# Minister for Industrial Relations (New South Wales)

The Minister for Industrial Relations is a Minister of the Crown in the Government of New South Wales who has responsibilities for matters relating to industrial and labour laws and regulation in the state of New South Wales, Australia. The portfolio was established in 1895 in the Reid ministry and titled Minister for Labour and Industry, held in conjunction with the Minister of Public Instruction. The minister is responsible for assisting the Premier and the Treasurer in the administration of their respective clusters.
Ultimately the Minister is responsible to the Parliament of New South Wales.

## History

The 1890s in New South Wales were a period of depression, with soaring unemployment and poverty, accompanied by industrial disputes and strikes, such as the bitter and prolonged 1890 Australian maritime dispute, the 1891 and 1894 shearers' strikes and the 1892 Broken Hill miners' strike.The Government Labour Bureau was established in February 1892 in response to the soaring unemployment and poverty brought on by the depression, with its principal tasks being in finding work for the unemployed and assisting families. There was also a legislative response, such as Trade Disputes Conciliation and Arbitration Act 1892, Apprentices Act 1894, and the Factories and Shops Act 1896.
The portfolio was established to be responsible for industrial registration, safety in the workplace, and the labour exchange, including the Government Labour Bureau.
Industrial relations in NSW was affected by the WorkChoices legislation and the Fair Work Act, which saw the Commonwealth assume responsibility for private sector employment matters. In 2017 Industrial Relations came within The Treasury and 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. At the time of its abolition, the minister was Dominic Perrottet, who was also the Treasurer, since 30 January 2017.
The ministry was reestablished in December 2021.

