Minister for the Arts (New South Wales)

The New South Wales Minister for the Arts was a Minister of the Crown in the New South Wales Government administering Arts NSW (now Create NSW) within the Department of Justice. The Minister had responsibilities for the administration and support for the arts in New South Wales, Australia. The portfolio was abolished in 2019 and merged into the portfolio of Minister for the Public Service and Employee Relations, Aboriginal Affairs, and the Arts.[1]

At the time of its abolition, the minister was the Hon. Don Harwin MLC, since 30 January 2017.[2] Harwin continued in the expanded role as Minister for the Public Service and Employee Relations, Aboriginal Affairs, and the Arts.

Office history

The role of an 'arts' minister, overseeing the management and support for all cultural activities in New South Wales, before the early 1970s was an unheard of concept in politics. However, by the early 1970s, various governments in Australia recognised the need for a steering authority for state support for the arts. In response, premier Bob Askin appointed George Freudenstein as the first Minister for Cultural Activities on 11 March 1971. This coincided with the appointment of the first federal minister with a responsibility for the arts on 10 March and a Minister for Cultural Affairs in Western Australia on 3 March 1971. Premier of Victoria Rupert Hamer commissioned himself with a ministry of the arts in 1972 and South Australia followed suit on 18 September 1979.

On his appointment Freudenstein requested the establishment of an organisation to enable him to carry out his responsibilities and the Premier agreed. On 13 May 1971 the "Ministry of Cultural Activities" was established, taking over responsibility for various legislation and bodies that had previously been under the purview of the Department of Education, including the Archives Office of New South Wales, Art Gallery of New South Wales, State Library of New South Wales, Australian Museum, Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences, Sydney Observatory, the Advisory Committee on Cultural Grants, NSW Film Council, and the Sydney Opera House Trust. In the case of the opera house, the Ministry had responsibility for its completion and final official opening on 20 October 1973.[3] With Freudenstein's departure on 3 January 1975, a new Minister for Culture, Sport and Recreation was appointed and on 6 January 1975, the Ministry of Cultural Activities was replaced by the new "Department of Culture, Sport and Recreation".[4]

This arrangement lasted until 14 May 1976 when the new Labor Government of Neville Wran transferred the responsibility for cultural activities to the Premier's Department. This became the "Cultural Activities Division" under the administration of the Premier himself.[4] This situation continued until 1984, when Wran established the "Office of the Minister for the Arts" within the Premier's Department and commissioned himself with the title of Minister for the Arts. On 15 June 1988 a "Ministry for the Arts" independent of the Premier's Department was established.[5] This ministry was abolished on 3 March 2006 and its responsibilities were moved to the new "Department of the Arts, Sport and Recreation".[6] Arts NSW became the new dedicated division for the Minister and it transferred to "Communities NSW" in July 2009 and then the "Department of Trade and Investment, Regional Infrastructure and Services" from 4 April 2011.[7] From the appointment of Troy Grant as the minister in 2014 (who also served as Minister for Justice and Police), Arts NSW came within the Justice Department.

Following the 2019 state election the portfolio responsibilities were transferred to the Premier and Cabinet cluster, with Create NSW (formerly Arts NSW) administered through the Department of Premier and Cabinet, a department of the Government of New South Wales.[1]

List of ministers
Main article: Minister for the Public Service and Employee Relations, Aboriginal Affairs, and the Arts

Former ministerial titles

Assistant Ministers
Minister Party affiliation Ministerial title Term start Term end Time in office
Bob Debus Labor Minister Assisting the Premier on the Arts 13 March 1996 2 April 2003 7 years, 20 days
Frank Sartor 2 April 2003 3 August 2005 2 years, 123 days
Virginia Judge Labor Minister Assisting the Premier on the Arts 8 September 2008 4 December 2009 1 year, 87 days

References
  1. "Administrative Arrangements (Administrative Changes—Public Service Agencies) Order 2019 [NSW] (159)" (PDF). Government Gazette of the State of New South Wales. 2 April 2019. p. 7-8. Retrieved 4 April 2019.
  2. "Refreshed NSW cabinet sworn in". Sky News. Australia. AAP. 30 January 2017. Retrieved 30 January 2017.
  3. "Ministry of Cultural Activities". NSW State Records. NSW Government. Archived from the original on 30 September 2015. Retrieved 18 September 2015.
  4. "Department of Culture, Sport and Recreation". NSW State Records. NSW Government. Archived from the original on 30 September 2015. Retrieved 18 September 2015.
  5. "Ministry for the Arts". NSW State Records. NSW Government. Archived from the original on 29 September 2015. Retrieved 18 September 2015.
  6. "Department of the Arts, Sport and Recreation". NSW State Records. NSW Government. Archived from the original on 29 September 2015. Retrieved 18 September 2015.
  7. "Arts NSW". NSW State Records. NSW Government. Archived from the original on 29 September 2015. Retrieved 18 September 2015.


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