The Minister for Aboriginal Affairs is a position in the

Cabinet of Western Australia The ministries of Western Australia (also known as Cabinets) are the centre of executive power in the Government of Western Australia. They are composed of Ministers who are responsible for one or more portfolios, answer questions on those portfo ...

, first created in 1947 during the

McLarty–Watts Ministry The McLarty–Watts Ministry was the 21st Ministry of the Government of Western Australia, led by Liberal Premier Sir Ross McLarty and his deputy, Country Party leader Arthur Watts. It succeeded the Wise Ministry on 1 April 1947, following the ...

. The current Minister for Aboriginal Affairs is

Tony Buti Antonio De Paulo "Tony" Buti (born 20 August 1961) is an Australian politician. He has been a Labor Party member of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly representing the seat of Armadale since 2 October 2010, when he was elected in a b ...

of the Labor Party. The minister is responsible for the

state government A state government is the government that controls a subdivision of a country in a federal form of government, which shares political power with the federal or national government. A state government may have some level of political autonomy, or ...

Department of Aboriginal Affairs The Department of Aboriginal Affairs was an Australian government department that existed between December 1972 and March 1990. History The Department had its origins in the Office of Aboriginal Affairs (OAA), which was established ...

(DAA), which exists "to facilitate the development of policy and programs which deliver sustainable economic, environmental and social benefits to Aboriginal communities".Department of Aboriginal Affairs
– Government of Western Australia. Retrieved 28 February 2015.

List of Ministers for Aboriginal Affairs

Twenty one people have been appointed as Minister for Aboriginal Affairs in Western Australia, with

Edgar Lewis Edgar Henry Mead Lewis (12 February 1902 – 26 April 1992) was an Australian politician who was a Country Party member of the Legislative Assembly of Western Australia from 1958 to 1974, representing the seat of Moore. Lewis was born in Fr ...

's 8 years and 325 days during the Brand–Nalder Ministry the longest period in the position. The position and corresponding department have existed under several different names, including Native Affairs (4 years), Native Welfare (19 years), Aboriginal Affairs (23 years), and Indigenous Affairs (12 years).Aboriginal / Indigenous Affairs Ministers of Western Australia
– Parliamentary Library of Western Australia. Last updated 29 June 2012. Retrieved 28 February 2015. The current name was adopted after requests from representatives of Western Australia's Aboriginal communities. In the table below, members of the Legislative Council are designated "MLC". All others were members of the Legislative Assembly at the time of their service. In Western Australia, serving ministers are entitled to be styled "

The Honourable ''The Honourable'' (British English) or ''The Honorable'' (American English; see spelling differences) (abbreviation: ''Hon.'', ''Hon'ble'', or variations) is an honorific style that is used as a prefix before the names or titles of certain ...

", and may retain the style after three years' service in the ministry.Addressing a Member of Parliament
– Parliament of Western Australia. Retrieved 20 August 2014.

References

{{Western Australian ministerial portfolios Aboriginal affairs Ministers, Aboriginal affairs

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...

Department of Aboriginal Affairs (Western Australia)

List of Ministers for Aboriginal Affairs

See also

References