In New South Wales, regional ministers have been appointed since 1995 on a part-time basis as part of the Government of New South Wales. Each minister has other departmental responsibilities, as well as specific responsibilities for one of the regions of New South Wales. The ministries with regional responsibilities first appeared in 2000 during the Carr Labor Government with a position looking after the Central Coast, this would later be expanded by the Iemma Labor Government from 2005 and O'Farrell Coalition Government in 2011 to five different positions including Western Sydney.[1][2]
In 2015, the number of ministers was reduced to just three ministers: the Minister for Regional New South Wales, currently the Hon.Paul TooleMP, who also serves as the Deputy Premier of New South Wales and the Minister for Police; the Minister for Regional New South Wales, currently the Hon. Dugald SaundersMP, both since 21 December 2021; and the Minister for Western Sydney, currently Stuart AyresMP, since 30 January 2017.[3][4][5] Following the 2019 state election the ministries were rearranged to comprise three regional ministers, with effect from 2 April 2019[6] and revised again with effect from 21 December 2021.[7]
Parliamentary Secretary for Planning, the Central Coast and the Hunter
First Berejiklian ministry
5 April 2017
1 March 2019
Illawarra[]
Creation of the role of 'Minister for the Illawarra' was a Labor election commitment in 2003. When the portfolio was abolished in 2015, the region's main newspaper, the Illawarra Mercury, noted that all but one of the men to hold the title later departed politics under a cloud: "The now-defunct ministry has been something of a poisoned chalice over the past 12 years, with five of the six ministers who have held the position being disgraced, sacked or forced to resign over their behaviour."
Labor's David Campbell, the first Minister for the Illawarra, quit politics after being filmed leaving a gay bath-house in Sydney. His successor Matt Brown quit following allegations (denied by Brown) that he'd simulated a sex act and danced in his underpants at a function in Parliament House. Paul McLeay quit cabinet after admitting to using a parliamentary computer to visit gambling and porn websites. Eric Roozendaal was a target of the Independent Commission Against Corruption's Operation Indus due to his dealings with disgraced former minister Eddie Obeid, but was cleared in 2013. Greg Pearce, the first Liberal to hold the post, was dumped from the O'Farrell ministry in 2013 amid claims (denied by Pearce) that he had attended parliament drunk – officially, for failing to declare a conflict of interest in relation to a board appointment. The last Minister for the Illawarra, the Liberal party's John Ajaka, "managed to break the portfolio’s curse," however.[10]
