# Minister for Families and Communities

The New South Wales Minister for Families and Communities is a minister of the Government of New South Wales with responsibility for social policy and welfare, including matters relating to ageing, disability, multiculturalism, and veterans' affairs, women's affairs and youth in the state of New South Wales, Australia. The portfolio is currently held by Kate Washington, who also holds the position of Minister for Disability Inclusion.
The Minister is assisted in the administration of her portfolio by the following ministers:
* Minister for Housing, Homelessness and Youth, currently Rose Jackson
* Minister for Seniors, Women and Prevention of Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault , currently Jodie Harrison
* Minister for Veterans, currently David Harris
Collectively the ministers administer the portfolio through the Stronger Communities cluster, in particular through the Department of Communities and Justice and a range of other government agencies.

## List of ministers

| Ministerial title | Minister | Party | Ministry | Term start | Term end | Time in office |
| Minister for Social Services | Herbert Hawkins | United Australia | Stevens (2) | 22 August 1935 | 13 October 1938 | 3 years, 52 days |
| Minister for Social Services | Athol Richardson | United Australia | Stevens (3) | 13 October 1938 | 5 August 1939 | 307 days |
| Minister for Labour and Industry and Social Services | Athol Richardson | United Australia | Stevens (3) | 5 August 1939 | 16 August 1939 | 307 days |
| Minister for Labour and Industry and Social Services | George Gollan | United Australia | Mair | 16 August 1939 | 16 May 1941 | 1 year, 273 days |
| Minister for Labour and Industry and Social Services | Hamilton Knight | Labor | McKell (1) (2) | 16 May 1941 | 6 February 1947 | 6 years, 166 days |
| Minister for Labour and Industry and Social Welfare | Hamilton Knight | Labor | McGirr (1) (2) | 6 February 1947 | 29 October 1947 | 6 years, 166 days |
| Minister for Labour and Industry and Social Welfare | Jack Baddeley | Labor | McGirr (2) | 29 October 1947 | 9 March 1948 | 132 days |
| Minister for Labour and Industry and Social Welfare | Frank Finnan | Labor | McGirr (2) | 9 March 1948 | 30 June 1950 | 4 years, 351 days |
| Minister for Social Welfare | Frank Finnan | Labor | McGirr (3) Cahill (1) | 30 June 1950 | 23 February 1953 | 4 years, 351 days |
| Minister for Social Welfare | Abe Landa | Labor | Cahill (2) | 23 February 1953 | 15 March 1956 | 3 years, 21 days |
| Minister for Social Welfare Minister for Child Welfare | Frank Hawkins | Labor | Cahill (3) (4) Heffron (1) (2) Renshaw | 15 March 1956 | 13 May 1965 | 9 years, 59 days |
| Minister for Social Welfare Minister for Child Welfare | Arthur Bridges | Liberal | Askin (1) (2) | 13 May 1965 | 22 May 1968 | 3 years, 9 days |
| Minister for Social Welfare Minister for Child Welfare | Harry Jago | Liberal | Askin (2) | 23 May 1968 | 3 September 1968 | 104 days |
| Minister for Social Welfare Minister for Child Welfare | Frederick Hewitt | Liberal | Askin (2) (3) | 3 September 1968 | 11 March 1971 | 2 years, 189 days |
| Minister for Social Welfare Minister for Child Welfare | John Waddy | Liberal | Askin (4) | 11 March 1971 | 17 January 1973 | 2 years, 267 days |
| Minister for Youth and Community Services | John Waddy | Liberal | Askin (5) | 17 January 1973 | 3 December 1973 | 2 years, 267 days |
| Minister for Youth and Community Services | Dick Healey | Liberal | Askin (6) | 3 December 1973 | 3 January 1975 | 1 year, 31 days |
| Minister for Youth, Ethnic and Community Affairs | Steve Mauger | Liberal | Lewis (1) (2) | 3 January 1975 | 23 January 1976 | 1 year, 20 days |
| Minister for Youth, Ethnic and Community Affairs | Jim Clough | Liberal | Willis | 23 January 1976 | 14 May 1976 | 112 days |
| Minister for Youth and Community Services | Rex Jackson | Labor | Wran (1) (2) (3) | 14 May 1976 | 2 October 1981 | 5 years, 141 days |
| Minister for Youth and Community Services | Kevin Stewart | Labor | Wran (4) | 2 October 1981 | 1 February 1983 | 1 year, 122 days |
