Minister for Trade and Industry (Georgeland)

In the Government of Georgeland, the Minister for Trade and Industry is the member of the Cabinet with responsibility for international trade, tariffs, and regulation, as well as for policy and regulation of secondary industry (agriculture, as a primary industry, has its own department). The minister oversees the Department of Trade and Industry and its many agencies and independent authorities. The minister has oversight of and responsibility for the mining, manufacturing, shipping and construction industries, among others. Formerly the minister also had responsibility for the energy sector and commerce, but these have been moved to various other departments.

The Department of Trade and Industry has been relatively stable since its creation in 1938, and the title of the department and minister is only infrequently altered, in contrast to many other government titles and agencies. From its creation until 1979 the department was simply Trade and Industry. It became Industry, Trade and Commerce in 1979, a change that lasted until 2017 when it became Industry, Innovation and Commerce, with trade functions transferred to a new Department for Trade and Tourism. In 1995 the reponsiblity was briefly split between a Minister for Industry and Commerce and a Minister for International Trade, working under the same department. The department reverted to its original name in 2019, with commerce functions now the responsibility of the Minister for Commerce, Workplace Relations and Employment.