Minister for Sport (Australia)

Minister for Sport
Incumbent Sussan Ley since 23 December 2014
Style	The Honourable
Appointer	Governor-General on the recommendation of the Prime Minister of Australia
Inaugural holder	Frank Stewart
Formation	1972

The Australian Minister for Sport is the Hon. Sussan Ley MP .

In the Government of Australia, the minister administers the portfolio through the Department of Health and Ageing.

Scope

It was not until the Whitlam Government established the Department of Tourism and Recreation in 1972 that an Australian Government department had specific responsibility for sport. Previously the small amount of sport funding was distributed through ministries such as Health and Foreign Affairs. Frank Stewart, who is regarded as the first minister for sport, commissioned two reports – The role and scope and development of recreation in Australia by John Bloomfield and Report of the Australian Sports Institute Study Group, which highlighted the need for government involvement in sport. The Fraser Government through Bob Ellicott acted upon both reports and established the Australian Institute of Sport in 1981. It was widely reported that this initiative was a direct result of the poor performance of the Australian team at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, however its genesis preceded that. The Hawke Government through John Brown further extended Australian Government involvement in sport through the establishment of the Australian Sports Commission in 1985.

List of Ministers for Sport

The following individuals have been appointed as Minister for Sport, or any of its precedent titles:

Order	Minister	Party		Prime Minister	Title	Term start	Term end	Term in office
1	Frank Stewart		Labor	Whitlam	Minister for Tourism and Recreation	19 December 1972 (1972-12-19)	11 November 1975 (1975-11-11)
2	Reg Withers		Liberal	Fraser		11 November 1975 (1975-11-11)	22 December 1975 (1975-12-22)	days
3	Ivor Greenwood				Minister for Environment, Housing and Community Development	22 December 1975 (1975-12-22)	8 July 1976 (1976-07-08)	days
4	Kevin Newman					8 July 1976 (1976-07-08)	20 December 1977 (1977-12-20)
5	Ray Groom					20 December 1977 (1977-12-20)	5 December 1978 (1978-12-05)	days
6	Robert Ellicott				Minister for Home Affairs	5 December 1978 (1978-12-05)	17 February 1981 (1981-02-17)
7	Michael MacKellar					17 February 1981 (1981-02-17)	19 March 1981 (1981-03-19)	days
8	Ian Wilson					19 March 1981 (1981-03-19)	7 May 1982 (1982-05-07)	days
9	Tom McVeigh		National Country		Minister for Home Affairs and Environment	7 May 1982 (1982-05-07)	11 March 1983 (1983-03-11)	days
10	John Brown		Labor	Hawke	Minister for Sport, Recreation and Tourism	11 March 1983 (1983-03-11)	24 July 1987 (1987-07-24)
					Minister for the Arts, Sport, the Environment, Tourism and Territories	24 July 1987 (1987-07-24)	19 January 1988 (1988-01-19)
11	Graham Richardson					19 January 1988 (1988-01-19)	4 April 1990 (1990-04-04)
12	Ros Kelly					4 April 1990 (1990-04-04)	20 December 1991 (1991-12-20)
				Keating		20 December 1991 (1991-12-20)	27 December 1991 (1991-12-27)
					Minister for the Arts, Sport, the Environment and Territories	27 December 1991 (1991-12-27)	24 March 1993 (1993-03-24)
					Minister for the Environment, Sport and Territories	24 March 1993 (1993-03-24)	1 March 1994 (1994-03-01)
n/a	Graham Richardson					1 March 1994 (1994-03-01)	25 March 1994 (1994-03-25)	days
13	John Faulkner					25 March 1994 (1994-03-25)	11 March 1996 (1996-03-11)
14	Warwick Smith		Liberal	Howard	Minister for Sport, Territories and Local Government	11 March 1996 (1996-03-11)	9 October 1997 (1997-10-09)
15	Andrew Thomson				Minister for Sport and Tourism	9 October 1997 (1997-10-09)	21 October 1998 (1998-10-21)
16	Jackie Kelly					21 October 1998 (1998-10-21)	26 November 2001 (2001-11-26)
17	Rod Kemp				Minister for the Arts and Sport	26 November 2001 (2001-11-26)	30 January 2007 (2007-01-30)
18	George Brandis					30 January 2007 (2007-01-30)	3 December 2007 (2007-12-03)	days
19	Kate Ellis		Labor	Rudd	Minister for Sport	3 December 2007 (2007-12-03)	24 June 2010 (2010-06-24)
				Gillard		24 June 2010 (2010-06-24)	14 September 2010 (2010-09-14)
20	Mark Arbib					14 September 2010 (2010-09-14)	5 March 2012 (2012-03-05)
21	Kate Lundy					5 March 2012 (2012-03-05)	27 June 2013 (2013-06-27)
22	Don Farrell			Rudd		27 June 2013 (2013-06-27)	18 September 2013 (2013-09-18)	days
23	Peter Dutton		Liberal National	Abbott		18 September 2013 (2013-09-18)	23 December 2014 (2014-12-23)
24	Sussan Ley		Liberal			23 December 2014 (2014-12-23)	15 September 2015	days
				Turnbull		15 September 2015 (2015-09-15)	incumbent

List of Minister assisting the Prime Minister for the Sydney 2000 Games

Order	Minister	Party		Prime Minister	Title	Term start	Term end	Term in office
1	Warwick Smith		Liberal	Howard	Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for the Sydney 2000 Games	11 March 1996	6 October 1997
2	Andrew Thomson					6 October 1997	21 October 1998
3	Jackie Kelly					21 October 1998	30 January 2001

See also

• Australian Sports Commission
• Australian Institute of Sport
• Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority
• Sport in Australia