position. The position and corresponding department have existed under several different names, including Native Affairs (4 years), Native Welfare (19 years), Aboriginal Affairs (23 years), and Indigenous Affairs (12 years). The current name was adopted after requests from representatives of Western Australia's Aboriginal communities.
In the table below, members of the Legislative Council are designated "MLC". All others were members of the Legislative Assembly at the time of their service. In Western Australia, serving ministers are entitled to be styled "The Honourable", and may retain the style after three years' service in the ministry.
| Order | Minister | Party | Premier | Title | Term start | Term end | Term in office | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ross McDonald | Liberal | McLarty | Minister for Native Affairs | 1 April 1947 (1947-04-01) | 5 January 1948 (1948-01-05) | 2 years, 189 days | |
| Minister for Native Welfare | 5 January 1948 (1948-01-05) | 7 October 1949 (1949-10-07) | ||||||
| 2 | Hubert Parker MLC | Minister for Native Affairs | 7 October 1949 (1949-10-07) | 6 April 1950 (1950-04-06) | 181 days | |||
| 3 | Victor Doney | Country | 6 April 1950 (1950-04-06) | 23 February 1953 (1953-02-23) | 2 years, 323 days | |||
| 4 | Bill Hegney | Labor | Hawke | Minister for Native Welfare | 23 February 1953 (1953-02-23) | 20 April 1956 (1956-04-20) | 3 years, 57 days | |
| 5 | John Brady | 20 April 1956 (1956-04-20) | 2 April 1959 (1959-04-02) | 2 years, 347 days | ||||
| 6 | Charles Perkins | Country | Brand | 2 April 1959 (1959-04-02) | 16 November 1961 (1961-11-16) | 2 years, 228 days | ||
| 7 | George Cornell | 16 November 1961 (1961-11-16) | 11 April 1962 (1962-04-11) | 146 days | ||||
| 8 | Edgar Lewis | 12 April 1962 (1962-04-12) | 3 March 1971 (1971-03-03) | 8 years, 325 days | ||||
| No minister – portfolio transferred to Minister for Community Welfare (1971–1983). | ||||||||
| 9 | Keith Wilson | Labor | Burke | Minister with special responsibility for Aboriginal Affairs | 25 February 1983 (1983-02-25) | 26 February 1986 (1986-02-26) | 3 years, 150 days | |
| Minister for Aboriginal Affairs | 26 February 1986 (1986-02-26) | 25 July 1986 (1986-07-25) | ||||||
| 10 | Ernie Bridge | 25 July 1986 (1986-07-25) | 25 February 1988 (1988-02-25) | 2 years, 218 days | ||||
| Dowding | 25 February 1988 (1988-02-25) | 28 February 1989 (1989-02-28) | ||||||
| 11 | Carmen Lawrence | 28 February 1989 (1989-02-28) | 12 February 1990 (1990-02-12) | 1 year, 342 days | ||||
| Lawrence | 12 February 1990 (1990-02-12) | 5 February 1991 (1991-02-05) | ||||||
| 12 | Judyth Watson | 5 February 1991 (1991-02-05) | 16 February 1993 (1993-02-16) | 2 years, 11 days | ||||
| 13 | Kevin Minson | Liberal | Court | 16 February 1993 (1993-02-16) | 25 January 1994 (1994-01-25) | 343 days | ||
| 14 | Kevin Prince | 25 January 1994 (1994-01-25) | 9 January 1997 (1997-01-09) | 2 years, 350 days | ||||
| 15 | Kim Hames | 9 January 1997 (1997-01-09) | 16 February 2001 (2001-02-16) | see below | ||||
| 16 | Alan Carpenter | Labor | Gallop | Minister for Indigenous Affairs | 16 February 2001 (2001-02-16) | 27 June 2003 (2003-06-27) | 2 years, 131 days | |
| 17 | John Kobelke | 27 June 2003 (2003-06-27) | 25 January 2006 (2006-01-25) | 2 years, 221 days | ||||
| Carpenter | 25 January 2006 (2006-01-25) | 3 February 2006 (2006-02-03) | ||||||
| 18 | Sheila McHale | 3 February 2006 (2006-02-03) | 2 March 2007 (2007-03-02) | 1 year, 27 days | ||||
| 19 | Michelle Roberts | 2 March 2007 (2007-03-02) | 23 September 2008 (2008-09-23) | 1 year, 205 days | ||||
| (15) | Kim Hames | Liberal | Barnett | 23 September 2008 (2008-09-23) | 14 December 2010 (2010-12-14) | 6 years, 120 days | ||
| 20 | Peter Collier MLC | 14 December 2010 (2010-12-14) | 21 March 2013 (2013-03-21) | 6 years, 93 days | ||||
| Minister for Aboriginal Affairs | 21 March 2013 (2013-03-21) | 17 March 2017 (2017-03-17) | ||||||
| 21 | Ben Wyatt | Labor | McGowan | 17 March 2017 (2017-03-17) | 13 March 2021 (2021-03-13) | 3 years, 361 days | ||
| 22 | Stephen Dawson | 19 March 2021 (2021-03-19) | 21 December 2021 (2021-12-21) | 277 days | ||||
| 23 | Tony Buti | 21 December 2021 (2021-12-21) | 8 June 2023 | 2 years, 347 days | ||||
| Cook | 8 June 2023 | incumbent | ||||||
See also
- Minister for Aboriginal Affairs (New South Wales)
- Minister for Aboriginal Affairs (Victoria)
- Minister for Indigenous Affairs (Australia)
References
- ^ Department of Aboriginal Affairs – Government of Western Australia. Retrieved 28 February 2015.
- Aboriginal / Indigenous Affairs Ministers of Western Australia – Parliamentary Library of Western Australia. Last updated 29 June 2012. Retrieved 28 February 2015.
- Addressing a Member of Parliament – Parliament of Western Australia. Retrieved 20 August 2014.
