# Minister for Jobs and Tourism

The Minister for Jobs and Tourism is a minister in the Government of New South Wales with responsibilities for tourism in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Tourism has often been combined with other portfolio responsibilities, most commonly Sport.
The Minister in Charge of Tourist Activities and Immigration was a ministry in the government of New South Wales, responsible for promoting New South Wales as a place to visit and encouraging migration through its offices in London, and for the management of government-owned resorts. It was created in 1946 and abolished in 1950.

## Role and responsibilities

A government agency responsible for tourism and immigration was first created in 1905, the Intelligence Department, whose duties were "designed to make the attractions and possibilities of the State better known at home and a abroad, and to promote settlement on the land and to encourage immigration". It was renamed the Immigration and Tourist Bureau in 1908. In 1919 the bureau was divided into two separate agencies, with immigration becoming the responsibility of the Minister for Labour and Industry while the Tourist Bureau was the responsibility of the Chief Secretary. In 1938 Management of the Tourist Bureau was transferred to the Department of Railways. The responsibilities of the Tourist Bureau were managing the tourist resorts at Jenolan Caves, Jenolan Caves House, Abercrombie Caves, Yarrangobilly Caves, Wombeyan Caves and Hotel Kosciusko. The also conducted tours and published promotional material on NSW tourist attractions.
The elevation of tourist activities to a ministerial level was controversial. The Premier William McKell stated that there was a need for a Minister to devote himself to these matters and that "It is becoming increasingly, recognised, not only here but throughout the world, that we have much to offer the tourist, but to take full advantage of our opportunities we must take active steps to organise the trade and provide the facilities required". The Sydney Morning Herald criticised the unnecessary cost of the portfolio, stating there was no justification for the new office as immigration was a commonwealth matter and the political sphere was the worst way to develop tourist activities.
The portfolio was abolished in the third McGirr ministry, with a new portfolio of immigration, while tourism ceased to be represented at a ministerial level until the fourth Cahill ministry in 1959.

## List of ministers
### Jobs

Minister for Employment was a title which existed beside Industrial Relations in the Wran and Unsworth ministries. Employment continued at a portfolio as part of composite portfolios until the Third Fahey ministry in 1995 when it was merged into the Industrial relations portfolio.
The portfolio was responsible for developing and managing job creation programs, to advise the government on the employment impacts of its policies and to analyse the labour market with particular interest in the effects of structural change and constraints in employment growth. Employment had not previously been represented in a portfolio.
The following individuals have served as Minister where Employment was one of the responsibilities in the portfolio:
| Title | Minister | Party | Ministry | Term start | Term end | Time in office |
| Minister for Employment | Laurie Brereton | Labor | Wran (6) | 10 February 1984 | 5 April 1984 | 55 days |
| Minister for Employment | Bob Debus | Labor | Wran (7) (8) | 5 April 1984 | 4 July 1986 | 2 years, 90 days |
| Minister for Employment Minister for Industrial Relations | Pat Hills | Labor | Unsworth | 4 July 1986 | 21 March 1988 | 1 year, 261 days |
| Minister for Industrial Relations and Employment | John Fahey | Liberal | Greiner (1) | 25 March 1988 | 24 July 1990 | 2 years, 121 days |
| Minister for Further Education, Training and Employment Minister for Industrial Relations | John Fahey | Liberal | Greiner (1) (2) Fahey (1) | 24 July 1990 | 3 July 1992 | 1 year, 345 days |
| Minister for Employment and Training | Virginia Chadwick | Liberal | Fahey (2) | 3 July 1992 | 26 May 1993 | 327 days |
| Minister for Industrial Relations and Employment | Kerry Chikarovski | Liberal | Fahey (3) | 26 May 1993 | 4 April 1995 | 1 year, 313 days |
| Minister for Jobs, Investment, Tourism and Western Sydney | Stuart Ayres | Liberal | Berejiklian | 2 April 2019 | 21 December 2021 | 2 years, 263 days |
| Minister for Jobs and Tourism | John Graham | Labor | Minns | 6 April 2023 | 17 March 2025 | 1 year, 346 days |
| Minister for Jobs and Tourism | Steve Kamper | Labor | Minns | 17 March 2025 | Incumbent | 1 day |

