Minister for the Environment (Australia)

The Australian Minister for the Environment and Energy is the Hon. Josh Frydenberg MP since 19 July 2016.

In the Government of Australia, the minister and parliamentary secretary 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 the Environment (previously the Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities) to develop and implement national policy, programs and legislation to protect and conserve Australia's environment and heritage.

The minister administers their portfolio through the Department of the Environment and Energy and its component bodies, including:

The following individuals have been appointed as Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Water, or any precedent titles:

Notes

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

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.