Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry

The Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry is an Australian Government cabinet position which is currently held by Julie Collins since July 2024 in the Albanese ministry.

Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry
Commonwealth Coat of Arms
Flag of Australia
Incumbent Julie Collins since 29 July 2024 (2024-07-29)
Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry
Style	The Honourable
Appointer	Governor-General on the recommendation of the Prime Minister of Australia
Inaugural holder	Victor Wilson (as the Minister for Markets and Migration)
Formation	16 January 1925 (1925-01-16)
Website	minister.agriculture.gov.au/collins

In the Government of Australia, the minister administers this portfolio through the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry.

Portfolio responsibilities

In addition to the Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment, component bodies responsible to the minister include:

• Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics
• Biosecurity Australia
• Bureau of Rural Sciences

Other bodies within the portfolio are:

• Australian Egg Corporation
• Australian Fisheries Management Authority
• Australian Landcare Council
• Australian Livestock Export Corporation Limited
• Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (formerly National Registration Authority for Agricultural and Veterinary Chemicals)
• Australian Pork Limited
• Australian Wine and Brandy Corporation
• Australian Wool Innovation Limited
• Cotton Research and Development Corporation
• Dairy Adjustment Authority
• Dairy Australia
• Fisheries Research and Development Corporation
• Forest and Wood Products Research and Development Corporation
• Grains Research and Development Corporation
• Horticulture Australia Limited
• Meat and Livestock Australia
• Murray-Darling Basin Ministerial Council
• National Consultative Committee on Animal Welfare
• National Land and Water Resources Audit
• National Rural Advisory Council
• Natural Resource Management Ministerial Council
• Northern Territory Fisheries Joint Authority
• Plant Breeder's Rights Office
• Quarantine and Exports Advisory Council
• Primary Industries Ministerial Council
• Queensland Fisheries Joint Authority
• Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation
• Statutory Fishing Rights Allocation Review Panel
• Sugar Research and Development Corporation
• Torres Strait Protected Zone Joint Authority
• Western Australian Fisheries Joint Authority

List of agriculture ministers

The following individuals have been appointed as Minister for Agriculture, or any of its precedent titles:^[1][2]

