Minister for Veterans' Affairs (Australia)

Minister for Veterans' Affairs
Incumbent Dan Tehan since 18 February 2016 (2016-02-18)
Department of Veterans' Affairs
Style	The Honourable
Appointer	Governor-General on the recommendation of the Prime Minister of Australia
Inaugural holder	Edward Millen
Formation	28 September 1917 (1917-09-28)

The Australian Minister for Veterans' Affairs is The Hon. Dan Tehan MP, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , since 18 February 2016. Tehan also serves as the Minister for Defence Materiel and the Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for the Centenary of ANZAC following a rearrangement in the Turnbull Ministry.

In the Government of Australia, the minister oversees income support, compensation, care and commemoration programs for more than 400,000 veterans and their widows, widowers and dependants; and administers the portfolio through the Department of Veterans' Affairs.

Scope

The minister is also responsible for the following agencies:

• Australian War Memorial
• Military Rehabilitation and Compensation Commission
• Office of Australian War Graves
• Repatriation Commission
• Repatriation Medical Authority
• Review of Service Delivery Arrangements
• Specialist Medical Review Council
• Veterans' Review Board
• Vietnam Veterans Counselling Service

List of veterans' affairs ministers

The portfolio was created by Billy Hughes. It was called Minister for Repatriation from the appointment of the first Minister, Edward Millen on 28 September 1917 to deal with ex-soldiers returning from World War I. Stanley Bruce chose not to include a Minister for Repatriation in his ministry (1923–29), but his successor James Scullin restored it, and it has continued ever since, under different names. Gough Whitlam changed the portfolio title to Minister for Repatriation and Compensation in 1974; Malcolm Fraser restored it to its original title in 1975, and then changed it to Minister for Veterans' Affairs on 5 October 1976, Peter Durack being the last minister under the old title and the first under the new.

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

Order	Minister	Party		Prime Minister	Title	Term start	Term end	Term in office
1	Edward Millen		Nationalist	Hughes	Minister for Repatriation	28 September 1917 (1917-09-28)	9 February 1923 (1923-02-09)
2	Frank Anstey		Labor	Scullin	Minister for Repatriation	22 October 1929 (1929-10-22)	3 March 1931 (1931-03-03)
3	John McNeill					3 March 1931 (1931-03-03)	6 January 1932 (1932-01-06)	days
4	Charles Hawker		United Australia	Lyons		6 January 1932 (1932-01-06)	12 April 1932 (1932-04-12)	days
5	Charles Marr					12 April 1932 (1932-04-12)	12 October 1934 (1934-10-12)
6	Billy Hughes					12 October 1934 (1934-10-12)	6 November 1935 (1935-11-06)
7	Joseph Lyons					8 November 1935 (1935-11-08)	6 February 1936 (1936-02-06)	days
n/a	Billy Hughes					6 February 1936 (1936-02-06)	29 November 1937 (1937-11-29)
8	Harry Foll					29 November 1937 (1937-11-29)	7 April 1939 (1939-04-07)
				Page		7 April 1939 (1939-04-07)	26 April 1939 (1939-04-26)
9	Eric Harrison			Menzies		26 April 1939 (1939-04-26)	14 March 1940 (1940-03-14)	days
10	Geoffrey Street					14 March 1940 (1940-03-14)	13 August 1940 (1940-08-13)	days
11	Philip McBride					14 August 1940 (1940-08-14)	28 October 1940 (1940-10-28)	days
12	George McLeay					28 October 1940 (1940-10-28)	26 June 1941 (1941-06-26)	days
13	Herbert Collett					26 June 1941 (1941-06-26)	29 August 1941 (1941-08-29)	days
				Fadden		29 August 1941 (1941-08-29)	7 October 1941 (1941-10-07)
14	Charles Frost		Labor	Curtin		7 October 1941 (1941-10-07)	6 July 1945 (1945-07-06)
				Forde		6 July 1945 (1945-07-06)	13 July 1945 (1945-07-13)
				Chifley		13 July 1945 (1945-07-13)	1 November 1946 (1946-11-01)
15	Claude Barnard					1 November 1946 (1946-11-01)	19 December 1949 (1949-12-19)
16	Walter Cooper		Country Party	Menzies		19 December 1949 (1949-12-19)	29 December 1960 (1960-12-29)
17	Frederick Osborne		Liberal			29 December 1960 (1960-12-29)	22 December 1961 (1961-12-22)	days
18	Reginald Swartz					22 December 1961 (1961-12-22)	22 December 1964 (1964-12-22)
19	Colin McKellar					22 December 1964 (1964-12-22)	26 January 1966 (1966-01-26)
				Holt		26 January 1966 (1966-01-26)	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)	12 November 1969 (1969-11-12)
20	Mac Holten					12 November 1969 (1969-11-12)	10 March 1971 (1971-03-10)
				McMahon		10 March 1971 (1971-03-10)	5 December 1972 (1972-12-05)
21	Lance Barnard		Labor	Whitlam		5 December 1972 (1972-12-05)	19 December 1972 (1972-12-19)	days
22	Reg Bishop					19 December 1972 (1972-12-19)	12 June 1974 (1974-06-12)
23	John Wheeldon				Minister for Repatriation and Compensation	12 June 1974 (1974-06-12)	11 November 1975 (1975-11-11)
24	Don Chipp		Liberal	Fraser		11 November 1975 (1975-11-11)	22 December 1975 (1975-12-22)	days
25	Kevin Newman				Minister for Repatriation	22 December 1975 (1975-12-22)	8 July 1976 (1976-07-08)	days
26	Peter Durack					8 July 1976 (1976-07-08)	5 October 1976 (1976-10-05)
					Minister for Veterans' Affairs	5 October 1976 (1976-10-05)	6 September 1977 (1977-09-06)
26	Victor Garland					6 September 1977 (1977-09-06)	4 July 1978 (1978-07-04)	days
27	Evan Adermann		Nationals			4 July 1978 (1978-07-04)	3 November 1980 (1980-11-03)
28	Tony Messner		Liberal			3 November 1980 (1980-11-03)	11 March 1983 (1983-03-11)
29	Arthur Gietzelt		Labor	Hawke		11 March 1983 (1983-03-11)	24 July 1987 (1987-07-24)
30	Ben Humphreys					24 July 1987 (1987-07-24)	20 December 1991 (1991-12-20)
				Keating		20 December 1991 (1991-12-20)	24 March 1993 (1993-03-24)
31	John Faulkner					24 March 1993 (1993-03-24)	25 March 1994 (1994-03-25)
32	Con Sciacca					25 March 1994 (1994-03-25)	11 March 1996 (1996-03-11)
33	Bruce Scott		Nationals	Howard		11 March 1996 (1996-03-11)	26 November 2001 (2001-11-26)
35	Danna Vale		Liberal			26 November 2001 (2001-11-26)	26 October 2004 (2004-10-26)
36	De-Anne Kelly		Nationals			26 October 2004 (2004-10-26)	27 January 2006 (2006-01-27)
37	Bruce Billson		Liberal			27 January 2006 (2006-01-27)	3 December 2007 (2007-12-03)
38	Alan Griffin		Labor	Rudd		3 December 2007 (2007-12-03)	24 June 2010 (2010-06-24)
				Gillard		24 June 2010 (2010-06-24)	13 September 2010 (2010-09-13)
39	Warren Snowdon					13 September 2010 (2010-09-13)	1 July 2013 (2013-07-01)
				Rudd		1 July 2013 (2013-07-01)	18 September 2013 (2013-09-18)
40	Michael Ronaldson		Liberal	Abbott		18 September 2013 (2013-09-18)	15 September 2015
				Turnbull		15 September 2015	21 September 2015
41	Stuart Robert		Liberal National			21 September 2013 (2013-09-21)	12 February 2016	days
42	Dan Tehan		Liberal			18 February 2016 (2016-02-18)	Incumbent	days

Notes

Barnard was part of a two-man ministry that comprised Barnard and Gough Whitlam for fourteen days, until the full ministry was commissioned.

Malcolm Fraser initially chose Senator Glen Sheil for the portfolio, and he was sworn in as a member of the Federal Executive Council. But before he was sworn in as a minister, Sheil professed his support for the South African apartheid regime, which was very much at odds with the Fraser government's position. Fraser decided not to proceed with Sheil’s appointment to the Ministry, and his appointment as an Executive Councillor was terminated. Garland was appointed in his place.

List of Ministers Assisting the Prime Minister for the Centenary of ANZAC

Order	Minister	Party		Prime Minister	Title	Term start	Term end	Term in office
1	Warren Snowdon		Labor	Gillard	Minister Assisting the Prime Minister on the Centenary of ANZAC	3 March 2011	27 June 2013
				Rudd		27 June 2013	18 September 2013
2	Michael Ronaldson		Liberal	Abbott		18 September 2013	15 September 2015
				Turnbull		15 September 2015	21 September 2015
3	Stuart Robert		Liberal National			21 September 2015 (2015-09-21)	12 February 2016	days
4	Dan Tehan		Liberal			18 February 2016 (2016-02-18)	Incumbent	days

Ministers in charge of War Service Homes

Between 1932 and 1938 there was also a Minister in charge of War Service Homes. This position was revived with Herbert Collett's appointment as Minister without portfolio administering War Service Homes in 1939, but was subsumed by Bert Lazzarini's appointment as Minister for Works and Housing in 1945.

The following individuals have been appointed as Minister in charge of War Service Homes, or any of its precedent titles:

Order	Minister	Party		Prime Minister	Title	Term start	Term end	Term in office
1	Josiah Francis		United Australia	Lyons	Minister in charge of War Service Homes	6 January 1932 (1932-01-06)	9 November 1934 (1934-11-09)
2	Harold Thorby		Country		Minister without portfolio in charge of War Service Homes	9 November 1934 (1934-11-09)	11 September 1936 (1936-09-11)
3	James Hunter					11 September 1936 (1936-09-11)	29 November 1937 (1937-11-29)
4	Harry Foll		United Australia		Minister in charge of War Service Homes	29 November 1937 (1937-11-29)	7 November 1938 (1938-11-07)	days
5	Herbert Collett		United Australia	Menzies	Minister without portfolio administering War Service Homes	26 April 1939 (1939-04-26)	14 March 1940 (1940-03-14)
					Minister without portfolio in charge of War Service Homes	14 March 1940 (1940-03-14)	13 August 1940 (1940-08-13)
					Minister in charge of War Service Homes	14 August 1940 (1940-08-14)	28 October 1940 (1940-10-28)
					Minister without portfolio administering War Service Homes	28 October 1940 (1940-10-28)	26 June 1941 (1941-06-26)
6	Charles Frost		Labor	Curtin	Minister in charge of War Service Homes	7 October 1941 (1941-10-07)	6 July 1945 (1945-07-06)
				Forde		6 July 1945 (1945-07-06)	13 July 1945 (1945-07-13)

See also

• Department of Defence (Australia)
• Department of Veterans' Affairs
• Minister for Defence (Australia)
• Minister for Defence Materiel (Australia)
• Minister for Defence Science and Personnel (Australia)