Minister for Ports and Waterways (New South Wales)

The Minister for Ports was a ministry first established in 1975 in the Coalition Lewis–Cutler ministry and abolished in 2011. It has had three incarnations and was renamed as the Minister for Ports and Waterways in the First Iemma ministry in 2005. In 2011 the portfolio was merged with that of Roads to form the portfolio of Roads and Ports.[1]

Minister for Ports and Waterways of New South Wales
Minister Paul McLeay (2009–2010)
AppointerGovernor of New South Wales
PrecursorMinister for Public Works
Formation3 January 1975
First holderLeon Punch
Final holderEric Roozendaal
Abolished28 March 2011

Role and responsibilities

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Ports had previously been a responsibility of the Minister for Public Works and both portfolios were held by the same minister for the first nine years until 1984. The Minister was responsible for the investigation, planning, design, construction and maintenance of port facilities (except fishing, tourist and recreational facilities), port operation and vessel operations. By 1979 the minister’s responsibilities were drawn together in the Maritime Services Board. From the seventh Wran ministry in 1984 until the Unsworth ministry in 1987 the responsibility for ports was combined with the portfolio for public works.[2] The Minister was responsible for the co-ordination of two major organisations and various statutory bodies, administered via numerous Acts, including the Public Works Act, 1912 , Maritime Services Act, 1935, Navigation Act, 1901 , Sydney Harbour Trust Act, 1900 and New Darling Harbour Act, 1984. Other legislation covered water supply administration; land acquisition; engineering and ship building; construction materials production, supply and distribution (bricks, tiles); prevention of pollution within ports; wharfage and tonnage rates. The main agencies administered by the portfolio were the Department of Public Works and Maritime Services Board. Statutory bodies included the Board of Architects of NSW; Light, Heat and Power Committee; State Dockyard; various port advisory committees, water supply boards and drainage unions/trusts. The portfolio ceased when Laurie Brereton resigned on 26 November 1987. Public Works became a separate portfolio and the Minister for Transport took on the responsibility for Ports.[3]

Ports became a separate Ministry again in the third Fahey ministry. The minister took responsibility for the Maritime Services Board (later the various Waterways Authorities) and a number of statutory bodies. The portfolio was abolished in the third Carr ministry and absorbed by Transport.[4]

The portfolio of Ports had a third incarnation following a re-shuffle of the fourth Carr ministry in 2005 and the title was changed to Ports and Waterways in the First Iemma ministry in August 2005. The portfolio was abolished in the O'Farrell ministry in 2011 when it was combined with Roads to form the portfolio of Roads and Ports.[5]

List of ministers

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Title Minister [1] Party Ministry Term start Term end Time in office Notes
Minister for Ports
Minister for Public Works
Leon Punch   Country Lewis (1) (2) 3 January 1975 14 May 1976 1 year, 132 days
Jack Ferguson   Labor Wran (1) (2) (3) (4) 14 May 1976 10 February 1984 7 years, 272 days
Minister for Ports Lin Gordon Wran (5) (6) 10 February 1984 5 April 1984 55 days
Minister for Public Works and Ports Laurie Brereton Wran (7) (8)
Unsworth
5 April 1984 26 November 1987 3 years, 235 days
Minister for Ports Ian Armstrong   National Fahey (3) 26 May 1993 4 April 1995 1 year, 313 days
Carl Scully   Labor Carr (1) 4 April 1995 1 December 1997 2 years, 241 days
Kim Yeadon Carr (2) 1 December 1997 8 April 1999 1 year, 128 days
Minister for Ports Michael Costa   Labor Carr (4) 21 January 2005 3 August 2005 194 days
Minister for Ports and Waterways Iemma (1) 3 August 2005 10 August 2005 7 days
Eric Roozendaal 10 August 2005 17 February 2006 191 days
Joe Tripodi Iemma (1) (2)
Rees
17 February 2006 17 November 2009 3 years, 273 days
Paul McLeay Rees
Keneally
8 December 2009 1 September 2010 267 days
Eric Roozendaal Keneally 6 September 2010 28 March 2011 203 days
Minister for Roads and Ports Duncan Gay   National O'Farrell 4 April 2011 23 April 2014 3 years, 19 days [6]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Part 6 Ministries since 1856" (PDF). NSW Parliamentary Record. Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 28 December 2020.
  2. ^ "PFO-143 Ports [I]". NSW State Records & Archives. Retrieved 4 November 2021.   This article incorporates text available under the CC BY 4.0 license.
  3. ^ "PFO-27 Public Works and Ports". NSW State Records & Archives. Retrieved 4 November 2021.   This article incorporates text available under the CC BY 4.0 license.
  4. ^ "PFO-144 Ports [II]". NSW State Records & Archives. Retrieved 4 November 2021.   This article incorporates text available under the CC BY 4.0 license.
  5. ^ "PFO-290 Ports [III] (1999-2005) Ports and Waterways (2005-2011)". NSW State Records & Archives. Retrieved 4 November 2021.   This article incorporates text available under the CC BY 4.0 license.
  6. ^ "The Hon. Duncan John Gay (1950 - )". Former members of the Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 2 April 2019.