Wong is the first female Foreign Minister from the Australian Labor Party (ALP) and the third female foreign minister in a row, following Julie Bishop and Marise Payne.

The minister is usually one of the most senior members of Cabinet – the position is equivalent to that of Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs in Britain or Secretary of State in the United States – as shown by the fact that eleven Prime Ministers of Australia have also worked as the Minister for Foreign Affairs.

In recent times, the minister also undertakes numerous international trips to meet with foreign representatives and Heads of State or Government.

The following individuals have been appointed as Minister for Foreign Affairs, or any of its precedent titles:[1] Notes The Minister for International Development was responsible, in the Rudd Cabinet, for the Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID) and the international development and humanitarian aid policies of the Commonwealth of Australia, administered through the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT).

The following individuals have been appointed as Minister for International Development and the Pacific, or any precedent title: The following individuals have been appointed as Minister assisting the Minister for Foreign Affairs or any of its precedent titles: The following individuals have been appointed as parliamentary secretaries and assistant ministers for Foreign Affairs or any of its precedent titles: The following individuals have been appointed as parliamentary secretaries and assistant ministers for Foreign Affairs or any of its precedent titles: