Minister for Education (Australia)

In the Government of Australia, the Minister for Education administers the Department of Education. The position is held by Labor MP Jason Clare, following the Australian federal election in 2022.^[1]

Minister for Education
Commonwealth Coat of Arms
Flag of Australia
Incumbent Jason Clare since 1 June 2022 (2022-06-01)
Department of Education (Australia)
Style	The Honourable
Appointer	Governor-General on the recommendation of the Prime Minister of Australia
Inaugural holder	John Gorton (as Minister for Education and Science)
Formation	14 December 1966 (1966-12-14)
Website	ministers.education.gov.au/clare

Portfolio scope

The Minister is responsible for a number of areas, including:^[2]

• Education policy and programs including schools, vocational, higher education and Indigenous education, but excluding migrant adult education
• Education and training transitions policy and programs
• Science awareness programs in schools
• Training, including apprenticeships and training services
• Policy, co-ordination and support for education exports and services
• Income support policies and programs for students and apprentices

List of ministers for education

The persons who have been Ministers for Education are as follows:^[3]

Order	Minister	Party		Prime Minister	Title	Term start	Term end	Term in office
1	John Gorton		Liberal	Menzies	Minister in charge of Commonwealth Activities in Education and Research under the Prime Minister	18 December 1963 (1963-12-18)	26 January 1966 (1966-01-26)	4 years, 23 days
				Holt		26 January 1966 (1966-01-26)	14 December 1966 (1966-12-14)
					Minister for Education and Science	14 December 1966 (1966-12-14)	19 December 1967 (1967-12-19)
				McEwen		19 December 1967 (1967-12-19)	10 January 1968 (1968-01-10)
				Gorton		10 January 1968 (1968-01-10)	28 February 1968 (1968-02-28)
2	Malcolm Fraser					28 February 1968 (1968-02-28)	12 November 1969 (1969-11-12)	1 year, 257 days
3	Nigel Bowen					12 November 1969 (1969-11-12)	10 March 1971 (1971-03-10)	3 years, 22 days
				McMahon		10 March 1971 (1971-03-10)	22 March 1971 (1971-03-22)
4	David Fairbairn					22 March 1971 (1971-03-22)	20 August 1971 (1971-08-20)	151 days
acting	Malcolm Fraser					20 August 1971 (1971-08-20)	5 December 1972 (1972-12-05)	1 year, 107 days
5	Gough Whitlam1		Labor	Whitlam		5 December 1972 (1972-12-05)	19 December 1972 (1972-12-19)	14 days
6	Kim Beazley, Snr.				Minister for Education	19 December 1972 (1972-12-19)	11 November 1975 (1975-11-11)	2 years, 327 days
7	Margaret Guilfoyle		Liberal	Fraser		11 November 1975 (1975-11-11)	22 December 1975 (1975-12-22)	41 days
8	John Carrick					22 December 1975 (1975-12-22)	8 December 1979 (1979-12-08)	3 years, 351 days
9	Wal Fife					8 December 1979 (1979-12-08)	7 May 1982 (1982-05-07)	2 years, 150 days
10	Peter Baume					7 May 1982 (1982-05-07)	11 March 1983 (1983-03-11)	308 days
11	Susan Ryan		Labor	Hawke	Minister for Education and Youth Affairs	11 March 1983 (1983-03-11)	13 December 1984 (1984-12-13)	4 years, 135 days
					Minister for Education	13 December 1984 (1984-12-13)	24 July 1987 (1987-07-24)
12	John Dawkins				Minister for Employment, Education and Training	24 July 1987 (1987-07-24)	20 December 1991 (1991-12-20)	4 years, 156 days
				Keating		20 December 1991 (1991-12-20)	27 December 1991 (1991-12-27)
13	Kim Beazley					27 December 1991 (1991-12-27)	23 December 1993 (1993-12-23)	1 year, 361 days
14	Simon Crean					23 December 1993 (1993-12-23)	11 March 1996 (1996-03-11)	4 years, 75 days
15	Amanda Vanstone		Liberal	Howard	Minister for Employment, Education, Training and Youth Affairs	11 March 1996 (1996-03-11)	9 October 1997 (1997-10-09)	1 year, 212 days
16	David Kemp				Minister for Education, Training and Youth Affairs	9 October 1997 (1997-10-09)	26 November 2001 (2001-11-26)	4 years, 48 days
17	Brendan Nelson				Minister for Education, Science and Training	26 November 2001 (2001-11-26)	27 January 2006 (2006-01-27)	4 years, 62 days
18	Julie Bishop					27 January 2006 (2006-01-27)	3 December 2007 (2007-12-03)	1 year, 310 days
19	Julia Gillard		Labor	Rudd	Minister for Education	3 December 2007 (2007-12-03)	24 June 2010	2 years, 207 days
				Gillard		24 June 2010	28 June 2010 (2010-06-28)2
n/a	Simon Crean					28 June 2010 (2010-06-28)	14 September 2010 (2010-09-14)	78 days
20	Peter Garrett				Minister for School Education, Early Childhood and Youth	14 September 2010 (2010-09-14)	1 July 2013 (2013-07-01)	2 years, 290 days
21	Bill Shorten			Rudd	Minister for Education	1 July 2013 (2013-07-01)	18 September 2013 (2013-09-18)	79 days
22	Christopher Pyne		Liberal	Abbott		18 September 2013 (2013-09-18)	23 December 2014 (2014-12-23)	2 years, 3 days
					Minister for Education and Training	23 December 2014 (2014-12-23)	15 September 2015 (2015-09-15)
				Turnbull		15 September 2015 (2015-09-15)	21 September 2015 (2015-09-21)
23	Simon Birmingham					21 September 2015 (2015-09-21)	24 August 2018 (2018-08-24)	2 years, 341 days
				Morrison		24 August 2018 (2018-08-24)	28 August 2018 (2018-08-28)
24	Dan Tehan				Minister for Education	28 August 2018 (2018-08-28)	22 December 2020 (2020-12-22)	2 years, 116 days
25	Alan Tudge				Minister for Education and Youth	22 December 2020 (2020-12-22)	2 December 2021 (2021-12-02)[a]	345 days
(acting)	Stuart Robert					2 December 2021 (2021-12-02)	23 May 2022 (2022-05-23)	172 days
26	Jason Clare		Labor	Albanese	Minister for Education	1 June 2022 (2022-06-01)	Incumbent	3 years, 57 days

