Minister for Agriculture (Victoria)

The Minister for Agriculture is a minister within the Executive Council of Victoria tasked with the responsibility of overseeing the Victorian Government's agriculture initiatives. The minister is supported by the Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action's Agriculture Victoria.^[1]

Minister for Agriculture of Victoria
Victorian coat of arms
Flag of Victoria
Incumbent Ros Spence MP since 2 October 2023
Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action
Style	The Honourable
Member of	Parliament Executive council
Reports to	Premier
Nominator	Premier
Appointer	Governor on the recommendation of the Premier
Term length	At the governor's pleasure
Precursor	Minister of Agriculture Minister of Water Supply and Agriculture Minister for Agriculture and Rural Affairs Minister for Food and Agriculture Minister for Agriculture and Resources Minister for Agriculture and Food Security
Inaugural holder	James Casey
Formation	19 June 1872
Website	Department Website

The current minister is Ros Spence since October 2023.

Ministers

Order	Minister	Party affiliation		Ministerial title	Term start	Term end	Time in office	Notes
1	James Casey MP		Independent	Minister of Agriculture	19 June 1872	7 August 1875	3 years, 49 days	[2][3]
2	Francis Longmore MP		Non-Party Liberalism		23 August 1875	20 October 1875	58 days	[4]
3	Duncan Gillies MP		Non-Party Conservatism		25 October 1875	21 May 1877	1 year, 208 days	[5]
(2)	Francis Longmore MP		Non-Party Liberalism		28 May 1877	5 March 1880	2 years, 282 days	[6]
4	John Duffy MP				19 March 1880	3 August 1880	137 days	[7]
5	Richard Richardson MP				12 August 1880	9 July 1881	331 days	[8]
6	Charles Young MP			Minister of Water Supply and Agriculture	9 July 1881	8 March 1883	1 year, 242 days	[9]
7	Jonas Levien MP			Non-Party Conservatism	Minister of Agriculture	8 March 1883	18 February 1886	2 years, 347 days	[10]
8	John Dow MP		18 February 1886			5 November 1890	4 years, 260 days	[11]
9	Allan McLean MP		Non-Party Liberalism	5 November 1890		22 April 1891	168 days	[12]
10	George Graham MP			22 April 1891		23 January 1893	1 year, 276 days	[12][13]
11	William Webb MP		Non-Party Conservatism	23 January 1893		27 September 1894	1 year, 247 days	[14]
12	John Taverner MP		Non-Party Liberalism	27 September 1894		5 December 1899	5 years, 69 days	[15]
(10)	George Graham MP			5 December 1899		19 November 1900	349 days	[16]
13	John Morrissey MP			19 November 1900		10 June 1902	1 year, 203 days	[17][18]
(12)	John Taverner MP		National Citizens' Reform League	10 June 1902		19 February 1904	1 year, 254 days	[19][20]
14	John Murray MP			19 February 1904		8 November 1904	263 days	[20][21]
15	George Swinburne MP			8 November 1904		31 October 1908	3 years, 358 days
16	Alfred Downward MP			31 October 1908		8 January 1909	69 days	[20]
(10)	George Graham MP		Commonwealth Liberal	8 January 1909		9 December 1913	4 years, 335 days	[22][23]
17	William Plain MP		Labor	9 December 1913		22 December 1913	13 days	[24]
18	William Hutchinson MP		Commonwealth Liberal	22 December 1913		9 November 1915	1 year, 322 days	[25][26]
19	Fredrick Hagelthorn MLC			9 November 1915		29 November 1917	2 years, 20 days	[26][27]
			Nationalist
20	David Oman MP		Nationalist	29 November 1917		4 November 1920	2 years, 341 days	[28][29]
21	Harry Lawson MP			4 November 1920		7 September 1923	2 years, 307 days	[29]
