Government minister in New South Wales, Australia
The New South Wales Minister for Education and Early Learning is a minister in the New South Wales Government and has responsibilities that includes all schools and institutes of higher education in New South Wales , Australia .[ 1] [ 2]
Together, the ministers administer the portfolio through the Education cluster , in particular the Department of Education , TAFE NSW , and a range of other government agencies.
Ultimately, the ministers are responsible to the Parliament of New South Wales .
Office history
The role of administering the education system in New South Wales began with the passing by the New South Wales Legislative Council of the National Education Board Act 1848 , which emulated the 'National ' system of education established in Ireland by Lord Stanley in 1831 through the Stanley letter . The Act established the Board of National Education, a body corporate, with a Chairman of the Board appointed by the board members.[ 3] The Board was abolished by the colonial government of Henry Parkes in 1866 with the passing of the Public Schools Act 1866 and its functions were replaced by the Council of Education.[ 3]
Originally the bill for the act had included a measure to attach the role of President of the Council of Education ex officio to the Colonial Secretary . This measure was deleted in committee stage and the role of President was to be elected by the members of the council. This came to be seen by the first president, Parkes, as an indispensable way in which to protect the independence of the fledgling education system in the colony.[ 4] From 1873, with the independence of the role of President well established, the responsibility for education within the Parliament was held by the Minister of Justice and Public Instruction .
However this situation did not last and the independent council was abolished with the passing of the Public Instruction Act 1880 by Sir Henry Parkes ' third government. The Act dissolved the Council of Education and transferred its responsibilities to a new Minister of Public Instruction, who had the role of establishing for the first time a well-structured system of public education throughout the colony. The Minister administered the portfolio through the Department of Public Instruction , which became the Department of Education in 1915.[ 5] In 2015 the functions of TAFE NSW were transferred from the education portfolio to the industry, portfolio only to return to the education portfolio in 2019.[ 6]
Predecessor offices and ministers
Board of National Education/Council of Education
The Chairman or President were not ministers of the crown, although all but John Smith were current or former members of parliament.[ 3] They were independent of ministerial supervision until the Minister of Justice and Public Instruction was appointed in December 1873.[ 7]
Office
Office-holder[ 8]
Term start
Term end
Time in office
Chairman of the Board of National Education
John Plunkett
15 July 1848
1 February 1858
9 years, 201 days
Sir Charles Nicholson
1 February 1858
31 December 1858
333 days
George Holden
1 January 1859
31 December 1859
364 days
Sir Charles Nicholson
1 January 1860
31 December 1860
365 days
George Holden
1 January 1861
31 December 1866
5 years, 364 days
President of the Council of Education
Henry Parkes
1 January 1867
14 October 1870
3 years, 286 days
John Smith
14 October 1870
14 July 1871
273 days
George Allen
14 July 1871
1 January 1872
171 days
John Smith
1 January 1872
30 April 1880
8 years, 120 days
Ministers of Justice and Public Instruction
List of ministers
The following individuals have been appointed Minister for Education and Early Childhood Learning or any previous titles.[ 9]
Education
Minister
Party
Title
Term start
Term end
Time in office
Notes
Sir John Robertson
None
Minister of Public Instruction
1 May 1880
10 November 1881
101 days
Francis Suttor
14 November 1881
4 January 1883
1 year, 51 days
[ 12]
George Reid
5 January 1883
6 March 1884
1 year, 61 days
William Trickett
2 May 1884
21 December 1885
1 year, 233 days
James Young
22 December 1885
25 February 1886
65 days
Arthur Renwick
26 February 1886
19 January 1887
327 days
James Inglis
Free Trade
20 January 1887
16 January 1889
1 year, 362 days
Francis Suttor
Protectionist
17 January 1889
7 March 1889
49 days
[ 12]
Joseph Carruthers
Free Trade
8 March 1889
22 October 1891
2 years, 228 days
Francis Suttor
Protectionist
23 October 1891
2 August 1894
2 years, 283 days
[ 12]
Jacob Garrard
Free Trade
3 August 1894
15 August 1898
4 years, 12 days
James Hogue
27 August 1898
13 September 1899
1 year, 17 days
John Perry
Protectionist / Progressive
14 September 1899
14 June 1904
4 years, 274 days
John Fegan
Free Trade
15 June 1904
