Topic summary
Assistant minister
Extracted from the Wikipedia article Parliamentary secretary.
Australia
In Australia, parliamentary secretaries are appointed in the federal government and most state governments. At the federal level, the Australian constitution provides only for the appointment of "ministers of state". Parliamentary secretaries are formally ministers of state, however they are not responsible for any portfolios and act under the direction of a more senior minister. Since 2015, "parliamentary secretaries" have been titled as "assistant ministers". However, they remain formally "parliamentary secretaries" under the Ministers of State Act 1952. An assistant minister's title may not necessarily correspond to their official position, with Matt Thistlethwaite in 2022 titled the Assistant Minister for the Republic while formally they held the offices of Parliamentary Secretary to the Attorney-General, Minister for Defence and Minister for Veterans Affairs. The prime minister is permitted to appoint a member from either house of Parliament to be a parliamentary secretary to a minister. As they are ministers of state for constitutional purposes, parliamentary secretaries may be paid a salary.