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The Deceased Whitlam Ministers

A total of thirty-two men served as ministers in the Whitlam Governments between December 5, 1972 and November 11, 1975.

As of October 21, 2023, with the death of Bill Hayden, thirty of those men have died. Whitlam died on October 21, 2014, at the age of 98.

The table shows the names, portfolios, birth and death dates of all the deceased former ministers.

The Whitlam Ministries – Deceased Ministers
No. Name/Portfolios Seat Born Died Age
1.
Rex Connor
Minister for Minerals and Energy (19.12.72 – 14.10.75)
Cunningham, NSW (1963-77)
20.01.1907
22.08.1977
70
2.
Frank Stewart
Minister for Tourism and Recreation (19.12.72 – 11.11.75)
Vice President of Executive Council (30.11.73 – 11.11.75)
Lang, NSW (1953-77)
Grayndler, NSW (1977-79)
20.02.1923
16.04.1979
56
3.
Lionel Murphy
Attorney-General (19.12.72 – 10.02.75)
Minister for Customs and Excise (19.12.72 – 10.02.75)
Senator, NSW (1962-75)
31.08.1922
21.10.1986
64
4.
Jim Cavanagh
Minister for Works (19.12.72 – 09.10.73)
Minister for Aboriginal Affairs (09.10.73 – 06.06.75)
Minister for Police and Customs (06.06.74 – 11.11.75)
Senator, SA (1962-81)
21.06.1913
19.08.1990
77
5.
Gordon Bryant
Minister for Aboriginal Affairs (19.12.72 – 09.10.73)
Minister for the Capital Territory (09.10.73 – 11.11.75)
Wills, Vic (1955-80)
03.08.1914
14.01.1991
76
6.
Fred Daly
Minister for Services and Property (19.12.72 – 07.10.75)
Minister for Administrative Services (07.10.75 – 11.11.75)
Martin, NSW (1943-49)
Grayndler, NSW (1949-75)
13.06.1912
02.08.1995
83
7.
Lance Barnard
Deputy Prime Minister (05.12.72 – 12.06.74)
Minister for Defence (05.12.72 – 06.06.75)
Minister for Supply (05.12.72 – 30.11.73)
Minister for the Army (05.12.72 – 30.11.73)
Minister for the Navy (05.12.72 – 30.11.73)
Minister for Air (05.12.72 – 30.11.73)
Postmaster-General (05.12.72 – 19.12.72)
Minister for Labour and National Service (05.12.72 – 19.12.72)
Minister for Social Services (05.12.72 – 19.12.72)
Minister for Immigration (05.12.72 – 19.12.72)
Minister for the Interior (05.12.72 – 19.12.72)
Minister for Primary Industry (05.12.72 – 19.12.72)
Minister for Repatriation (05.12.72 – 19.12.72)
Minister for Health (05.12.72 – 19.12.72)
Minister for National Development (05.12.72 – 19.12.72)
Bass, Tas (1954-75)
01.05.1919
06.08.1997
78
8.
Jim McClelland
Minister for Manufacturing Industry (10.02.75 – 06.06.75)
Minister for Labour and Immigration (06.06.75 – 11.11.75)
Senator, NSW (1971-78)
03.06.1915
16.01.1999
83
9.
Reg Bishop
Minister for Repatriation (19.12.72 – 12.06.74)
Postmaster-General (12.06.74 – 11.11.75)
Senator, SA (1962-81)
04.02.1913
03.07.1999
86
10.
Charles Jones
Minister for Transport (19.12.72 – 11.11.75)
Minister for Civil Aviation (19.12.72 – 30.11.73)
Newcastle, NSW (1958-83)
12.09.1917
07.08.2003
85
11.
Don Willesee
Vice President of Executive Council (19.12.72 – 30.11.73)
Special Minister of State (19.12.72 – 12.06.74)
Minister for Foreign Affairs (06.11.73 – 11.11.75)
Senator, WA (1950-75)
14.04.1916
09.09.2003
87
12.
Jim Cairns
Minister for Secondary Industry (19.12.72 – 09.10.73)
Minister for Overseas Trade (19.12.72 – 11.12.74)
Deputy Prime Minister (12.06.74 – 02.07.75)
Treasurer (11.12.74 – 06.06.75)
Minister for Environment (06.06.75 – 02.07.75)
Yarra, Vic (1955-69)
Lalor, Vic (1969-77)
04.10.1914
12.10.2003
89
13.
Al Grassby
Minister for Immigration (19.12.72 – 12.06.74)
Riverina, NSW (1969-74)
12.07.1926
23.04.2005
78
14.
John Wheeldon
Minister for Repatriation and Compensation (12.06.74 – 11.11.75)
Minister for Social Security (06.06.75 – 11.11.75)
Senator, WA (1965-81)
09.08.1929
24.05.2006
76
15.
Kim Beazley (snr)
Minister for Education (19.12.72 – 11.11.75)
Fremantle, WA (1945-77)
30.09.1917
12.10.2007
90
16.
Clyde Cameron
Minister for Labour (19.12.72 – 12.06.74)
Minister for Labour and Immigration (12.06.74 – 06.06.75)
Minister for Science and Consumer Affairs (06.06.75 – 11.11.75)
Hindmarsh, SA (1949-80)
11.02.1913
14.03.2008
95
17.
Frank Crean
Treasurer (19.12.72 – 11.12.74)