### Tourism

The following individuals have served as minister where tourism was one of the responsibilities in the portfolio:
| Title | Minister | Party | Ministry | Term start | Term end | Time in office |
| Minister in Charge of Tourist Activities and Immigration | Clive Evatt | Labor | McKell (2) | 9 May 1946 | 6 February 1947 | 273 days |
| Minister in Charge of Tourist Activities and Immigration | Frank Finnan | Labor | McGirr (1) (2) | 6 February 1947 | 9 March 1948 | 1 year, 32 days |
| Minister in Charge of Tourist Activities and Immigration | Claude Matthews | Labor | McGirr (2) | 9 March 1948 | 21 September 1949 | 1 year, 196 days |
| Minister in Charge of Tourist Activities and Immigration | Joshua Arthur | Labor | McGirr (2) | 21 September 1949 | 30 June 1950 | 282 days |
| Minister for Tourist Activities | Gus Kelly | Labor | Cahill (4) Heffron (1) (2) Renshaw | 1 April 1959 | 13 May 1965 | 6 years, 42 days |
| Minister for Tourist Activities | Eric Willis | Liberal | Askin (1) | 13 May 1965 | 5 March 1968 | 7 years, 37 days |
| Minister for Tourism | Eric Willis | Liberal | Askin (2) (3) (4) | 5 March 1968 | 11 March 1971 | 7 years, 37 days |
| Minister for Tourism and Sport | Eric Willis | Liberal | Askin (4) | 11 March 1971 | 19 June 1972 | 7 years, 37 days |
| Minister for Tourism | Tom Lewis | Liberal | Askin (4) (5) (6) | 19 June 1972 | 3 January 1975 | 2 years, 198 days |
| Minister for Tourism | Charles Cutler | National | Lewis (1) | 3 January 1975 | 16 December 1975 | 347 days |
| Minister for Tourism | Tim Bruxner | National | Lewis (2) | 17 December 1975 | 23 January 1976 | 37 days |
| Minister for Tourism | David Arblaster | Liberal | Willis | 23 January 1976 | 14 May 1976 | 112 days |
| Minister for Tourism | Ken Booth | Labor | Wran (1) (2) (3) | 14 May 1976 | 2 October 1981 | 5 years, 141 days |
| Minister for Tourism | Michael Cleary | Labor | Wran (4) | 2 October 1981 | 26 May 1982 | 6 years, 175 days |
| Minister for Leisure, Sport and Tourism | Michael Cleary | Labor | Wran (4) (5) | 26 May 1982 | 10 February 1984 | 6 years, 175 days |
| Minister for Tourism | Michael Cleary | Labor | Wran (6) (7) (8) Unsworth | 10 February 1984 | 25 March 1988 | 6 years, 175 days |
| Minister for Tourism | Garry West | National | Greiner (1) | 25 March 1988 | 6 June 1991 | 3 years, 73 days |
| Minister for Tourism | Michael Yabsley | Liberal | Greiner (2) | 6 June 1991 | 24 June 1992 | 1 year, 18 days |
| Minister for Tourism | Robert Webster | National | Fahey (1) | 24 June 1992 | 3 July 1992 | 9 days |
| Minister for Tourism | Bruce Baird | Liberal | Fahey (2) | 3 July 1992 | 26 May 1993 | 327 days |
| Minister for Tourism | Virginia Chadwick | Liberal | Fahey (3) | 26 May 1993 | 4 April 1995 | 1 year, 313 days |
| Minister for Tourism | Brian Langton | Labor | Carr (1) | 4 April 1995 | 1 December 1997 | 2 years, 241 days |
| Minister for Tourism | Bob Debus | Labor | Carr (2) | 1 December 1997 | 8 April 1999 | 1 year, 128 days |
| Minister for Tourism | Sandra Nori | Labor | Carr (3) | 8 April 1999 | 2 April 2003 | 7 years, 359 days |
| Minister for Tourism, Sport and Recreation | Sandra Nori | Labor | Carr (4) Iemma (1) | 2 April 2003 | 2 April 2007 | 7 years, 359 days |
| Minister for Tourism | Matt Brown | Labor | Iemma (2) | 2 April 2007 | 5 September 2008 | 1 year, 156 days |
| Minister for Tourism | Jodi McKay | Labor | Rees Keneally | 8 September 2008 | 28 March 2011 | 2 years, 201 days |
| Minister for Tourism, Major Events, Hospitality and Racing | George Souris | National | O'Farrell | 4 April 2011 | 23 April 2014 | 3 years, 19 days |
| Minister for Tourism and Major Events | Andrew Stoner | National | Baird (1) | 23 April 2014 | 17 October 2014 | 177 days |
| Minister for Tourism and Major Events | Troy Grant | National | Baird (1) | 17 October 2014 | 2 April 2015 | 167 days |
| Minister for Trade, Tourism and Major Events | Stuart Ayres | Liberal | Baird (2) | 2 April 2015 | 30 January 2017 | 1 year, 303 days |
| Minister for Tourism and Major Events | Adam Marshall | National | Berejiklian (1) | 30 January 2017 | 23 March 2019 | 2 years, 52 days |
| Minister for Jobs, Investment, Tourism and Western Sydney | Stuart Ayres | Liberal | Berejiklian (2) Perrottet (1) | 2 April 2019 | 21 December 2021 | 3 years, 123 days |
| Minister for Tourism and Sport | Stuart Ayres | Liberal | Perrottet (2) | 21 December 2021 | 3 August 2022 | 3 years, 123 days |
| Minister for Tourism | Ben Franklin | National | Perrottet (2) | 5 August 2022 | 28 March 2023 | 235 days |
| Minister for the Arts | John Graham | Labor | Minns | 28 March 2023 | 6 April 2023 | 1 year, 355 days |
| Minister for Jobs and Tourism | John Graham | Labor | Minns | 6 April 2023 | 17 March 2025 | 1 year, 355 days |
| Minister for Jobs and Tourism | Steve Kamper | Labor | Minns | 17 March 2025 | Incumbent | 1 day |