## List of ministers

| Minister | Party | Ministerial title | Term start | Term end | Time in office |
| Jacob Garrard | Free Trade | Minister of Public Instruction Minister for Labour and Industry | 11 March 1895 | 15 August 1898 | 3 years, 157 days |
| James Hogue | Free Trade | Minister of Public Instruction Minister for Labour and Industry | 27 August 1898 | 13 September 1899 | 1 year, 17 days |
| John Perry | Protectionist | Minister of Public Instruction Minister for Labour and Industry | 14 September 1899 | 27 March 1901 | 4 years, 274 days |
| John Perry | Progressive | Minister of Public Instruction Minister for Labour and Industry | 28 March 1901 | 14 June 1904 | 4 years, 274 days |
| John Fegan | Progressive | Minister of Public Instruction Minister for Labour and Industry | 17 June 1904 | 29 August 1904 | 73 days |
| Broughton O'Conor | Liberal Reform | Minister of Public Instruction Minister for Labour and Industry | 29 August 1904 | 13 May 1907 | 2 years, 257 days |
| James Hogue | Liberal Reform | Minister of Public Instruction Minister for Labour and Industry | 14 May 1907 | 1 October 1907 | 140 days |
| William Wood | Liberal Reform | Minister for Labour and Industry | 2 October 1907 | 21 January 1908 | 111 days |
| James Hogue | Liberal Reform | Minister for Labour and Industry | 22 January 1908 | 20 October 1910 | 2 years, 271 days |
| George Beeby | Labor | Minister for Labour and Industry | 21 October 1910 | 10 September 1911 | 324 days |
| Campbell Carmichael | Labor | Minister for Labour and Industry | 11 September 1911 | 26 November 1911 | 76 days |
| George Beeby | Labor | Minister for Labour and Industry | 27 November 1911 | 9 December 1912 | 1 year, 12 days |
| Campbell Carmichael | Labor | Minister for Labour and Industry | 10 December 1912 | 29 June 1913 | 201 days |
| James McGowen | Labor | Minister for Labour and Industry | 30 June 1913 | 29 January 1914 | 213 days |
| John Estell | Labor | Minister for Labour and Industry | 29 January 1914 | 31 October 1916 | 2 years, 276 days |
| Henry Hoyle | Labor | Minister for Labour and Industry | 31 October 1916 | 15 November 1916 | 15 days |
| George Beeby | Nationalist | Minister for Labour and Industry | 15 November 1916 | 23 July 1919 | 2 years, 250 days |
| Augustus James | Nationalist | Minister for Labour and Industry | 23 July 1919 | 12 April 1920 | 264 days |
| George Cann | Labor | Minister for Labour and Industry | 12 April 1920 | 10 October 1921 | 1 year, 181 days |
| Greg McGirr | Labor | Minister for Labour | 10 October 1921 | 20 December 1921 | 71 days |
| Thomas Ley | Nationalist | Minister of Public Instruction and Labour and Industry | 20 December 1921 | 20 December 1921 | 7 hours |
| Edward Kavanagh | Labor | Minister for Labour | 20 December 1921 | 13 April 1922 | 114 days |
| Ernest Farrar | Nationalist | Minister for Labour and Industry | 13 April 1922 | 17 June 1925 | 3 years, 65 days |
| Jack Baddeley | Labor | Minister for Labour and Industry | 17 June 1925 | 18 October 1927 | 2 years, 123 days |
| Ernest Farrar | Nationalist | Minister for Labour and Industry | 18 October 1927 | 3 November 1930 | 3 years, 16 days |
| Jack Baddeley | Labor | Minister for Labour and Industry | 4 November 1930 | 15 October 1931 | 345 days |
| Jack Baddeley | Labor (NSW) | Minister for Labour and Industry | 15 October 1931 | 13 May 1932 | 211 days |
| John Dunningham | Nationalist | Minister for Labour and Industry | 16 May 1932 | 26 May 1938 | 6 years, 10 days |
| Alexander Mair | Nationalist | Minister for Labour and Industry | 1 June 1938 | 13 October 1938 | 134 days |
| Herbert Hawkins | Nationalist | Minister for Labour and Industry | 13 October 1938 | 16 June 1939 | 246 days |
| Athol Richardson | Nationalist | Minister for Labour and Industry | 26 June 1939 | 5 August 1939 | 51 days |
| Athol Richardson | Nationalist | Minister for Labour and Industry and Social Services | 5 August 1939 | 16 August 1939 | 51 days |
| George Gollan | Nationalist | Minister for Labour and Industry and Social Services | 16 August 1939 | 16 May 1941 | 1 year, 273 days |
| Hamilton Knight | Labor | Minister for Labour and Industry and Social Services | 16 May 1941 | 6 February 1947 | 5 years, 266 days |
| Hamilton Knight | Labor | Minister for Labour and Industry and Social Welfare | 6 February 1947 | 29 October 1947 | 5 years, 266 days |
| Jack Baddeley | Labor | Minister for Labour and Industry and Social Welfare | 29 October 1947 | 9 March 1948 | 132 days |
| Frank Finnan | Labor | Minister for Labour and Industry and Social Welfare | 9 March 1948 | 30 June 1950 | 4 years, 351 days |
| Frank Finnan | Labor | Minister for Labour and Industry | 30 June 1950 | 23 February 1953 | 4 years, 351 days |
| Abe Landa | Labor | Minister for Labour and Industry | 23 February 1953 | 15 March 1956 | 3 years, 21 days |
| Jim Maloney | Labor | Minister for Labour and Industry | 15 March 1956 | 13 May 1965 | 9 years, 59 days |
| Eric Willis | Liberal | Minister for Labour and Industry | 13 May 1965 | 11 March 1971 | 5 years, 302 days |
| Frederick Hewitt | Liberal | Minister for Labour and Industry | 11 March 1971 | 14 May 1976 | 5 years, 64 days |
| Paul Landa | Labor | Minister for Industrial Relations | 14 May 1976 | 9 August 1976 | 87 days |
| Pat Hills | Labor | Minister for Industrial Relations | 9 August 1976 | 4 July 1986 | 11 years, 225 days |
| Pat Hills | Labor | Minister for Industrial Relations Minister for Employment | 4 July 1986 | 21 March 1988 | 11 years, 225 days |
| John Fahey | Liberal | Minister for Industrial Relations and Employment | 25 March 1988 | 24 July 1990 | 4 years, 100 days |
| John Fahey | Liberal | Minister for Industrial Relations Minister for Further Education, Training and Employment | 24 July 1990 | 3 July 1992 | 4 years, 100 days |
| John Hannaford | Liberal | Minister for Industrial Relations | 3 July 1992 | 26 May 1993 | 327 days |
| Kerry Chikarovski | Liberal | Minister for Industrial Relations and Employment | 26 May 1993 | 4 April 1995 | 1 year, 313 days |
| Jeff Shaw | Labor | Minister for Industrial Relations | 4 April 1995 | 28 June 2000 | 6 years, 85 days |
| John Della Bosca | Labor | Minister for Industrial Relations | 28 June 2000 | 13 June 2008 | 7 years, 351 days |
| Eric Roozendaal | Labor | Minister for Industrial Relations | 13 June 2008 | 8 September 2008 | 87 days |
| Tony Kelly | Labor | Minister for Industrial Relations | 8 September 2008 | 11 September 2008 | 2 days |
| John Hatzistergos | Labor | Minister for Industrial Relations | 11 September 2008 | 8 December 2009 | 1 year, 88 days |
| John Robertson | Labor | Minister for Industrial Relations | 8 December 2009 | 21 May 2010 | 164 days |
| Paul Lynch | Labor | Minister for Industrial Relations | 21 May 2010 | 28 March 2011 | 311 days |
| Mike Baird | Liberal | Minister for Industrial Relations | 12 September 2012 | 17 April 2014 | 1 year, 217 days |
| Mike Gallacher | Liberal | Minister for Industrial Relations | 23 April 2014 | 7 May 2014 | 14 days |
| Andrew Constance | Liberal | Minister for Industrial Relations | 7 May 2014 | 2 April 2015 | 330 days |
| Gladys Berejiklian | Liberal | Minister for Industrial Relations | 2 April 2015 | 30 January 2017 | 1 year, 303 days |
| Dominic Perrottet | Liberal | Minister for Industrial Relations | 30 January 2017 | 23 March 2019 | 2 years, 52 days |
| Don Harwin | Liberal | Minister for the Public Service and Employee Relations, Aboriginal Affairs, and the Arts | 2 April 2019 | 15 April 2020 | 1 year, 13 days |
| Gladys Berejiklian (acting) | Liberal | Minister for the Public Service and Employee Relations, Aboriginal Affairs, and the Arts | 15 April 2020 | 3 July 2020 | 79 days |
| Don Harwin | Liberal | Minister for the Public Service and Employee Relations, Aboriginal Affairs, and the Arts | 3 July 2020 | 21 December 2021 | 1 year, 171 days |
| Damien Tudehope | Liberal | Minister for Employee Relations | 21 December 2021 | 23 February 2023 | 1 year, 64 days |
| Dominic Perrottet | Liberal | Minister for Employee Relations | 23 February 2023 | 28 March 2023 | 33 days |
| Daniel Mookhey | Labor | Minister for the Gig Economy | 28 March 2023 | 5 April 2023 | 8 days |
| Sophie Cotsis | Labor | Minister for Industrial Relations | 5 April 2023 | incumbent | 1 year, 187 days |