Minister for Overseas Trade (11.12.74 – 11.11.75)
Deputy Prime Minister (14.07.75 – 11.11.75)
Melbourne Ports, Vic (1951-77)
28.02.1916
02.12.2008
92
18.
Ken Wriedt
Minister for Primary Industry (19.12.72 – 12.06.74)
Minister for Agriculture (12.06.74 – 21.10.75)
Minister for Minerals and Energy (14.10.75 – 11.11.75)
Senator, Tas (1968-80)
11.07.1927
17.10.2010
83
19.
Lionel Bowen
Postmaster-General (19.12.72 – 12.06.74)
Special Minister of State (30.11.73 – 06.06.75)
Minister Assisting the Prime Minister (30.11.73 – 12.06.74)
Minister Assisting the Prime Minister in matters relating to the Public Service (12.06.74 – 06.06.75)
Minister for Manufacturing Industry (06.06.75 – 11.11.75)
Kingsford-Smith, NSW (1969-90)
28.12.1922
01.04.2012
89
20.
Joe Riordan
Minister for Housing and Construction (06.06.75 – 11.11.75)
Phillip, NSW (1972-75)
27.02.1930
18.11.2012
82
21.
Bill Morrison
Minister for Science (19.12.72 – 06.06.75)
Minister for External Territories (19.12.72 – 30.11.73)
Minister assisting the Minister for Foreign Affairs in matters relating to Papua New Guinea (30.11.1973 – 06.06.75)
Minister for Science and Consumer Affairs (06.06.75 – 06.06.75)
Minister Assisting the Minister for Foreign Affairs in matters relating to the Islands of the Pacific (06.06.75 – 11.11.75)
Minister Assisting the Minister for Defence (06-06-75 – 06-06-75)
Minister for Defence (06.06.75 – 11.11.75)
St George, NSW (1969-75)
St George, NSW (1980-84)
03.11.1928
14.02.2013
84
22.
Gough Whitlam
Prime Minister (05.12.72 – 11.11.75)
Minister for Foreign Affairs (05.12.72 – 06.11.73)
Treasurer (05.12.72 – 19.12-72)
Attorney-General (05.12.72 – 19.12-72)
Minister for Customs and Excise (05.12.72 – 19.12-72)
Minister for Trade and Industry (05.12.72 – 19.12-72)
Minister for Shipping and Transport (05.12.72 – 19.12-72)
Minister for Education and Science (05.12.72 – 19.12-72)
Minister for Civil Aviation (05.12.72 – 19.12-72)
Minister for Housing (05.12.72 – 19.12-72)
Minister for Works (05.12.72 – 19.12-72)
Minister for External Territories (05.12.72 – 19.12-72)
Minister for the Environment, Aborigines and the Arts (05.12.72 – 19.12-72)
Minister for Environment (02.07.75 – 14.07.75)
Werriwa, NSW (1952-78)
11.07.1916
21.10.2014
98
23.
Kep Enderby
Minister for the Capital Territory (19.12.72 – 09.10.73)
Minister for the Northern Territory (19.12.72 – 19.10.73)
Minister for Supply (09.10.73 – 12.06.74)
Minister for Secondary Industry (09.10.73 – 12.06.74)
Minister for Manufacturing Industry (12.06.74 – 10.02.75)
Attorney-General (10.02.75 – 11.11.75)
Minister for Customs and Excise (10.02.75 – 27.03.75)
Minister for Police and Customs (27.03.75 – 06.06.75)
Australian Capital Territory (1970-74)
Canberra, ACT (1974-75)
25.06.1926
08.01.2015
88
24.
Tom Uren
Minister for Urban and Regional Development (19.12.72 – 11.11.75)
Reid, NSW (1958-90)
28.05.1921
26.01.2015
93
25.
Les Johnson
Minister for Housing (19.12.72 – 30.11.73)
Minister for Works (09.10.73 – 30.11.73)
Minister for Housing and Construction (30.11.73 – 06.06.75)
Minister for Aboriginal Affairs (06.06.75 – 11.11.75)
Hughes, NSW (1955-66)
Hughes, NSW (1969-83)
22.11.1924
26.05.2015
90
26.
Rex Patterson
Minister for Northern Development (19.12.72 – 11.11.75)
Minister for the Northern Territory (19.10.73 – 06.06.75)
Minister for Northern Australia (06.06.75 – 21.10.75)
Minister for Agriculture (21.10.75 – 11.11.75)
Dawson, Qld (1966-75)
08.01.1927
13.04.2016
89
27.
Doug Everingham
Minister for Health (19.12.72 – 11.11.75)
Capricornia, Qld (1967-75)
Capricornia, Qld (1977-84)
25.06.1923
24.08.2017
94
28.
Joe Berinson
Minister for Environment (14.07.75 – 11.11.75)
Perth, WA (1969-75)
07.01.1932
02.06.2018
86
29.
Moss Cass
Minister for the Environment and Conservation (19.12-72 – 21.04.75)
Minister for Environment (21.04.75 – 06.06.75)
Minister for the Media (06.06.75 – 11.11.75)
Maribyrnong, Vic (1969-83)
18.02.1927
26.02.2022
95
30.
Bill Hayden
Minister for Social Security (19.12.72 – 06.06.75)
Treasurer (06.06.75 – 11.11.75)
Oxley, Qld (1961-88)
23.01.1933
21.10.2023
90

 

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