Minister for the Environment (Australia)


The Australian Minister for the Environment is The Hon. Sussan Ley MP since May 2019. Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced in August 2018 that the Environment and Energy portfolios would be separated in the Cabinet reshuffle. Melissa Price was appointed as Minister of the Environment, and Angus Taylor was appointed as Minister for Energy on 28 August 2018, by the Governor-General.
In the Government of Australia, the minister and assistant minister are responsible for the protection and conservation of the environment; to ensure that Australia benefits from meteorological and related sciences and services; and to see that Australia's interests in Antarctica are advanced. The minister provides direction and oversight of the Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment to develop and implement national policy, programs and legislation to protect and conserve Australia's environment and heritage.
On 26 May 2019 Morrison announced that Sussan Ley would lead the environment portfolio as Minister for the Environment in the 46th Parliament of Australia and the new Cabinet of the Morrison Government, replacing Price as incumbent minister.

Portfolio responsibilities

The minister administers their portfolio through the Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment and its environment component bodies, including:
The following individuals have been appointed as Minister for the Environment, or any precedent titles:
Notes

Former ministerial portfolios

List of ministers for climate change

The Minister for Climate Change was responsible for developing climate change solutions, mitigating greenhouse gas emissions, and promoting energy efficiency. The following individuals have been appointed to the post, or any of its precursor titles:

List of ministers for sustainable population

The Minister for Sustainable Population was a ministerial portfolio administered through the Department of the Treasury responsible for "planning properly for the infrastructure needs, for the housing needs, for the transport needs, for the regional needs" of the Australian population of the future. Originally entitled the Minister for Population by Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, his successor, Julia Gillard, renamed the portfolio to the Minister for Sustainable Population to reflect her policy changes on the matter of population growth and the need for a sustainable future for Australia, saying the change sends a clear message about the new direction the Government is taking. After the 2010 federal election, the portfolio was subsumed by the Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities portfolio.

List of minister for cities and the built environment

The following individual has served as the Minister for Cities and the Built Environment.

List of assistant ministers for the environment

The following individual has served as the Assistant Minister for the Environment.