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About the Department

Former Ministers, Parliamentary Secretaries and Secretaries

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Learn more about the department's former ministers, parliamentary secretaries and secretaries.

Department of Immigration and Citizenship former ministers

Name Title Commencement Cessation
Arthur Calwell Minister for Immigration 13 July 1945 19 December 1949
Harold Holt Minister for Immigration 19 December 1949 24 October 1956
Athol Townley Minister for Immigration 24 October 1956 19 March 1958
Alexander Downer, Sr. Minister for Immigration 19 March 1958 18 December 1963
Hubert Opperman Minister for Immigration 18 December 1963 14 December 1966
Billy Snedden Minister for Immigration 14 December 1966 12 November 1969
Phillip Lynch Minister for Immigration 12 November 1969 22 March 1971
Jim Forbes Minister for Immigration 22 March 1971 5 December  1972
Lance Barnard Minister for Immigration 5 December 1972 19 December  1972
Al Grassby Minister for Immigration 19 December 1972 12 June 1974
Clyde Cameron Minister for Labor and Immigration 12 June1974 6 June 1975
James McClelland Minister for Labor and Immigration 6 June 1975 11 November 1975
Tony Street Minister for Labor and Immigration 12 November 1975 22 December 1975
Michael MacKellar Minister for Immigration and Ethnic Affairs 22 December 1975 8 December 1979
Ian Macphee Minister for Immigration and Ethnic Affairs 8 December 1979 7 May 1982
John Hodges Minister for Immigration and Ethnic Affairs 7 May 1982 11 March 1983
Stewart West Minister for Immigration and Ethnic Affairs 11 March 1983 13 December  1984
Chris Hurford Minister for Immigration and Ethnic Affairs 13 December 1984 16 February 1987
Mick Young Minister for Local Government and Ethnic Affairs 16 February 1987 12 February 1988
Clyde Holding Minister for Local Government and Ethnic Affairs 12 February 1988 2 September 1988
Robert Ray Minister for Local Government and Ethnic Affairs 2 September 1988 4 April 1990
Gerard Hand Minister for Local Government and Ethnic Affairs 4 April 1990 24 March 1993
Nick Bolkus Minister for Local Government and Ethnic Affairs 24 March 1993 11 March 1996
Philip Ruddock Minister for Multicultural Affairs (until 26 November 2001) and then Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs 11 March 1996 7 October 2003
Amanda Vanstone Minister for Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs (until 27 January 2006) and then Multicultural Affairs (from 27 January 2006) 7 October 2003 23 January 2007
Kevin Andrews Minister for Citizenship 23 January 2007 3 December 2007
Chris Evans Minister for Citizenship 3 December 2007 14 September 2010

Department of Immigration and Citizenship former parliamentary secretaries

Name Title Commencement Cessation
Kay Patterson Parliamentary Secretary for Immigration and Multicultural Affairs October 1998 November 2001
Bruce Billson Parliamentary Secretary for Foreign Affairs and Immigration and Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs 6 July 2005 27 January 2006
John Cobb Parliamentary Secretary for Immigration and Citizenship 6 July 2005 27 January 2006
Andrew Robb Parliamentary Secretary for Immigration and Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs 27 January 2006 30 January 2007
Teresa Gambaro Parliamentary Secretary for Immigration and Citizenship 30 January 2007 December 2007
Laurie Ferguson Parliamentary Secretary for Multicultural Affairs and Settlement Services December 2007 September 2010

Department of Immigration and Citizenship former secretaries

Name Title Commencement Cessation
Albert Peters Secretary Department of Immigration July 1945 May 1946
Sir Tasman Heyes Secretary Department of Immigration May 1946 November 1961
Sir Peter Heydon Secretary Department of Immigration November 1961 May 1971
Robert Armstrong Secretary Department of Immigration May 1971 June 1974
Dr Ian Sharp Secretary Department of Labor and Immigration June 1974 March 1975
Dr Peter Wilenski Secretary Department of Labor and Agreements March 1975 December 1975
Lloyd Bott Secretary Department of Immigration and Ethnic Affairs January 1976 August 1977
Lou Engledow Secretary Department of Immigration and Ethnic Affairs August 1977 September 1980
John Menadue Secretary Department of Immigration and Ethnic Affairs September 1980 March 1983
William McKinnon Secretary Department of Immigration and Ethnic Affairs March 1983 May 1987
Ron Brown Secretary Department of Immigration, Local Government and Ethnic Affairs July 1987 April 1990
Chris Conybeare Secretary Department of Immigration, Local Government and Ethnic Affairs April 1990 March 1993
Chris Conybeare Secretary Department of Immigration and Ethnic Affairs March 1993 March 1996
Helen Williams Secretary Department of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs March 1996 February 1998
Bill Farmer Secretary Department of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs February 1998 November 2001
Bill Farmer Secretary Department of Reconciliation and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs January 2001 November 2001
Bill Farmer Secretary Department of Immigration and Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs November 2001 July 2005