The minister of the Interior () is the ultimate authority for
public security
Public security or public safety is the prevention of and protection from events that could endanger the safety and security of the public from significant danger, injury, or property damage. It is often conducted by a state government to ensure ...
in
Austria
Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
as well as the
head and chief executive of the
Ministry of the Interior
An interior ministry (sometimes called a ministry of internal affairs or ministry of home affairs) is a government department that is responsible for internal affairs.
Lists of current ministries of internal affairs
Named "ministry"
* Ministry ...
.
The incumbent minister of the Interior is
Gerhard Karner
Gerhard Karner (born 13 November 1967 in Melk) is an Austrian politician currently serving as minister of the interior. From 2003, Karner was a member of the Lower Austrian state legislature. From 2003 to 2015, he was managing director of the Pe ...
(
ÖVP
The Austrian People's Party (german: Österreichische Volkspartei , ÖVP ) is a Christian-democratic and liberal-conservative political party in Austria.
Since December 2021, the party has been led provisionally by Karl Nehammer. It is currentl ...
). The minister is appointed by the
president
President most commonly refers to:
*President (corporate title)
*President (education), a leader of a college or university
*President (government title)
President may also refer to:
Automobiles
* Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...
on advice of the
chancellor
Chancellor ( la, cancellarius) is a title of various official positions in the governments of many nations. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the or lattice work screens of a basilica or law cou ...
.
Powers and duties
The
Federal Constitutional Law
The Federal Constitutional Law (german: Bundes-Verfassungsgesetz, abbreviated ) is a Federal law, federal constitutional law in Austria serving as the centerpiece of Constitution of Austria, the Constitution. It establishes Austria as a democrac ...
itself expressly designates the minister as the supreme authority in matters of
public security
Public security or public safety is the prevention of and protection from events that could endanger the safety and security of the public from significant danger, injury, or property damage. It is often conducted by a state government to ensure ...
() and places the
police directorates immediately beneath the control of the minister. In this capacity, and as a
supreme executive organ, the minister bears ultimate responsibly for the direction of
law enforcement
Law enforcement is the activity of some members of government who act in an organized manner to enforce the law by discovering, deterring, rehabilitating, or punishing people who violate the rules and norms governing that society. The term en ...
and the administration of
security policy
Security policy is a definition of what it means to ''be secure'' for a system, organization or other entity. For an organization, it addresses the constraints on behavior of its members as well as constraints imposed on adversaries by mechanisms ...
, and cannot be overruled by any other officer or body within the executive branch. The minister is assisted by a secretary general, who administers the day-to-day ministerial operations, and by a
director general for public security, who serves as Austria's top career law enforcement officer and superintends most specialized police agencies.
The minister of the interior is the only constitutionally mandated
minister position in Austria.
List of ministers
Austrian Empire
Cisleithania
First Republic
Second Republic
References
{{Austrian Federal Ministries
Interior Ministers of Austria
Lists of government ministers of Austria