Minister for Jobs and Tourism

The Minister for Jobs and Tourism is a minister in the Government of New South Wales with responsibilities for tourism in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Tourism has often been combined with other portfolio responsibilities, most commonly Sport.

The Minister in Charge of Tourist Activities and Immigration was a ministry in the government of New South Wales, responsible for promoting New South Wales as a place to visit and encouraging migration through its offices in London, and for the management of government-owned resorts. It was created in 1946 and abolished in 1950.

Role and responsibilities
A government agency responsible for tourism and immigration was first created in 1905, the Intelligence Department, whose duties were "designed to make the attractions and possibilities of the State better known at home and a abroad, and to promote settlement on the land and to encourage immigration". It was renamed the Immigration and Tourist Bureau in 1908. In 1919 the bureau was divided into two separate agencies, with immigration becoming the responsibility of the Minister for Labour and Industry while the Tourist Bureau was the responsibility of the Chief Secretary. In 1938 Management of the Tourist Bureau was transferred to the Department of Railways. The responsibilities of the Tourist Bureau were managing the tourist resorts at Jenolan Caves, Jenolan Caves House, Abercrombie Caves, Yarrangobilly Caves, Wombeyan Caves and Hotel Kosciusko. The also conducted tours and published promotional material on NSW tourist attractions.

The elevation of tourist activities to a ministerial level was controversial. The Premier William McKell stated that there was a need for a Minister to devote himself to these matters and that "It is becoming increasingly, recognised, not only here but throughout the world, that we have much to offer the tourist, but to take full advantage of our opportunities we must take active steps to organise the trade and provide the facilities required". The Sydney Morning Herald criticised the unnecessary cost of the portfolio, stating there was no justification for the new office as immigration was a commonwealth matter and the political sphere was the worst way to develop tourist activities.

The portfolio was abolished in the third McGirr ministry, with a new portfolio of immigration, while tourism ceased to be represented at a ministerial level until the fourth Cahill ministry in 1959.

Jobs
Minister for Employment was a title which existed beside Industrial Relations in the Wran and Unsworth ministries. Employment continued at a portfolio as part of composite portfolios until the Third Fahey ministry in 1995 when it was merged into the Industrial relations portfolio.

The portfolio was responsible for developing and managing job creation programs, to advise the government on the employment impacts of its policies and to analyse the labour market with particular interest in the effects of structural change and constraints in employment growth. Employment had not previously been represented in a portfolio.

The following individuals have served as Minister where Employment was one of the responsibilities in the portfolio:

Tourism
The following individuals have served as minister where tourism was one of the responsibilities in the portfolio:

Major events
The Minister for Major Events was a ministry first established in 2010 in the Keneally ministry and combined with Tourism and Gaming and Racing in the O'Farrell ministry. Major Events was abolished as a portfolio title in the second Berejiklian ministry.

The first minister with specific responsibility for a major event was Michael Knight as the Minister for Olympics, following the success of the Sydney bid to host the 2000 Summer Olympics. The minister concurrently held the portfolios of Public Works and Services and Roads and was closely linked to the provisions of buildings and infrastructure for the event.

The portfolio of Major Events was not responsible for a department, nor any legislation, with the Major Events Act 2009 remaining the responsibility of the Premier. The first minister, Ian Macdonald, also held the portfolios of State and Regional Development, Mineral and Forest Resources, and Central Coast. In 2011 the portfolio was absorbed by the new portfolio of Tourism, Major Events, Hospitality and Racing and remained a named part of portfolios until 2019 when it became part of the portfolio of Jobs, Investment, Tourism and Western Sydney.

The following individuals have served as minister before major events was combined with tourism: