Minister for Science

For New South Wales Government position, see Minister for Innovation, Science and Technology.

The Minister for Science is an Australian Government cabinet position which is currently held by Tim Ayres following his swearing-in on 13 May 2025 as a result of Anthony Albanese's Labor government being re-elected at the 2025 Australian federal election.

Minister for Science
Commonwealth Coat of Arms
Flag of Australia
Incumbent Tim Ayres since 13 May 2025 (2025-05-13)
Department of Industry, Science and Resources
Style	The Honourable
Appointer	Governor-General on the advice of the prime minister
Inaugural holder	Alexander McLachlan (as Minister in charge of Development and Scientific and Industrial Research)
Formation	6 January 1932 (1932-01-06)
Website	www.minister.industry.gov.au/ministers/timayres

In the Government of Australia, the minister administers this portfolio through the Department of Industry, Science and Resources.

Scope

As of 2013^[update] other bodies in the portfolio included:^[1]

• Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation
• Australian Skills Quality Authority
• Australian Workforce and Productivity Agency
• CSIRO
• Geoscience Australia
• IP Australia
• National Advisory for Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment
• Office of the Chief Scientist
• Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency

The Australian Space Agency opened in Adelaide in February 2020.^[2]

List of science ministers

In 1931 and from 1932 to 1937, 1940 to 1949 and 1950 to 1963 there were ministers in charge of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research and its successors. In 1963 John Gorton was given responsibility for science (and education) generally.