## Former ministerial titles
### Major events

The Minister for Major Events was a ministry first established in 2010 in the Keneally ministry and combined with Tourism and Gaming and Racing in the O'Farrell ministry. Major Events was abolished as a portfolio title in the second Berejiklian ministry.
The first minister with specific responsibility for a major event was Michael Knight as the Minister for Olympics, following the success of the Sydney bid to host the 2000 Summer Olympics. The minister concurrently held the portfolios of Public Works and Services and Roads and was closely linked to the provisions of buildings and infrastructure for the event.
The portfolio of Major Events was not responsible for a department, nor any legislation, with the Major Events Act 2009 remaining the responsibility of the Premier. The first minister, Ian Macdonald, also held the portfolios of State and Regional Development, Mineral and Forest Resources, and Central Coast. In 2011 the portfolio was absorbed by the new portfolio of Tourism, Major Events, Hospitality and Racing and remained a named part of portfolios until 2019 when it became part of the portfolio of Jobs, Investment, Tourism and Western Sydney.
The following individuals have served as minister before major events was combined with tourism:
| Title | Minister | Party | Ministry | Term start | Term end | Time in office |
| Minister for the Olympics | Michael Knight | Labor | Carr (1) | 4 April 1995 | 12 January 2001 | 5 years, 283 days |
| Minister for Major Events | Ian Macdonald | Labor | Keneally | 11 March 2010 | 5 June 2010 | 86 days |
| Minister for Major Events | Kevin Greene | Labor | Keneally | 5 June 2010 | 28 March 2011 | 296 days |
| Minister for Tourism, Major Events, Hospitality and Racing | George Souris | National | O'Farrell | 4 April 2011 | 23 April 2014 | 3 years, 19 days |
| Minister for Tourism and Major Events | Andrew Stoner | National | Baird (1) | 23 April 2014 | 17 October 2014 | 177 days |
| Minister for Tourism and Major Events | Troy Grant | National | Baird (1) | 17 October 2014 | 2 April 2015 | 167 days |
| Minister for Trade, Tourism and Major Events | Stuart Ayres | Liberal | Baird (2) | 2 April 2015 | 30 January 2017 | 1 year, 303 days |
| Minister for Tourism and Major Events | Adam Marshall | National | Berejiklian (1) | 30 January 2017 | 23 March 2019 | 2 years, 52 days |

### Assistant ministers

| Title | Minister | Party | Party | Ministry | Term start | Term end | Time in office | Notes |
| Assistant Minister for Tourism and Major Events | Katrina Hodgkinson | | National | O'Farrell | 23 April 2014 | 17 October 2014 | 177 days | |
| Minister for Regional Tourism | John Barilaro | | National | Baird (1) | 17 October 2014 | 2 April 2015 | 167 days | |