# Minister for Agriculture and Food (Western Australia)

The Minister for Agriculture and Food is a position in the Cabinet of Western Australia. The minister is responsible for the Department of Agriculture and Food, and usually holds several other portfolios.
The responsibilities now incorporated in the portfolio were originally held by the Colonial Secretary, and it was not until the 1904 Daglish Ministry that a separate Minister for Agriculture was appointed, with the inaugural minister being the nominally independent John Drew. From its first implementation through to the 1920s, and sporadically afterward, the titles of Minister for Agriculture and Minister for Lands were generally held by the same person, although the positions were legally separate, and were quite different in scope. A similar situation has existed since the late 1970s with the Fisheries and Forests portfolios. The minister's title was simply "Minister for Agriculture" until 1993, when Monty House was made Minister for Primary Industries in the Court–Cowan Ministry. The current title was implemented in 2005.
The current Minister for Agriculture and Food is Jackie Jarvis of the Labor Party. The previous Minister for Agriculture and Food was Mark Lewis of the Liberal Party. Lewis was only the third Liberal to hold the position – in previous Coalition governments, the position has been reserved for members of the National Party (and its predecessors).

## List of ministers for agriculture and food

Thirty three people have been appointed as Minister for Agriculture and Food (or equivalent) in Western Australia, with Crawford Nalder's 11 years and 335 days the longest time period in the position. In the table below, members of the Legislative Council are designated "MLC". All others were members of the Legislative Assembly at the time of their service. In Western Australia, serving ministers are entitled to be styled "The Honourable", and may retain the style after three years' service in the ministry.
| Order | Minister | Party | Premier | Title | Term start | Term end | Term in office |
| 1 | John Drew MLC | Independent | Daglish | Minister for Agriculture | 7 June 1905 (1905-06-07) | 25 August 1905 (1905-08-25) | 79 days |
| 2 | Newton Moore | Ministerialist | Rason | Minister for Agriculture | 25 August 1905 (1905-08-25) | 7 May 1906 (1906-05-07) | 255 days |
| 3 | Frank Wilson | Ministerialist | Moore | Minister for Agriculture | 7 May 1906 (1906-05-07) | 30 June 1909 (1909-06-30) | 3 years, 54 days |
| 4 | James Mitchell | Ministerialist | Moore | Minister for Agriculture | 30 June 1909 (1909-06-30) | 16 September 1910 (1910-09-16) | 2 years, 99 days |
| 4 | James Mitchell | Liberal | Wilson | Minister for Agriculture | 16 September 1910 (1910-09-16) | 7 October 1911 (1911-10-07) | 2 years, 99 days |
| 5 | Thomas Bath | Labor | Scaddan | Minister for Agriculture | 7 October 1911 (1911-10-07) | 23 November 1914 (1914-11-23) | 3 years, 47 days |
| 6 | William Johnson | Labor | Scaddan | Minister for Agriculture | 23 November 1914 (1914-11-23) | 27 July 1916 (1916-07-27) | 1 year, 247 days |
| 7 | Sir Henry Lefroy KCMG | Liberal | Wilson | Minister for Agriculture | 27 July 1916 (1916-07-27) | 28 July 1917 (1917-07-28) | 2 years, 264 days |
| 7 | Sir Henry Lefroy KCMG | Nationalist | Lefroy | Minister for Agriculture | 28 July 1917 (1917-07-28) | 17 April 1919 (1919-04-17) | 2 years, 264 days |
| 8 | Charles Baxter MLC | Country | Colebatch | Minister for Agriculture | 17 April 1919 (1919-04-17) | 17 May 1919 (1919-05-17) | 30 days |
| 9 | Hal Colebatch MLC | Nationalist | Mitchell | Minister for Agriculture | 17 May 1919 (1919-05-17) | 3 April 1921 (1921-04-03) | 1 year, 351 days |
| 10 | Henry Kennedy Maley | Country | Mitchell | Minister for Agriculture | 3 April 1921 (1921-04-03) | 15 April 1924 (1924-04-15) | 3 years, 12 days |
| 11 | Michael Troy | Labor | Collier | Minister for Agriculture | 15 April 1924 (1924-04-15) | 15 December 1927 (1927-12-15) | 3 years, 244 days |
| 12 | Harry Millington | Labor | Collier | Minister for Agriculture | 15 December 1927 (1927-12-15) | 23 April 1930 (1930-04-23) | 2 years, 129 days |
| 13 | Percy Ferguson | Country | Mitchell | Minister for Agriculture | 23 April 1930 (1930-04-23) | 24 April 1933 (1933-04-24) | 3 years, 1 day |
| – (12) | Harry Millington | Labor | Collier | Minister for Agriculture | 24 April 1933 (1933-04-24) | 26 March 1935 (1935-03-26) | 1 year, 336 days |
| 14 | Frank Wise | Labor | Collier | Minister for Agriculture | 26 March 1935 (1935-03-26) | 19 August 1936 (1936-08-19) | 10 years, 130 days |
| 14 | Frank Wise | Labor | Willcock | Minister for Agriculture | 19 August 1936 (1936-08-19) | 31 July 1945 (1945-07-31) | 10 years, 130 days |
| 14 | Frank Wise | Labor | Wise | Minister for Agriculture | 31 July 1945 (1945-07-31) | 3 August 1945 (1945-08-03) | 10 years, 130 days |
| 15 | John Tonkin | Labor | Wise | Minister for Agriculture | 3 August 1945 (1945-08-03) | 1 April 1947 (1947-04-01) | 1 year, 241 days |
| 16 | Lindsay Thorn | Country | McLarty | Minister for Agriculture | 1 April 1947 (1947-04-01) | 5 January 1948 (1948-01-05) | 279 days |
| 17 | Garnet Wood MLC | Country | McLarty | Honorary Minister for Agriculture | 5 January 1948 (1948-01-05) | 24 October 1950 (1950-10-24) | 3 years, 363 days |
| 17 | Garnet Wood MLC | Country | McLarty | Minister for Agriculture | 24 October 1950 (1950-10-24) | 3 January 1952 (1952-01-03) | 3 years, 363 days |
| 18 | Sir Charles Latham MLC | Country | McLarty | Minister for Agriculture | 3 January 1952 (1952-01-03) | 23 February 1953 (1953-02-23) | 1 year, 79 days |
| 19 | Ernest Hoar | Labor | Hawke | Minister for Agriculture | 23 February 1953 (1953-02-23) | 17 December 1957 (1957-12-17) | 4 years, 297 days |
| 20 | Lionel Kelly | Labor | Hawke | Minister for Agriculture | 17 December 1957 (1957-12-17) | 2 April 1959 (1959-04-02) | 1 year, 106 days |
| 21 | Crawford Nalder | Country | Brand | Minister for Agriculture | 2 April 1959 (1959-04-02) | 3 March 1971 (1971-03-03) | 11 years, 335 days |
| 22 | David Evans | Labor | Tonkin | Minister for Agriculture | 3 March 1971 (1971-03-03) | 8 April 1974 (1974-04-08) | 3 years, 36 days |
| 23 | Ray McPharlin | National Alliance | Court | Minister for Agriculture | 8 April 1974 (1974-04-08) | 20 May 1975 (1975-05-20) | 1 year, 42 days |
| 24 | Dick Old | National Country | Court | Minister for Agriculture | 5 June 1975 (1975-06-05) | 25 January 1982 (1982-01-25) | 7 years, 263 days |
| 24 | Dick Old | National Country | O'Connor | Minister for Agriculture | 25 January 1982 (1982-01-25) | 23 February 1983 (1983-02-23) | 7 years, 263 days |
| – (22) | David Evans | Labor | Burke | Minister for Agriculture | 23 February 1983 (1983-02-23) | 26 February 1986 (1986-02-26) | 3 years, 3 days |
| 25 | Julian Grill | Labor | Burke | Minister for Agriculture | 26 February 1986 (1986-02-26) | 25 February 1988 (1988-02-25) | 3 years, 2 days |
| 25 | Julian Grill | Labor | Dowding | Minister for Agriculture | 25 February 1988 (1988-02-25) | 28 February 1989 (1989-02-28) | 3 years, 2 days |
| 26 | Ernie Bridge | Labor | Dowding | Minister for Agriculture | 28 February 1989 (1989-02-28) | 12 February 1990 (1990-02-12) | 3 years, 354 days |
| 26 | Ernie Bridge | Labor | Lawrence | Minister for Agriculture | 12 February 1990 (1990-02-12) | 16 February 1993 (1993-02-16) | 3 years, 354 days |
| 27 | Monty House | National | Court | Minister for Primary Industries | 16 February 1993 (1993-02-16) | 16 February 2001 (2001-02-16) | 8 years, 0 days |
| 28 | Kim Chance | Labor | Gallop | Minister for Agriculture | 16 February 2001 (2001-02-16) | 1 July 2001 (2001-07-01) | 7 years, 220 days |
| 28 | Kim Chance | Labor | Gallop | Minister for Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries | 1 July 2001 (2001-07-01) | 10 March 2005 (2005-03-10) | 7 years, 220 days |
| 28 | Kim Chance | Labor | Gallop | Minister for Agriculture and Forestry | 10 March 2005 (2005-03-10) | 25 January 2006 (2006-01-25) | 7 years, 220 days |
| 28 | Kim Chance | Labor | Carpenter | Minister for Agriculture and Forestry | 25 January 2006 (2006-01-25) | 3 February 2006 (2006-02-03) | 7 years, 220 days |
| 28 | Kim Chance | Labor | Carpenter | Minister for Agriculture and Food | 3 February 2006 (2006-02-03) | 23 September 2008 (2008-09-23) | 7 years, 220 days |
| 29 | Terry Redman | National | Barnett | Minister for Agriculture and Food | 23 September 2008 (2008-09-23) | 21 March 2013 (2013-03-21) | 4 years, 179 days |
| 30 | Ken Baston MLC | Liberal | Barnett | Minister for Agriculture and Food | 21 March 2013 (2013-03-21) | 31 March 2016 (2016-03-31) | 3 years, 10 days |
| 31 | Dean Nalder | Liberal | Barnett | Minister for Agriculture and Food | 31 March 2016 (2016-03-31) | 20 September 2016 (2016-09-20) | 173 days |
| 32 | Mark Lewis | Liberal | Barnett | Minister for Agriculture and Food | 22 September 2016 (2016-09-22) | 17 March 2017 (2017-03-17) | 8 years, 17 days |
| 33 | Alannah MacTiernan MLC | Labor | McGowan | Minister for Agriculture and Food | 17 March 2017 (2017-03-17) | 14 December 2022 | 5 years, 272 days |
| 34 | Jackie Jarvis | Labor | McGowan | Minister for Agriculture and Food | 14 December 2022 | 8 June 2023 | 1 year, 302 days |
| 34 | Jackie Jarvis | Labor | Cook | Minister for Agriculture and Food | 8 June 2023 | incumbent | 1 year, 302 days |