Order	Minister	Party		Prime Minister	Title	Term start	Term end	Term in office
1	Jack Holloway		Labor	Scullin	Assistant Minister for Industry, Council for Scientific and Industrial Research	3 March 1931	12 June 1931	101 days
2	Alexander McLachlan		United Australia	Lyons	Minister in charge of Development and Scientific and Industrial Research	6 January 1932	29 November 1937	5 years, 327 days
3	Richard Casey					29 November 1937	7 November 1938	343 days
4	Henry Gullett		United Australia	Menzies	Minister in charge of Scientific and Industrial Research	14 March 1940	13 August 1940	121 days
5	Herbert Collett					14 August 1940	28 October 1940	44 days
6	Harold Holt					28 October 1940	28 August 1941	304 days
7	John Dedman		Labor	Curtin	Minister in charge of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research	7 October 1941	6 July 1945	8 years, 73 days
				Forde		6 July 1945	13 July 1945
				Chifley		13 July 1945	19 December 1949
(3)	Richard Casey		Liberal	Menzies	Minister in charge of the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation	23 March 1950	4 February 1960	9 years, 318 days
8	Donald Cameron					4 February 1960	22 December 1961	1 year, 322 days
9	Robert Menzies					22 December 1961	16 February 1962	56 days
10	John Gorton					16 February 1962	18 December 1963	6 years, 2 days
					Minister in charge of Commonwealth Activities in Education and Research under the Prime Minister	18 December 1963	21 January 1966
				Holt		26 January 1966	14 December 1966
					Minister for Education and Science	14 December 1966	19 December 1967
				McEwen		19 December 1967	10 January 1968
				Gorton		10 January 1968	28 February 1968
11	Malcolm Fraser					28 February 1968	12 November 1969	1 year, 257 days
12	Nigel Bowen					12 November 1969	10 March 1971	495 days
				McMahon		10 March 1971	22 March 1971
13	David Fairbairn					22 March 1971	20 August 1971	161 days
(11)	Malcolm Fraser					20 August 1971	5 December 1972	1 year, 107 days
14	Gough Whitlam		Labor	Whitlam		5 December 1972	19 December 1972	14 days
15	Bill Morrison				Minister for Science	19 December 1972	6 June 1975	2 years, 169 days
					Minister for Science and Consumer Affairs	6 June 1975	6 June 1975
16	Clyde Cameron					6 June 1975	11 November 1975	158 days
17	Bob Cotton		Liberal	Fraser		11 November 1975	22 December 1975	158 days
18	James Webster		National Country		Minister for Science	22 December 1975	5 December 1978	3 years, 351 days
					Minister for Science and the Environment	5 December 1978	8 December 1979
19	David Thomson					8 December 1979	3 November 1980	3 years, 93 days
					Minister for Science and Technology	3 November 1980	16 October 1982
			National			16 October 1982	11 March 1983
20	Barry Jones		Labor	Hawke		11 March 1983	13 December 1984	7 years, 24 days
					Minister for Science	13 December 1984	24 July 1987
					Minister for Science and Small Business	24 July 1987	19 January 1988
					Minister for Science, Customs and Small Business	19 January 1988	4 April 1990
21	Simon Crean				Minister for Science and Technology	4 April 1990	4 June 1991	1 year, 61 days
22	Ross Free					4 June 1991	20 December 1991	2 years, 293 days
				Keating		20 December 1991	24 March 1993
23	Chris Schacht				Minister for Science and Small Business	24 March 1993	25 March 1994	1 year, 1 day
24	Peter Cook				Minister for Science and Small Business	25 March 1994	11 March 1996	1 year, 352 days
25	Peter McGauran		National	Howard	Minister for Science and Technology	11 March 1996	26 September 1997	1 year, 199 days
26	John Moore		Liberal		Minister for Industry, Science and Tourism	11 March 1996	21 October 1998	2 years, 224 days
27	Nick Minchin				Minister for Industry, Science and Resources	21 October 1998	26 November 2001	3 years, 36 days
(25)	Peter McGauran		National		Minister for Science	26 November 2001	22 October 2004	2 years, 331 days
26	Brendan Nelson		Liberal		Minister for Education, Science and Training	22 October 2004	27 January 2006	1 year, 97 days
27	Julie Bishop					27 January 2006	3 December 2007	1 year, 310 days
28	Kim Carr		Labor	Rudd	Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research	3 December 2007	24 June 2010	4 years, 11 days
				Gillard		24 June 2010	14 December 2011
29	Chris Evans				Minister for Tertiary Education, Skills, Science and Research	14 December 2011	2 February 2013	1 year, 50 days
30	Chris Bowen					2 February 2013	22 March 2013	48 days
31	Craig Emerson					25 March 2013	26 June 2013	93 days
(28)	Kim Carr			Rudd	Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research	26 June 2013	18 September 2013	145 days
32	Ian Macfarlane		Liberal	Abbott	Minister for Industry and Science	23 December 2014 (2014-12-23)	15 September 2015	272 days
				Turnbull		15 September 2015 (2015-09-15)	21 September 2015
33	Christopher Pyne				Minister for Industry, Innovation and Science	21 September 2015 (2015-09-21)	19 July 2016 (2016-07-19)	302 days
34	Greg Hunt					19 July 2016 (2016-07-19)	24 January 2017 (2017-01-24)	189 days
35	Arthur Sinodinos					24 January 2017 (2017-01-24)	20 December 2017 (2017-12-20)	330 days
36	Karen Andrews		Liberal	Morrison	Minister for Industry, Science and Technology	28 August 2018 (2018-08-28)	30 March 2021 (2021-03-30)	2 years, 214 days
37	Christian Porter					30 March 2021 (2021-03-30)	19 September 2021 (2021-09-19)	173 days
38	Melissa Price				Minister for Science and Technology	8 October 2021 (2021-10-08)	23 May 2022 (2022-05-23)	227 days
39	Ed Husic		Labor	Albanese	Minister for Industry and Science	1 June 2022 (2022-06-01)	13 May 2025 (2025-05-13)	2 years, 346 days
40	Tim Ayres				Minister for Science	13 May 2025 (2025-05-13)	incumbent	159 days

Assistant ministers

List of assistant science ministers

The following individual has been appointed as Assistant Minister for Science, Technology and the Digital Economy, or any of its precedent titles:

Order	Assistant Minister	Party		Prime Minister	Title	Term start	Term end	Term in office
1	Warren Entsch		Liberal	Howard	Parliamentary Secretary for Industry, Science and Resources	21 October 1998	26 November 2001	3 years, 36 days
2	Karen Andrews		Liberal	Abbott	Parliamentary Secretary for Industry and Science	23 December 2014	21 September 2015	1 year, 209 days
				Turnbull	Assistant Minister for Science	21 September 2015	19 July 2016
3	Craig Laundy				Assistant Minister for Industry, Innovation and Science	19 July 2016	20 December 2017 (2017-12-20)	1 year, 154 days
4	Zed Seselja				Assistant Minister for Science, Jobs and Innovation	20 December 2017 (2017-12-20)	23 August 2018 (2018-08-23)	246 days
5	Andrew Charlton		Labor	Albanese	Assistant Minister for Science, Technology and the Digital Economy	13 May 2025 (2025-05-13)	incumbent	159 days