The New South Wales Minister for Aboriginal Affairs is a minister in the Government of New South Wales with responsibility for administering legislation and policy in relation to that state's

indigenous Australians Indigenous Australians or Australian First Nations are people with familial heritage from, and membership in, the ethnic groups that lived in Australia before British colonisation. They consist of two distinct groups: the Aboriginal peoples ...

in the state of

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

, Australia. The current Minister for Aboriginal Affairs is

Ben Franklin Benjamin Franklin ( April 17, 1790) was an American polymath who was active as a writer, scientist, inventor, statesman, diplomat, printer, publisher, and political philosopher. Encyclopædia Britannica, Wood, 2021 Among the leading intel ...

, who also holds the portfolios of

the Arts The arts are a very wide range of human practices of creative expression, storytelling and cultural participation. They encompass multiple diverse and plural modes of thinking, doing and being, in an extremely broad range of media. Both ...

and Regional Youth, appointed with effect from 21 December 2021. The minister assists the lead portfolio minister, the

Deputy Premier A deputy prime minister or vice prime minister is, in some countries, a government minister who can take the position of acting prime minister when the prime minister is temporarily absent. The position is often likened to that of a vice president, ...

Paul Toole Paul Lawrence Toole (born 2 August 1970), an Australian politician, is the Deputy Premier and leader of the New South Wales Nationals since October 2021. Toole is the Minister for Regional New South Wales in the second Berejiklian and Perrot ...

, who was appointed with effect from 6 October 2021. Together the ministers administer the portfolio through Aboriginal Affairs NSW, an agency of the Department of Premier and Cabinet, as well as a range of additional government agencies. Ultimately, the minister is responsible to the Parliament of New South Wales.

Office history

The first Minister for Aboriginal Affairs, Frank Walker, was appointed by the Labor Government of

Neville Wran Neville Kenneth Wran, (11 October 1926 – 20 April 2014) was an Australian politician who was the Premier of New South Wales from 1976 to 1986. He was the national president of the Australian Labor Party (ALP) from 1980 to 1986 and chairman ...

on 2 October 1981 and a "Ministry of Aboriginal Affairs" was established on 1 January 1982. This role replaced the Aboriginal Affairs responsibilities of the Minister for Youth and Community Services (the last being Kevin Stewart). Prior to 1969 Aboriginal Affairs was within the purview of the Chief Secretary. The new ministry had responsibilities for advising the Government on "how and where land rights for Aboriginal people might be granted" and for the provision of services to Aboriginal communities. On 15 April 1988, the Ministry was abolished and its responsibilities were transferred to the new "Bureau of Aboriginal Affairs" within the Premier’s Department. The Bureau was renamed to the "Office of Aboriginal Affairs" by June 1988 and was charged with the administration of the Aboriginal Land Rights Act, 1983 (NSW) and the administration of Aboriginal Land Councils. On 1 July 1993, the Office of Aboriginal Affairs was established as an administrative office independent of the Premier's Department responsible to the Minister for Aboriginal Affairs. On 6 April 1995 the Office was abolished and was transferred to the "Department of Aboriginal Affairs". On 1 July 2009 the Department was abolished as an independent body and was subordinated to the new Department of Human Services. On 4 April 2011, the Department was renamed "Aboriginal Affairs NSW" and was transferred to the Department of Education and Communities within the Office of Communities. In July 2015 the Office of Communities was abolished but Aboriginal Affairs remained within the parent Department of Education. Following the 2019 state election, Aboriginal Affairs NSW was transferred from the Department of Education to the Department of Premier and Cabinet, with

Don Harwin Donald Thomas Harwin (born 5 July 1964) is an Australian politician. He was the New South Wales Special Minister of State and the Minister for the Public Service and Employee Relations, Aboriginal Affairs, and the Arts in the second Berejiklia ...

appointed as

Minister for the Public Service and Employee Relations, Aboriginal Affairs, and the Arts The New South Wales Minister for the Public Service and Employee Relations, Aboriginal Affairs, and the Arts was a minister in the Government of New South Wales who had responsibility for administering legislation and policy in relation to that ...

Office history

List of ministers

See also

References

External links