Evans was a member of the Opposition Shadow Ministry from October 1998 until December 2007 when Labor won the election.

On 14 September 2010, following the 2010 election, Evans was sworn in as Minister for Tertiary Education, Skills, Jobs and Workplace Relations in the Second Gillard Ministry.

Following the January 2013 announcement that the 2013 federal election will be contested in September 2013, Evans, together with Nicola Roxon, resigned from the Ministry, from Cabinet, and as Leader of the Government in the Senate, effective on 2 February 2013.

When contacted by the Sydney Sunday Telegraph, Evans confirmed that he had conversations with Gillard about the Turkey diplomatic post but "nothing that went anywhere".

[6] In November 2024, Evans was appointed as Australia's first anti-slavery commissioner and will be starting his role in December.