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 ...

, regional ministers have been appointed since 1995 on a part-time basis as part of the

Government of New South Wales The Government of New South Wales, also known as the NSW Government, is the Australian state democratic administrative authority of New South Wales. It is currently held by a coalition of the Liberal Party and the National Party. The Governmen ...

. Each minister has other departmental responsibilities, as well as specific responsibilities for one of the

regions of New South Wales In the state of New South Wales, Australia, there are many areas which are commonly known by regional names. Regions are areas that share similar characteristics. These characteristics may be natural such as the Murray River, the coastline, or the ...

. The ministries with regional responsibilities first appeared in 2000 during the Carr Labor Government with a position looking after the Central Coast, this would later be expanded by the Iemma Labor Government from 2005 and

O'Farrell O'Farrell is an anglicised form of the Old Irish patronym ''Ó Fearghail''. People with the surname * Barry O'Farrell, Australian politician * Bernadette O'Farrell (1924–1999), Irish actress * Bob O'Farrell, American baseballer * Brett O'Farrel ...

Coalition Government in 2011 to five different positions including

Western Sydney Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...

. In 2015, the number of ministers was reduced to just three ministers: the Minister for Regional Development, the

Minister for Western New South Wales The Minister for Western New South Wales is a minister in the New South Wales Government with responsibility for the region to the west of the Great Dividing Range in New South Wales, Australia. It was first established in 2011 in the O'Farrel ...

and the

Minister for Western Sydney The Minister for Western Sydney is a minister in the New South Wales Government with responsibility for the Greater Western Sydney, Australia. It was first established in 1997 in the second Carr ministry as an assistant minister, before beco ...

. In the

first Berejiklian ministry First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1). First or 1st may also refer to: *World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement Arts and media Music * 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and rec ...

the portfolio of regional development changed to

Regional New South Wales Regional Australia is a socio-geographical definition used in Australia to describe populated regions outside of the major metropolitan areas (typically the capital city) in each state or territory, designed for censusing and promoting urbanize ...

and a fourth regional portfolio created, Regional Water. Following the 2019 state election the ministries were rearranged, with the portfolio of Regional Water abolished and two new regional portfolios, Regional Transport and Roads and Regional Youth, bringing the total to five with effect from 2 April 2019. A sixth portfolio, Regional Health, was created in the

second Perrottet ministry The Second Perrottet ministry or Second Perrottet–Toole ministry is the 99th ministry of the Government of New South Wales, and is led by Dominic Perrottet, the state's 46th Premier. The Liberal–National coalition ministry was formed on 21 ...

Current ministers

In the second Perrottet ministry there are six ministers with specific regional responsibility:

Central Coast

Regional New South Wales

Regional Health

Regional Transport and Roads

Regional Youth

Western New South Wales

Western Sydney

Former ministerial titles

Hunter

Illawarra

Creation of the role of 'Minister for the Illawarra' was a Labor election commitment in 2003. When the portfolio was abolished in 2015, the region's main newspaper, the ''Illawarra Mercury'', noted that all but one of the men to hold the title later departed politics under a cloud: "The now-defunct ministry has been something of a poisoned chalice over the past 12 years, with five of the six ministers who have held the position being disgraced, sacked or forced to resign over their behaviour." Labor's David Campbell, the first Minister for the Illawarra, quit politics after being filmed leaving a gay bath-house in Sydney. His successor Matt Brown quit following allegations (denied by Brown) that he'd simulated a sex act and danced in his underpants at a function in Parliament House.

Paul McLeay Paul Edward McLeay (born 23 August 1972), a former Australian politician, was a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly representing the electorate of Heathcote for the Labor Party between 2003 and 2011. In 2010, McLeay resigned ...

quit cabinet after admitting to using a parliamentary computer to visit gambling and porn websites.

Eric Roozendaal Eric Michael Roozendaal (born 16 March 1962), a former Australian politician, was a member of the New South Wales Legislative Council, serving between 2004 and 2013. He is a former General Secretary of the Labor Party. Roozendaal was the Treasu ...

was a target of the Independent Commission Against Corruption's Operation Indus due to his dealings with disgraced former minister

Eddie Obeid Edward Moses Obeid (born 25 October 1943) is a retired Australian politician, and convicted criminal, who served as a member of the New South Wales Legislative Council between 1991 and 2011, representing the Labor Party. He was the Minister f ...

, but was cleared in 2013. Greg Pearce, the first Liberal to hold the post, was dumped from the

O'Farrell ministry The O'Farrell ministry was the 93rd ministry of the Government of New South Wales, and was led by Barry O'Farrell, the state's 43rd Premier. The Liberal–National coalition ministry was formed following the defeat of the Keneally-led Labor go ...

in 2013 amid claims (denied by Pearce) that he had attended parliament drunk – officially, for failing to declare a conflict of interest in relation to a board appointment. The last Minister for the Illawarra, the Liberal party's

John Ajaka John George Ajaka (born 13 January 1956), an Australian politician, was a member of the New South Wales Legislative Council from 2007 to 2021, representing the Liberal Party and he is the first Liberal Party Lebanese Australian member of an Au ...

, "managed to break the portfolio’s curse," however.

North Coast

Redfern-Waterloo

References

{{Government of New South Wales * Ministers of the New South Wales state government