Notes

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

² Despite the First Rudd Ministry ending on 24 June 2010, Gillard was Minister for Education for four days in her first ministry, between 24 June and 28 June 2010, when the revised ministry was commissioned.

List of ministers for vocational education and skills

Order	Minister	Party		Prime Minister	Title	Term start	Term end	Term in office
1	Peter Baldwin		Labor	Hawke	Minister for Higher Education and Employment Services	7 May 1990 (1990-05-07)	20 December 1991 (1991-12-20)	2 years, 321 days
				Keating		20 December 1991 (1991-12-20)	24 March 1993 (1993-03-24)
2	Ross Free				Minister for Schools, Vocational Education and Training	24 March 1993	11 March 1996	3 years, 18 days
3	David Kemp		Liberal	Howard		11 March 1996	6 October 1997	1 year, 209 days
4	Chris Ellison					6 October 1997	21 October 1998	1 year, 15 days
5	Gary Hardgrave		Liberal	Howard	Minister for Vocational and Technical Education	22 October 2004	23 January 2007	2 years, 93 days
6	Andrew Robb				Minister for Vocational and Further Education	23 January 2007	3 December 2007	314 days
7	Chris Evans		Labor	Gillard	Minister for Tertiary Education, Skills, Jobs and Workplace Relations	14 September 2010	14 December 2011	2 years, 172 days
					Minister for Tertiary Education, Skills, Science and Research	14 December 2011	2 February 2013
8	Chris Bowen					2 February 2013	22 March 2013	48 days
9	Craig Emerson					25 March 2013	26 June 2013	93 days
10	Brendan O'Connor			Rudd	Minister for Skills and Training	1 July 2013	18 September 2013	79 days
11	Luke Hartsuyker		National	Turnbull	Minister for Vocational Education and Skills	21 September 2015 (2015-09-21)	18 February 2016 (2016-02-18)	150 days
12	Scott Ryan		Liberal			18 February 2016 (2016-02-18)	19 July 2016 (2016-07-19)	152 days
13	Michaelia Cash		Liberal	Morrison	Minister for Small and Family Business, Skills and Vocational Education	28 August 2018 (2018-08-28)	29 May 2019 (2019-05-29)	2 years, 214 days
					Minister for Employment, Skills, Small and Family Business	29 May 2019 (2019-05-29)	30 March 2021 (2021-03-30)
14	Stuart Robert				Minister for Employment, Workforce, Skills, Small and Family Business	30 March 2021 (2021-03-30)	23 May 2022 (2022-05-23)	1 year, 54 days
(10)	Brendan O'Connor		Labor	Albanese	Minister for Skills and Training	1 June 2022 (2022-06-01)	29 July 2024 (2024-07-29)	2 years, 58 days
15	Andrew Giles					29 July 2024 (2024-07-29)	Incumbent	364 days

This section is an excerpt from Minister for Skills and Training (Australia) § List of ministers for skills and training.[edit]

The following individuals have been appointed as Minister for Skills and Training, or any of its precedent titles:^[4]

Former ministerial titles

List of ministers for higher education

The persons who have been Ministers for Higher Education are as follows:

Order	Minister	Party affiliation		Prime Minister	Ministerial title	Term start	Term end	Term in office
1	Peter Baldwin		Labor	Hawke	Minister for Higher Education and Employment Services	7 May 1990 (1990-05-07)	20 December 1991 (1991-12-20)	2 years, 321 days
				Keating		20 December 1991 (1991-12-20)	24 March 1993 (1993-03-24)
2	Sharon Bird		Labor	Gillard	Minister for Higher Education and Skills	25 March 2013 (2013-03-25)	1 July 2013 (2013-07-01)	98 days
3	Kim Carr			Rudd	Minister for Higher Education	1 July 2013 (2013-07-01)	18 September 2013 (2013-09-18)	79 days

List of assistant ministers

The following individuals have been appointed as Assistant Minister for Education and Training, or any of its precedent titles:^[3][5][6]

Order	Minister	Party affiliation		Prime Minister	Ministerial title	Term start	Term end	Term in office
1	Sussan Ley		Liberal	Abbott	Assistant Minister for Education	18 September 2013 (2013-09-18)	23 December 2014 (2014-12-23)	1 year, 96 days
2	Simon Birmingham				Assistant Minister for Education and Training	23 December 2014 (2014-12-23)	15 September 2015 (2015-09-15)	272 days
				Turnbull		15 September 2015 (2015-09-15)	21 September 2015 (2015-09-21)
3	Anthony Chisholm		Labor	Albanese	Assistant Minister for Education	1 June 2022 (2022-06-01)	13 May 2025 (2025-05-13)	2 years, 346 days
4	Julian Hill				Assistant Minister for International Education	13 May 2025 (2025-05-13)	Incumbent	76 days

See also

• Minister for Education and Early Learning (New South Wales)
• Minister for Education (Victoria)
• Minister for Education (Western Australia)
• Minister for Skills, TAFE and Tertiary Education