The New South Wales Department of Primary Industries, a division of the New South Wales Government, is responsibile for the administration and development for agriculture, fisheries, aquaculture

Aquaculture

Aquaculture, also known as aquafarming, is the farming of aquatic organisms such as fish, crustaceans, molluscs and aquatic plants. Aquaculture involves cultivating freshwater and saltwater populations under controlled conditions, and can be contrasted with commercial fishing, which is the...

, state forests, biosecurity, and crown lands in New South Wales

New South Wales

New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...

. The Department works to develop and sustain diverse, profitable food and fibre industries, and ensures best practice management of natural resources.

The department is led by its Director-General, currently Dr Richard Sheldrake, who reports to the Minister for Primary Industries, presently the Honourable Katrina Hodgkinson

Katrina Hodgkinson

Katrina Ann Hodgkinson MP JP is an Australian politician and a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly. She has represented the Burrinjuck for the National Party of Australia since 27 March 1999...

 MP. The department sits within the wider portfolio of the Department of Trade and Investment Regional Infrastructure and Services

New South Wales Department of Trade and Investment, Regional Infrastructure and Services

The New South Wales Department of Trade and Investment, Regional Infrastructure and Services, a department of the New South Wales Government, is responsibile for driving sustainable economic growth in New South Wales...

, led by its Director-General, currently Mark Mark Paterson AO, who reports to the Deputy Premier

Deputy Premier of New South Wales

The Deputy Premier of New South Wales is the second-most senior officer in the Government of New South Wales. The Deputy Premiership has been a ministerial portfolio since 1932, and the Deputy Premier is appointed by the Governor on the advice of the Premier....

, Minister for Trade and Investment, and Minister for Regional Infrastructure and Services, presently the Honourable Andrew Stoner

Andrew Stoner

Andrew John Stoner is an Australian politician, Deputy Premier of New South Wales and member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly for the seat of Oxley since the 1999 state election, and the Leader of the New South Wales National Party since 31 March 2003...

 MP.

The department's powers are principally drawn from a range of legislation including the Forestry Act (1916), Stock Diseases Act (1923), Agricultural Industry Services Act (1998), Biological Control Act (1985), Farm Water Supplies Act (1946), and Fisheries Act (1935) plus over sixty other acts.

History

The department was formed in July 2004, with the amalgamation of NSW Department of Mineral Resources, NSW Agriculture, NSW Fisheries, State Forests NSW.

In 2009, it was amalgamated into the New South Wales Department of Industry and Investment and since August 2011 has formed part of the New South Wales Department of Trade and Investment, Regional Infrastructure and Services.

Ministers for Primary Industries

The following individuals have been appointed New South Wales Minister for Primary Industries, or any of its precursor titles:

Order	Name	Title	Party		Term commence	Term end	Term of office
1	William Ashford William Ashford (Australian politician) William George Ashford was an Australian politician.Born at Sparks Creek near Scone to selector John Ashford and Rebecca Bell, he attended Sparks Creek Public School before starting work on his father's farm. He later bought a farm on the Hawkesbury River, but sold it to return to Sparks Creek...	Minister for Agriculture		Labor Australian Labor Party The Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia...	29 January 1914	23 February 1915
2	George Black	Minister for Agriculture		Labor Australian Labor Party The Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia...	23 February 1915	15 March 1915	days
	William Ashford	Minister for Agriculture		Labor	15 March 1915	1 June 1915	days
		Secretary for Lands		National Labor Party National Labor Party The National Labor Party was the name used by the Australian Prime Minister Billy Hughes for himself and his followers after he was expelled from the Australian Labor Party in November 1916 over his pro-conscription stance in relation to World War I...	12 January 1915	15 November 1916
		Secretary for Lands Minister for Forests		Nationalist Nationalist Party of Australia The Nationalist Party of Australia was an Australian political party. It was formed on 17 February 1917 from a merger between the conservative Commonwealth Liberal Party and the National Labor Party, the name given to the pro-conscription defectors from the Australian Labor Party led by Prime...	15 November 1916	12 April 1920
		Minister for Agriculture		Nationalist	9 February 1920	12 April 1920	days
3	Richard Ball	Minister for Agriculture		Farmers and Settlers Party	13 April 1922	28 June 1922	days
4	Jack Hallam Jack Hallam (politician) Jack Rowland Hallam is a former Australian politician. He was a Labor member of the New South Wales Legislative Council from 1973 to 1991....	Minister for Agriculture		Labor	29 February 1980	2 October 1981
		Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries		Labor	2 October 1981	4 July 1986
		Minister for Agriculture Minister for Lands		Labor	4 July 1986	5 November 1986	days
		Minister for Agriculture Minister for Lands Minister for Forests		Labor	5 November 1986	25 March 1988
5	Ian Armstrong Ian Armstrong Ian Armstrong may refer to:*Ian Armstrong *Ian Armstrong *Ian Armstrong , English football player...	Minister for Agriculture and Rural Affairs		National National Party of Australia The National Party of Australia is an Australian political party.Traditionally representing graziers, farmers and rural voters generally, it began as the The Country Party, but adopted the name The National Country Party in 1975, changed to The National Party of Australia in 1982. The party is...	25 March 1988	26 May 1993
6	Ian Causley Ian Causley Ian Raymond Causley is an Australian politician. He was a National Party member of the Australian House of Representatives, representing the Division of Page, New South Wales from 1996 to 2007....	Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries Minister for Mines		National	26 May 1993	4 April 1995
7	Richard Amery Richard Amery Richard Sanderson Amery MP , an Australian politician, is a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly representing Mount Druitt for the Australian Labor Party since 1991...	Minister for Agriculture		Labor	4 April 1995	1 December 1997
		Minister for Agriculture Minister for Land and Water Conservation		Labor	1 December 1997	28 February 2003
8	Tony Kelly	Minister for Rural Affairs		Labor	2 April 2003	5 September 2008
		Minister for Lands		Labor	3 June 2004	28 March 2011
9	Ian Macdonald Ian Macdonald (New South Wales politician) Ian Michael Macdonald BA MLC , a former Australian politician, was a member of the New South Wales Legislative Council from 1988 to 2010 representing the Australian Labor Party...	Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries		Labor	2 April 2003	3 May 2004
		Minister for Primary Industries		Labor	3 May 2004	3 August 2005
		Minister for Natural Resources Minister for Primary Industries Minister for Mineral Resources		Labor	3 August 2005	17 November 2009
10	Steve Whan Steve Whan Steve Whan , an Australian politician, is a member of the New South Wales Legislative Council, appointed in June 2011 to fill a casual vacancy. Whan represented the electoral district of Monaro in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly for the Australian Labor Party from 2003 until his defeat at...	Minister for Primary Industries		Labor	8 December 2009	28 March 2011
11	Katrina Hodgkinson Katrina Hodgkinson Katrina Ann Hodgkinson MP JP is an Australian politician and a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly. She has represented the Burrinjuck for the National Party of Australia since 27 March 1999...	Minister for Primary Industries		National	3 April 2011	incumbent

External links

• NSW Department of Primary Industries website