# Minister for Education (Western Australia)

The Minister for Education and Training is the member of the Government of Western Australia responsible for maintenance and improvement of Western Australia's system of education, and is answerable to the Parliament for all actions taken by the Department of Education under their authority. The holder of the office is usually an elected member of parliament from the ruling party or coalition, presently Tony Buti of the Labor Party.
Until the Daglish Ministry in 1904, when the role was separately established, the responsibility for Education generally lay with the Colonial Secretary.

## Ministers for Education

| Minister | Party | Assumed office | Left office | Term | Title | Notes |
| George Shenton | (Forrest) | 29 December 1890 | 11 October 1892 | 1 year, 287 days | Colonial Secretary | $^{note1}$ |
| Stephen Henry Parker | (Forrest) | 11 October 1892 | 4 December 1894 | 2 years, 54 days | Colonial Secretary | |
| Sir John Forrest | (Forrest) | 4 December 1894 | 19 December 1894 | 15 days | Colonial Secretary | |
| Edward Wittenoom | (Forrest) | 19 December 1894 | 12 May 1897 | 2 years, 144 days | Colonial Secretary | |
| Henry Lefroy | (Forrest) | 12 May 1897 | 28 April 1898 | 351 days | Colonial Secretary | |
| George Randell | (Forrest) | 28 April 1898 | 27 May 1901 | 3 years, 29 days | Colonial Secretary | |
| Frederick Illingworth | Opposition | 27 May 1901 | 21 November 1901 | 178 days | Colonial Secretary | $^{note1}$ |
| Matthew Moss | Ministerialist | 21 November 1901 | 23 December 1901 | 32 days | Colonial Secretary | $^{note1}$ |
| Frederick Illingworth | Opposition | 23 December 1901 | 1 July 1902 | 190 days | Colonial Secretary | $^{note1}$ |
| Walter Kingsmill | Opposition | 1 July 1902 | 10 August 1904 | 2 years, 40 days | Colonial Secretary | |
| Henry Daglish | Labor | 10 August 1904 | 7 June 1905 | 301 days | | |
| Thomas Bath | Labor | 7 June 1905 | 25 August 1905 | 79 days | | |
| Walter Kingsmill | Ministerialist | 25 August 1905 | 7 May 1906 | 255 days | | |
| Frank Wilson | Ministerialist | 7 May 1906 | 30 June 1909 | 3 years, 54 days | | |
| John Nanson | Ministerialist | 30 June 1909 | 7 October 1911 | 2 years, 99 days | | |
| Thomas Walker | Labor | 7 October 1911 | 27 July 1916 | 4 years, 294 days | | |
| Hal Colebatch | Liberal (WA) / Nationalist | 27 July 1916 | 17 June 1923 | 6 years, 331 days | | |
| John Ewing | Nationalist | 18 June 1923 | 15 April 1924 | 302 days | | |
| John Drew | Labor | 16 April 1924 | 24 April 1930 | 6 years, 8 days | | |
| Norbert Keenan | Nationalist | 24 April 1930 | 19 September 1931 | 1 year, 148 days | | |
| Thomas Davy | Nationalist | 19 September 1931 | 18 February 1933 | 1 year, 152 days | | |
| Hubert Parker | Nationalist | 24 February 1933 | 24 April 1933 | 59 days | | |
| John Willcock | Labor | 24 April 1933 | 26 March 1935 | 1 year, 336 days | | |
| Harry Millington | Labor | 26 March 1935 | 13 May 1936 | 1 year, 48 days | | |
| Frank Wise | Labor | 13 May 1936 | 18 April 1939 | 2 years, 340 days | | |
| William Kitson | Labor | 18 April 1939 | 9 December 1943 | 4 years, 235 days | | |
| John Tonkin | Labor | 9 December 1943 | 1 April 1947 | 3 years, 113 days | | |
| Arthur Watts | Country | 1 April 1947 | 23 February 1953 | 5 years, 328 days | | |
| John Tonkin | Labor | 23 February 1953 | 13 May 1954 | 1 year, 79 days | | |
| Bill Hegney | Labor | 13 May 1954 | 2 April 1959 | 4 years, 324 days | | |
| Arthur Watts | Country | 2 April 1959 | 1 February 1962 | 2 years, 305 days | | |
| Edgar Lewis | Country | 1 February 1962 | 3 March 1971 | 9 years, 30 days | | |
| John Tonkin | Labor | 3 March 1971 | 12 October 1971 | 223 days | | |
| Tom Evans | Labor | 12 October 1971 | 30 May 1973 | 1 year, 230 days | | |
| Jerry Dolan | Labor | 30 May 1973 | 8 April 1974 | 313 days | | |
| Graham MacKinnon | Liberal | 8 April 1974 | 10 March 1977 | 2 years, 336 days | | |
| Peter Jones | National (NCP) | 10 March 1977 | 5 March 1980 | 2 years, 361 days | | |
| Bill Grayden | Liberal | 5 March 1980 | 25 January 1982 | 1 year, 326 days | | |
| Andrew Mensaros | Liberal | 25 January 1982 | 25 February 1983 | 1 year, 31 days | | |
| Bob Pearce | Labor | 25 February 1983 | 25 February 1988 | 5 years, 0 days | | |
| Dr Carmen Lawrence | Labor | 25 February 1988 | 12 February 1990 | 1 year, 352 days | | |
| Dr Geoff Gallop | Labor | 12 February 1990 | 5 February 1991 | 358 days | | |
| Kay Hallahan | Labor | 5 February 1991 | 16 February 1993 | 2 years, 11 days | | |
| Norman Moore | Liberal | 16 February 1993 | 21 December 1995 | 2 years, 308 days | | |
| Colin Barnett | Liberal | 21 December 1995 | 16 February 2001 | 5 years, 57 days | | |
| Alan Carpenter | Labor | 16 February 2001 | 10 March 2005 | 4 years, 22 days | Minister for Education and Training | $^{note2}$ |
| Ljiljanna Ravlich | Labor | 10 March 2005 | 13 December 2006 | 1 year, 278 days | Minister for Education and Training | |
| Mark McGowan | Labor | 13 December 2006 | 23 September 2008 | 1 year, 285 days | Minister for Education and Training | |
| Liz Constable | Independent | 23 September 2008 | 29 June 2012 | 4 years, 179 days | | |
| Peter Collier | Liberal | 29 June 2012 | 17 March 2017 | 4 years, 261 days | | |
| Sue Ellery | Labor | 17 March 2017 | 14 December 2022 | 5 years, 272 days | Minister for Education and Training | |
| Tony Buti | Labor | 14 December 2022 | 19 March 2025 | 2 years, 94 days | Minister for Education | |
| Sabine Winton | Labor | 19 March 2025 | present | | Minister for Education; Early Childhood; Preventative Health; Wheatbelt. | |