Order	Minister	Party		Prime Minister	Title	Term start	Term end	Term in office
1	Victor Wilson		Nationalist	Bruce	Minister for Markets and Migration	16 January 1925 (1925-01-16)	18 June 1926 (1926-06-18)	1 year, 153 days
2	Thomas Paterson		Country			18 June 1926 (1926-06-18)	19 January 1928 (1928-01-19)	3 years, 126 days
					Minister for Markets	19 January 1928 (1928-01-19)	10 December 1928 (1928-12-10)
					Minister for Markets and Transport	10 December 1928 (1928-12-10)	22 October 1929 (1929-10-22)
3	Parker Moloney		Labor	Scullin		22 October 1929 (1929-10-22)	21 April 1930 (1930-04-21)	2 years, 76 days
					Minister for Markets	21 April 1930 (1930-04-21)	6 January 1932 (1932-01-06)
4	Charles Hawker		United Australia	Lyons		6 January 1932 (1932-01-06)	13 April 1932 (1932-04-13)	261 days
					Minister for Commerce	13 April 1932 (1932-04-13)	23 September 1932 (1932-09-23)
5	Joseph Lyons					3 October 1932 (1932-10-03)	13 October 1932 (1932-10-13)	10 days
6	Frederick Stewart					13 October 1932 (1932-10-13)	9 November 1934 (1934-11-09)	757 days
7	Earle Page		Country			9 November 1934 (1934-11-09)	7 April 1939 (1939-04-07)	4 years, 149 days
				Page		7 April 1939 (1939-04-07)	26 April 1939 (1939-04-26)
8	George McLeay		United Australia	Menzies		26 April 1939 (1939-04-26)	14 March 1940 (1940-03-14)	323 days
9	Archie Cameron		Country			14 March 1940 (1940-03-14)	28 October 1940 (1940-10-28)	228 days
n/a	Earle Page					28 October 1940 (1940-10-28)	29 August 1941 (1941-08-29)	344 days
				Fadden		29 August 1941 (1941-08-29)	7 October 1941 (1941-10-07)
10	William Scully		Labor	Curtin		7 October 1941 (1941-10-07)	22 December 1942 (1942-12-22)	5 years, 25 days
					Minister for Commerce and Agriculture	22 December 1942 (1942-12-22)	6 July 1945 (1945-07-06)
				Forde		6 July 1945 (1945-07-06)	13 July 1945 (1945-07-13)
				Chifley		13 July 1945 (1945-07-13)	1 November 1946 (1946-11-01)
11	Reg Pollard					1 November 1946 (1946-11-01)	19 December 1949 (1949-12-19)	3 years, 48 days
12	John McEwen		Country	Menzies		19 December 1949 (1949-12-19)	11 January 1956 (1956-01-11)	6 years, 23 days
13	William McMahon		Liberal		Minister for Primary Industry	11 January 1956 (1956-01-11)	10 December 1958 (1958-12-10)	2 years, 333 days
14	Charles Adermann		Country			10 December 1958 (1958-12-10)	26 January 1966 (1966-01-26)	8 years, 310 days
				Holt		26 January 1966 (1966-01-26)	16 October 1967 (1967-10-16)
15	Doug Anthony					16 October 1967 (1967-10-16)	19 December 1967 (1967-12-19)	3 years, 112 days
				McEwen		19 December 1967 (1967-12-19)	10 January 1968 (1968-01-10)
				Gorton		10 January 1968 (1968-01-10)	5 February 1971 (1971-02-05)
16	Ian Sinclair					5 February 1971 (1971-02-05)	10 March 1971 (1971-03-10)	1 year, 304 days
				McMahon		10 March 1971 (1971-03-10)	5 December 1972 (1972-12-05)
17	Lance Barnard1		Labor	Whitlam		5 December 1972 (1972-12-05)	19 December 1972 (1972-12-19)	14 days
18	Ken Wriedt					19 December 1972 (1972-12-19)	12 June 1974 (1974-06-12)	2 years, 306 days
					Minister for Agriculture	12 June 1974 (1974-06-12)	21 October 1975 (1975-10-21)
19	Rex Patterson					21 October 1975 (1975-10-21)	11 November 1975 (1975-11-11)	21 days
n/a	Ian Sinclair		National Country	Fraser		11 November 1975 (1975-11-11)	22 December 1975 (1975-12-22)	3 years, 320 days
					Minister for Primary Industry	22 December 1975 (1975-12-22)	27 September 1979 (1979-09-27)
20	Peter Nixon					27 September 1979 (1979-09-27)	16 October 1982	3 years, 165 days
			National			16 October 1982	11 March 1983
21	John Kerin		Labor	Hawke		11 March 1983 (1983-03-11)	24 July 1987 (1987-07-24)	8 years, 85 days
					Minister for Primary Industries and Energy	24 July 1987 (1987-07-24)	4 June 1991 (1991-06-04)
22	Simon Crean					4 June 1991 (1991-06-04)	20 December 1991 (1991-12-20)	2 years, 202 days
				Keating		20 December 1991 (1991-12-20)	23 December 1993 (1993-12-23)
23	Bob Collins					23 December 1993 (1993-12-23)	11 March 1996 (1996-03-11)	2 years, 79 days
24	John Anderson		National	Howard		11 March 1996 (1996-03-11)	21 October 1998 (1998-10-21)	2 years, 224 days
25	Mark Vaile				Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry	21 October 1998 (1998-10-21)	20 July 1999 (1999-07-20)	272 days
26	Warren Truss					20 July 1999 (1999-07-20)	6 July 2005 (2005-07-06)	5 years, 351 days
27	Peter McGauran					6 July 2005 (2005-07-06)	3 December 2007 (2007-12-03)	2 years, 150 days
28	Tony Burke		Labor	Rudd		3 December 2007 (2007-12-03)	28 June 2010 (2010-06-28)	2 years, 285 days
				Gillard		28 June 2010 (2010-06-28)	14 September 2010 (2010-09-14)
29	Joe Ludwig					14 September 2010 (2010-09-14)	1 July 2013 (2013-07-01)	2 years, 290 days
30	Joel Fitzgibbon			Rudd		1 July 2013 (2013-07-01)	18 September 2013 (2013-09-18)	79 days
31	Barnaby Joyce		National	Abbott	Minister for Agriculture	18 September 2013 (2013-09-18)	15 September 2015 (2015-09-15)	4 years, 39 days
				Turnbull		15 September 2015 (2015-09-15)	21 September 2015
					Minister for Agriculture and Water Resources	21 September 2015 (2015-09-21)	27 October 2017 (2017-10-27)
32	Malcolm Turnbull		Liberal			27 October 2017 (2017-10-27)	6 December 2017 (2017-12-06)	40 days
(31)	Barnaby Joyce		National			6 December 2017 (2017-12-06)	20 December 2017 (2017-12-20)	14 days
33	David Littleproud					20 December 2017 (2017-12-20)	28 August 2018 (2018-08-28)	1 year, 160 days
				Morrison		28 August 2018 (2018-08-28)	29 May 2019 (2019-05-29)
34	Bridget McKenzie				Minister for Agriculture[3]	29 May 2019 (2019-05-29)	2 February 2020 (2020-02-02)	249 days
	Michael McCormack (acting)					2 February 2020 (2020-02-02)	6 February 2020 (2020-02-06)	4 days
(33)	David Littleproud				Minister for Agriculture, Drought and Emergency Management	6 February 2020 (2020-02-06)	2 July 2021 (2021-07-02)	2 years, 106 days
					Minister for Agriculture and Northern Australia	2 July 2021 (2021-07-02)	23 May 2022 (2022-05-23)
35	Murray Watt		Labor	Albanese	Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry	1 June 2022 (2022-06-01)	29 July 2024 (2024-07-29)	2 years, 58 days
36	Julie Collins					29 July 2024 (2024-07-29)	incumbent	1 year, 14 days

Notes

¹ Barnard was part of a two-man ministry comprising Barnard and Gough Whitlam for fourteen days until the full ministry was commissioned.

List of fisheries and forestry ministers

The following individuals have been appointed as junior ministers in the agriculture portfolio or any of its precedent titles.^[1][2]

Order	Minister	Party		Prime Minister	Title	Term start	Term end	Term in office
1	Wilson Tuckey		Liberal	Howard	Minister for Forestry and Conservation	21 October 1998	26 November 2001	3 years, 36 days
2	Ian Macdonald					26 November 2001	14 November 2002	4 years, 62 days
					Minister for Fisheries, Forestry and Conservation	14 November 2002	27 January 2006
3	Eric Abetz					27 January 2006	3 December 2007	1 year, 310 days
4	Tony Burke		Labor	Rudd	Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry	3 December 2007 (2007-12-03)	28 June 2010 (2010-06-28)	2 years, 285 days
				Gillard		28 June 2010 (2010-06-28)	14 September 2010 (2010-09-14)
5	Joe Ludwig					14 September 2010 (2010-09-14)	1 July 2013 (2013-07-01)	2 years, 290 days
6	Joel Fitzgibbon			Rudd		1 July 2013 (2013-07-01)	18 September 2013 (2013-09-18)	79 days
7	Murray Watt		Labor	Albanese	Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry	1 June 2022 (2022-06-01)	29 July 2024 (2024-07-29)	2 years, 58 days
8	Julie Collins					29 July 2024 (2024-07-29)	incumbent	1 year, 14 days

List of assistant ministers

The following individuals have been appointed as assistant ministers in the agriculture portfolio or any of its precedent titles.^[1][2]

Order	Minister	Party		Prime Minister	Title	Term start	Term end	Term in office
1	Richard Colbeck		Liberal	Howard	Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry	26 October 2004	27 January 2006	1 year, 93 days
2	Sussan Ley					27 January 2006	3 December 2007	1 year, 310 days
3	Mike Kelly		Labor	Gillard	Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry	14 September 2010	14 December 2011	1 year, 91 days
4	Sid Sidebottom					14 December 2011	27 June 2013	1 year, 278 days
				Rudd		27 June 2013	18 September 2013
(1)	Richard Colbeck		Liberal	Abbott	Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Agriculture	18 September 2013	21 September 2015	2 years, 3 days
5	Anne Ruston			Turnbull	Assistant Minister for Agriculture and Water Resources	21 September 2015	28 August 2018	2 years, 341 days
(1)	Richard Colbeck			Morrison		28 August 2018	29 May 2019	274 days
6	Jonathon Duniam				Assistant Minister for Forestry and Fisheries	29 May 2019	23 May 2022	2 years, 359 days
7	Anthony Chisholm		Labor	Albanese	Assistant Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry	29 July 2024 (2024-07-29)	incumbent	1 year, 14 days

See also

• Minister for Agriculture (Victoria)