The Department of Immigration and Ethnic Affairs was an Australian government department that existed between December 1975 and July 1987.
| Department overview | |
|---|---|
| Formed | 22 December 1975[1] |
| Preceding Department | |
| Dissolved | 24 July 1987[1] |
| Superseding Department | |
| Jurisdiction | Commonwealth of Australia |
| Headquarters | Canberra |
| Department executives |
|
History
editThe department was announced in December 1975, resulting from the abolition of the previous Department of Labor and Immigration.[3] The creation of the department was an election commitment that Malcolm Fraser said indicated the importance placed by the Fraser government on Australia's immigration program and the Coalition's concern that issues affecting migrants and their families should receive close and sympathetic attention.[3]
Scope
editInformation about the department's functions and government funding allocation could be found in the Administrative Arrangements Orders, the annual Portfolio Budget Statements and in the department's annual reports.
According to the Administrative Arrangements Order made on 22 December 1975 (reproduced by the National Archives), the department dealt with:[1]
- Migration
- Naturalization and aliens
Minister for Immigration and Ethnic Affairs
editThe department was an Australian Public Service department, staffed by officials who were responsible to the Minister for Immigration and Ethnic Affairs.[1]
During the department's existence, the following people were appointed as Minister for Immigration and Ethnic Affairs.[4]
| Minister | Party | Prime Minister | Term | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michael MacKellar | Liberal | Malcolm Fraser | 20 December 1975 – 8 December 1979 | |
| Ian Macphee | 08 Dec 1979 – 07 May 1982 | |||
| Peter Durack | 7 June 1981 – 7 July 1981 | |||
| John Hodges | 7 May 1982 – 11 March 1983 | |||
| Stewart West | Labor | Bob Hawke | 11 March 1983 – 13 December 1984 | |
| Chris Hurford | 13 December 1984 – 16 February 1987 | |||
| Mick Young | 16 February 1987 – 24 July 1987 | |||
References
edit- ^ a b c d CA 1955: Department of Immigration and Ethnic Affairs [I], Central Office, National Archives of Australia, archived from the original on 5 September 2008, retrieved 15 December 2013
- ^ Hawke, Robert (21 May 1987). "Untitled" (Press release). Archived from the original on 27 March 2014.
Mr Ron Brown has today been appointed Secretary, Department of Immigration and Ethnic Affairs
- ^ a b Fraser, Malcolm (18 December 1975). "MAJOR CHANGES IN MINISTERIAL AND DEPARTMENTAL RESPONSIBILITIES AND FUNCTIONS" (Press release). Archived from the original on 11 January 2014. Retrieved 11 January 2014.
- ^ "Agency details for: CA 1955". National Archives of Australia. Retrieved 20 July 2024.
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