22	Francis Old MP		Country	7 September 1923		19 March 1924	194 days
23	John Gordon MP		Nationalist	19 March 1924		18 July 1924	121 days	[29][30]
24	Edmond Hogan MP		Labor	18 July 1924		18 November 1924	123 days	[31]
25	Murray Bourchier MP		Country	18 November 1924		20 May 1927	2 years, 183 days	[32]
26	Bill Slater MP		Labor	20 May 1927		22 November 1928	1 year, 186 days	[33]
27	John Pennington MP		Nationalist	22 November 1928		12 December 1929	1 year, 20 days	[34]
(26)	Bill Slater MP		Labor	12 December 1929		19 May 1932	2 years, 159 days	[35]
28	John Allan MP		Country	19 May 1932		20 March 1935	2 years, 305 days	[36]
29	Clive Shields MP		United Australia	20 March 1935		2 April 1935	13 days
(25)	Edmond Hogan MP		Country	2 April 1935		28 June 1943	8 years, 87 days	[37]
30	Norman Martin MP			28 June 1943		14 September 1943	78 days
31	William McKenzie MP		Labor	14 September 1943		18 September 1943	4 days	[38]
(30)	Norman Martin MP		Country	18 September 1943		2 October 1945	2 years, 14 days	[39]
32	William Cumming MP		Liberal	2 October 1945		21 November 1945	50 days	[40]
(31)	William McKenzie MP		Labor	21 November 1945		20 November 1947	1 year, 364 days	[41]
33	Alexander Dennett MP		Liberal	20 November 1947		27 June 1950	2 years, 219 days	[42]
34	George Moss MP		Country	27 June 1950		28 October 1952	2 years, 123 days	[43]
35	Hugh MacLeod MLC		Electoral Reform	28 October 1952		31 October 1952	3 days	[44]
(34)	George Moss MP		Country	31 October 1952		17 December 1952	47 days	[45][46]
36	Clive Stoneham MP		Labor	17 December 1952		7 June 1955	2 years, 172 days	[47]
37	Gilbert Chandler MLC		Liberal	7 June 1955		30 May 1973	17 years, 357 days	[48][49]
38	Ian Smith MP			30 May 1973		23 December 1980	7 years, 207 days	[49]
39	Tom Austin MP			23 December 1980		8 April 1982	2 years, 0 days	[49][50]
40	Eric Kent MLC		Labor	8 April 1982		2 May 1985	3 years, 24 days	[51]
41	Evan Walker MLC			Minister for Agriculture and Rural Affairs	2 May 1985	13 October 1988	3 years, 164 days
42	Robert Fordham MP				13 October 1988	31 January 1989	110 days
43	Barry Rowe MP				7 February 1989	18 January 1991	1 year, 345 days	[51][52]
44	Ian Baker MP			Minister for Agriculture	18 January 1991	28 January 1992	1 year, 10 days	[52]
				Minister for Food and Agriculture	28 January 1992	6 October 1992	252 days
45	Pat McNamara MP		Nationals	Minister for Agriculture	6 October 1992	9 November 1992	34 days	[53]
46	Bill McGrath MP				9 November 1992	3 April 1996	3 years, 146 days
(45)	Pat McNamara MP			Minister for Agriculture and Resources	3 April 1996	20 October 1999	3 years, 200 days
47	Keith Hamilton MP		Labor	Minister for Agriculture	20 October 1999	5 December 2002	3 years, 46 days	[54]
48	Bob Cameron MP				5 December 2002	1 December 2006	3 years, 361 days
49	Joe Helper MP				1 December 2006	2 December 2010	4 years, 1 day	[55][54]
50	Peter Walsh MP		Nationals	Minister for Agriculture and Food Security	2 December 2010	4 December 2014	4 years, 2 days	[56][57]
51	Jaala Pulford MLC		Labor	Minister for Agriculture	4 December 2014	19 December 2018	4 years, 15 days	[58]
52	Jaclyn Symes MLC				29 November 2018	22 December 2020	2 years, 23 days
53	Mary-Anne Thomas MP				22 December 2020	27 June 2022	1 year, 187 days
54	Gayle Tierney MLC				27 June 2022	2 October 2023	1 year, 97 days	[59]
55	Ros Spence MP				2 October 2023	Incumbent	1 year, 314 days	[60]