| Minister for Youth and Community Services | Frank Walker | Labor | Wran (5) (6) (7) | 1 February 1983 | 6 February 1986 | 3 years, 5 days |
| Minister for Youth and Community Services | Peter Anderson | Labor | Wran (8) | 6 February 1986 | 4 July 1986 | 148 days |
| Minister for Youth and Community Services | John Aquilina | Labor | Unsworth | 4 July 1986 | 25 March 1988 | 1 year, 265 days |
| Minister for Family and Community Services | Virginia Chadwick | Liberal | Greiner (1) | 25 March 1988 | 24 July 1990 | 2 years, 121 days |
| Minister for Family and Community Services | Robert Webster | National | Greiner (1) | 24 July 1990 | 6 June 1991 | 317 days |
| Minister for Health and Community Services | John Hannaford | Liberal | Greiner (2) | 6 June 1991 | 24 June 1992 | 1 year, 18 days |
| Minister for Community Services | Jim Longley | Liberal | Fahey (1) (2) (3) | 24 June 1992 | 4 April 1995 | 2 years, 284 days |
| Minister for Community Services | Ron Dyer | Labor | Carr (1) | 4 April 1995 | 1 December 1997 | 2 years, 241 days |
| Minister for Community Services | Faye Lo Po' | Labor | Carr (2) (3) | 1 December 1997 | 2 April 2003 | 5 years, 122 days |
| Minister for Community Services | Carmel Tebbutt | Labor | Carr (4) | 2 April 2003 | 21 January 2005 | 1 year, 294 days |
| Minister for Community Services | Reba Meagher | Labor | Iemma (1) | 21 January 2005 | 2 April 2007 | 2 years, 71 days |
| Minister for Community Services | Kevin Greene | Labor | Iemma (2) | 2 April 2007 | 8 September 2008 | 1 year, 159 days |
| Minister for Community Services | Linda Burney | Labor | Rees Keneally | 8 September 2008 | 28 March 2011 | 2 years, 207 days |
| Minister for Family and Community Services | Pru Goward | Liberal | O'Farrell | 3 April 2011 | 23 April 2014 | 3 years, 20 days |
| Minister for Family and Community Services | Gabrielle Upton | Liberal | Baird (1) | 23 April 2014 | 2 April 2015 | 344 days |
| Minister for Family and Community Services | Brad Hazzard | Liberal | Baird (2) | 2 April 2015 | 30 January 2017 | 1 year, 303 days |
| Minister for Family and Community Services | Pru Goward | Liberal | Berejiklian (1) | 30 January 2017 (2017-01-30) | 26 March 2019 (2019-03-26) | 2 years, 55 days |
| Minister for Families, Communities and Disability Services | Gareth Ward | Liberal | Berejiklian (2) | 2 April 2019 (2019-04-02) | 14 May 2021 (2021-05-14) | 2 years, 42 days |
| Minister for Families, Communities and Disability Services | Alister Henskens | Liberal | Berejiklian (2) Perrottet (1) | 27 May 2021 (2021-05-27) | 21 December 2021 (2021-12-21) | 208 days |
| Minister for Families and Communities | Natasha Maclaren-Jones | Liberal | Perrottet (2) | 21 December 2021 (2021-12-21) | 5 April 2023 (2023-04-05) | 2 years, 293 days |
| Minister for Families and Communities | Kate Washington | Labor | Minns | 5 April 2023 | incumbent | 1 year, 187 days |

## Former ministerial title
### Social housing

| Ministerial title | Minister | Party | Party | Ministry | Term start | Term end | Time in office | Notes |
| Minister for Social Housing | Brad Hazzard | | Liberal | Baird (2) | 2 April 2015 | 30 January 2017 | 1 year, 303 days | |
| Minister for Social Housing | Pru Goward | | Liberal | Berejiklian (1) | 30 January 2017 | 23 March 2019 | 2 years, 52 days | |

### Volunteering

The Minister for Volunteering is a minister in the New South Wales Government with responsibility for volunteering in New South Wales. It was first established in 2007 in the Second Iemma ministry and was abolished in 2011 following the defeat of the Keneally ministry.
| Title | Minister | Party | Ministry | Term start | Term end | Time in office |
| Minister for Volunteering | Linda Burney | Labor | Iemma (2) | 2 April 2007 | 5 September 2008 | 1 year, 156 days |
| Minister for Volunteering | Graham West | Labor | Rees | 8 September 2008 | 4 December 2009 | 1 year, 87 days |
| Minister for Volunteering | Peter Primrose | Labor | Keneally | 4 December 2009 | 28 March 2011 | 1 year, 114 days |