29 August 1904
75 days
Broughton O'Conor
Liberal Reform
30 August 1904
13 May 1907
2 years, 256 days
James Hogue
14 May 1907
20 October 1910
3 years, 159 days
George Beeby
Labor
21 October 1910
10 September 1911
324 days
Campbell Carmichael
11 September 1911
26 November 1911
76 days
Frederick Flowers
27 November 1911
29 February 1912
94 days
Campbell Carmichael
1 March 1912
5 March 1915
3 years, 4 days
William Holman
6 March 1915
15 March 1915
9 days
Arthur Griffith
15 March 1915
7 November 1916
1 year, 237 days
Augustus James
Nationalist
15 November 1916
12 April 1920
3 years, 149 days
Thomas Mutch
Labor
13 April 1920
20 December 1921
1 year, 251 days
Thomas Ley
Nationalist
20 December 1921
20 December 1921
7 hours
Thomas Mutch
Labor
20 December 1921
13 April 1922
114 days
Albert Bruntnell
Nationalist
13 April 1922
17 June 1925
3 years, 65 days
Thomas Mutch
Labor
Minister for Education
17 June 1925
26 May 1927
1 year, 343 days
Billy Davies
Minister of Public Instruction
27 May 1927
18 October 1927
144 days
David Drummond
Country
Minister for Education
18 October 1927
3 November 1930
3 years, 16 days
Billy Davies
Labor
4 November 1930
15 October 1931
1 year, 191 days
Labor (NSW)
15 October 1931
13 May 1932
David Drummond
Country
16 May 1932
13 May 1941
8 years, 362 days
Clive Evatt
Labor
13 May 1941
8 June 1944
3 years, 26 days
Robert Heffron
8 June 1944
31 May 1960
15 years, 358 days
Ernest Wetherell
31 May 1960
13 May 1965
4 years, 347 days
Sir Charles Cutler
Country
13 May 1965
19 June 1972
7 years, 37 days
Sir Eric Willis
Liberal
19 June 1972
23 January 1976
3 years, 218 days
Neil Pickard
23 January 1976
14 May 1976
112 days
Eric Bedford
Labor
14 May 1976
29 February 1980
3 years, 291 days
Paul Landa
29 February 1980
2 October 1981
1 year, 216 days
Ron Mulock
2 October 1981
10 February 1984
2 years, 131 days
Eric Bedford
10 February 1984
5 April 1984
55 days
Rodney Cavalier
5 April 1984
21 March 1988
3 years, 351 days
Terry Metherell
Liberal
Minister for Education and Youth Affairs
25 March 1988
24 July 1990
2 years, 121 days
Virginia Chadwick
Minister for School Education and Youth Affairs
24 July 1990
26 May 1993
4 years, 254 days
Minister for Education, Training and Youth Affairs
26 May 1993
4 April 1995
John Aquilina
Labor
Minister for Education and Training
4 April 1995
21 November 2001
6 years, 231 days
John Watkins
21 November 2001
2 April 2003
1 year, 132 days
Andrew Refshauge
2 April 2003
21 January 2005
1 year, 294 days
Carmel Tebbutt
21 January 2005
2 April 2007
2 years, 71 days
John Della Bosca
2 April 2007
8 September 2008
1 year, 159 days
Verity Firth
8 September 2008
28 March 2011
2 years, 201 days
Adrian Piccoli
National
Minister for Education
3 April 2011
30 January 2017
5 years, 302 days
Rob Stokes
Liberal
30 January 2017
23 March 2019 (2019-03-23 )
2 years, 52 days
Sarah Mitchell
National
Minister for Education and Early Childhood Learning
2 April 2019 (2019-04-02 )
21 December 2021 (2021-12-21 )
3 years, 360 days
[ 1]
Minister for Education and Early Learning
21 December 2021 (2021-12-21 )
28 March 2023 (2023-03-28 )
[ 2]
Prue Car
Labor
28 March 2023 (2023-03-28 )
incumbent
2 years, 125 days
Early Learning
Minister
Party
Title
Term start
Term end
Time in office
Notes
Leslie Williams
National
Minister for Early Childhood Education
2 April 2015 (2015-04-02 )
23 January 2017 (2017-01-23 )
1 year, 296 days
[ 1]
Sarah Mitchell
30 January 2017 (2017-01-30 )
2 April 2019 (2019-04-02 )
6 years, 57 days
[ 1]
Minister for Education and Early Childhood Learning
2 April 2019 (2019-04-02 )
21 December 2021 (2021-12-21 )
Minister for Education and Early Learning
21 December 2021 (2021-12-21 )
28 March 2023 (2023-03-28 )
[ 2]
Prue Car
Labor
28 March 2023 (2023-03-28 )
incumbent
2 years, 125 days
Assistant ministers
Occasionally, an Assistant Minister for Education would be appointed to assist the minister and act as a deputy.[ 9]
Title
Minister
Party
Term start
Term end
Time in office
Notes
Assistant Minister of Public Instruction
Jack FitzGerald
Labor
4 April 1916
18 July 1916
105 days
Assistant Minister for Education
Wal Fife
Liberal
13 May 1965
27 June 1967
2 years, 45 days
Assistant Minister for Education
Bob Debus
Labor
4 July 1986
21 March 1988
11 years, 260 days
Assistant Minister for Education
Kerry Chikarovski
Liberal
3 July 1992
26 May 1993
327 days
Assistant Minister for Education
Victor Dominello
Liberal
23 April 2014
2 April 2015
344 days
Assistant Minister for Education Minister for Early Childhood Education
Leslie Williams
National
2 April 2015
30 January 2017
1 year, 303 days
Sarah Mitchell
30 January 2017
23 March 2019 (2019-03-23 )
2 years, 52 days
See also
References
Departments Executive agencies State-owned corporations State universities Other