Treasurer of Australia


The Treasurer of Australia is the minister in the Government of Australia responsible for government expenditure and for collecting revenue. The Treasurer plays a key role in the economic policy of the government. The current Australian Treasurer is Josh Frydenberg whose term began on 24 August 2018.
The Treasurer implements ministerial powers through the Department of the Treasury and a range of other government agencies. According to constitutional convention, the Treasurer is always a member of the Parliament of Australia with a seat in the House of Representatives. The office is generally seen as equivalent to the Chancellor of the Exchequer in the United Kingdom or the Secretary of the Treasury in the United States or, in some other countries, the finance minister. It is one of only four ministerial positions that have existed since Federation.

Duties and importance

The Treasurer is the minister in charge of government revenue and expenditure. The Treasurer oversees economic policy: fiscal policy is within the Treasurer's direct responsibility, while monetary policy is implemented by the politically independent Reserve Bank of Australia, the head of which is appointed by the Treasurer. The Treasurer also oversees financial regulation. Each year in May, the Treasurer presents the Federal Budget to the Parliament.
The Prime Minister and Treasurer are traditionally members of the House, but the Constitution does not have such a requirement.
The Treasurer is a very senior government post, usually ranking second or third in Cabinet. Historically, many Treasurers have previously, concurrently or subsequently served as Prime Minister or Deputy Prime Minister; two subsequently served as Governor-General. Service as Treasurer is seen as an important qualification for serving as Prime Minister: to date, six Treasurers have gone on to be Prime Minister.
Paul Keating and Wayne Swan are currently the only two to have been named "Euromoney Finance Minister of the Year" by Euromoney magazine.
Since 1958, Treasurers in Coalition Governments have often but not always been the deputy leader of the Liberal Party. In contrast, only four Labor Treasurers have also been the deputy leader of the Labor Party.

Related ministerial positions

Along with the Treasurer, other ministers have responsibility for the Department of the Treasury. The Treasurer together with these other ministers are known as the "Treasury Ministers". At present, the Treasury Minister positions are:
The work of the Department of Finance is closely related to the work of the Department of the Treasury. The ministers who have responsibility for the Department of Finance are:
Eleven organisations nominally fall under the auspices of the Australian Treasurer. The agencies undertake a range of activities aimed at achieving strong sustainable economic growth and the improved well-being of Australians. This entails the provision of policy advice to portfolio ministers who seek to promote a sound macroeconomic environment; effective government spending and taxation arrangements; and well-functioning markets. It also entails the effective implementation and administration of policies that fall within the portfolio ministers' responsibilities.
The following individuals have been appointed as Treasurer of Australia:

List of Assistant Treasurers

The following individuals have been appointed as Assistant Treasurer, or any precedent titles:

List of assistant ministers for superannuation, financial services and financial technology

The following individuals have been appointed as Assistant Minister for Superannuation, Financial Services and Financial Technology, or preceding titles:

Former ministerial titles

List of ministers for competition policy and consumer affairs

The Competition and Consumer Act 2010 is administered by the Treasurer through the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, but was formerly administered by other ministers. The following individuals were appointed as ministers with responsibility for competition and consumer affairs matters: