Minister for the Environment (New South Wales)

"Minister for Environment and Heritage" redirects here. For the heritage ministerial portfolio in the New South Wales Government, see Minister for Heritage (New South Wales).

The New South Wales Minister for the Environment is minister in the Government of New South Wales with responsibilities which included environmental regulation and policy, national parks, and the conservation and protection of built and environmental heritage in New South Wales, Australia.^[1] The current minister, since 28 March 2023, is Penny Sharpe.

Minister for the Environment
Incumbent Penny Sharpe since 28 March 2023 (2023-03-28)
Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water
Style	The Honourable
Appointer	Governor of New South Wales
Inaugural holder	Jack Beale (as Minister for Environmental Control) Bill Dunn (as Minister for Conservation)
Formation	1971 (Environmental Control) 1944 (Conservation)

Between the 2019 state election and December 2021, the ministerial post was merged with the Energy and Utilities portfolio to create the Minister for Energy and Environment.^[2][3] Between December 2021 and March 2023, the environment ministerial post was combined with heritage to create the title of Minister for the Environment and Heritage.

The minister administers the portfolio through the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water and a range of other government agencies.

Ultimately, the minister is responsible to the Parliament of New South Wales.

List of ministers

Environment

Ministerial title	Minister [1]	Party		Ministry	Term start	Term end	Time in office	Notes
Minister for Environmental Control	Jack Beale		Liberal	Askin (4) (5)	11 March 1971	3 December 1973	2 years, 267 days
Minister for Planning and Environment	Sir John Fuller		Country	Askin (6)	3 December 1973	14 May 1976	2 years, 163 days
Minister for Environment	Bill Crabtree		Labor	Wran (1)	14 May 1976	9 August 1976	87 days
Minister for Planning and Environment	Paul Landa			Wran (1) (2)	9 August 1976	29 February 1980	3 years, 204 days
	Eric Bedford			Wran (3) (4) (5)	29 February 1980	10 February 1984	3 years, 347 days
	Terry Sheahan			Wran (6)	10 February 1984	12 December 1984	306 days
	Bob Carr			Wran (7) (8) Unsworth	12 December 1984	21 March 1988	3 years, 100 days
Minister for the Environment	Tim Moore		Liberal	Greiner (1) (2)	25 March 1988	24 June 1992	4 years, 91 days
	Bruce Baird			Fahey (1)	24 June 1992	3 July 1992	9 days
	Chris Hartcher			Fahey (2) (3)	3 July 1992	4 April 1995	2 years, 275 days
	Pam Allan		Labor	Carr (1) (2)	4 April 1995	8 April 1999	4 years, 4 days
	Bob Debus			Carr (3) (4) Iemma (1)	8 April 1999	2 April 2007	7 years, 359 days
Minister for Climate Change, Environment and Water	Phil Koperberg			Iemma (2)	2 April 2007	27 February 2008	331 days
Minister for Climate Change and the Environment	Verity Firth			Iemma (2)	27 February 2008	5 September 2008	191 days
	Carmel Tebbutt			Rees	8 September 2008	14 September 2009	1 year, 6 days
	John Robertson				14 September 2009	4 December 2009	81 days
	Frank Sartor			Keneally	8 December 2009	28 March 2011	1 year, 110 days
Minister for the Environment	Robyn Parker		Liberal	O'Farrell	3 April 2011	23 April 2014	3 years, 20 days
	Rob Stokes			Baird (1)	23 April 2014	2 April 2015	344 days
	Mark Speakman			Baird (2)	2 April 2015	30 January 2017	1 year, 303 days
	Gabrielle Upton			Berejiklian (1)	30 January 2017	23 March 2019	2 years, 52 days
Minister for Energy and Environment	Matt Kean			Berejiklian (2) Perrottet (1)	2 April 2019	21 December 2021	2 years, 263 days	[2]
Minister for Environment and Heritage	James Griffin			Perrottet (2)	21 December 2021	28 March 2023	1 year, 97 days	[4]
Minister for the Environment	Penny Sharpe		Labor	Minns	28 March 2023	incumbent	1 year, 220 days

Climate Change

Minister for Climate Change
Incumbent Penny Sharpe since 28 March 2023 (2023-03-28)
Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water
Style	The Honourable
Appointer	Governor of New South Wales
Inaugural holder	Phil Koperberg (as Minister for Climate Change, Environment and Water)
Formation	2007

Ministerial title	Minister [1]	Party		Ministry	Term start	Term end	Time in office	Notes
Minister for Climate Change, Environment and Water	Phil Koperberg		Labor	Iemma (2)	2 April 2007	27 February 2008	331 days
Minister for Climate Change and the Environment	Verity Firth			Iemma (2)	27 February 2008	5 September 2008	191 days
	Carmel Tebbutt			Rees	8 September 2008	14 September 2009	1 year, 6 days
	John Robertson				14 September 2009	4 December 2009	81 days
	Frank Sartor			Keneally	8 December 2009	28 March 2011	1 year, 110 days
Minister for Climate Change	Penny Sharpe		Labor	Minns	28 March 2023	incumbent	1 year, 220 days

Former ministerial titles

Conservation

Ministerial title	Minister [1]	Party		Ministry	Term start	Term end	Time in office	Notes
Minister for Conservation	Bill Dunn		Labor	McKell (1)	8 June 1944	9 May 1946	1 year, 335 days
	George Weir			McKell (1) (2) McGirr (1) (2) (3)	9 May 1946	3 November 1952	6 years, 178 days
	George Enticknap			McGirr (3) Cahill (1) (2)	3 November 1952	15 March 1956	3 years, 133 days
	Ernest Wetherell			Cahill (3) (4) Heffron (1)	15 March 1956	31 May 1960	4 years, 77 days
	George Enticknap			Heffron (1) (2) Renshaw	31 May 1960	13 May 1965	4 years, 347 days
	Jack Beale		Liberal	Askin (1) (2) (3)	13 May 1965	11 March 1971	5 years, 302 days
	Wal Fife			Askin (4)	11 March 1971	19 June 1972	1 year, 100 days
	George Freudenstein		Country	Askin (4) (5) (6)	19 June 1972	3 January 1975	2 years, 198 days
Minister for Conservation	Lin Gordon		Labor	Wran (1) (2)	14 May 1976	29 February 1980	3 years, 291 days
Minister for Conservation and Land Management	Garry West		National	Greiner (1) (2) Fahey (1) (2)	6 June 1991	26 May 1993	1 year, 354 days
Minister for Land and Water Conservation	George Souris			Fahey (3)	26 May 1993	4 April 1995	1 year, 313 days
	Kim Yeadon		Labor	Carr (1)	4 April 1995	1 December 1997	2 years, 241 days
	Richard Amery				1 December 1997	21 November 2001	3 years, 355 days
	John Aquilina			Carr (2) (3)	21 November 2001	2 April 2003	1 year, 132 days

References

1. "Part 6 Ministries since 1856" (PDF). NSW Parliamentary Record. Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 25 March 2021.
2. "Administrative Arrangements (Administrative Changes—Public Service Agencies) Order 2019 [NSW] (159)" (PDF). Government Gazette of the State of New South Wales. 2 April 2019. p. 7-8. Retrieved 4 April 2019.
3. "Government Notices (30)" (PDF). Government Gazette of the State of New South Wales. 2 April 2019. p. 1088-1090. Retrieved 3 April 2019.
4. "Parliament, Ministerial, Courts and Police (662)" (PDF). Government Gazette of the State of New South Wales. 21 December 2021.

External links

• Office of Environment and Heritage