The Prime Minister's Department was an Australian government department that existed between July 1911 and March 1971.
| Department overview | |
|---|---|
| Formed | 1 July 1911[1] |
| Dissolved | 12 March 1971[1] |
| Superseding Department | |
| Jurisdiction | Commonwealth of Australia |
| Minister responsible | |
| Department executives |
|
History
editThe Prime Minister's Department was created in July 1911, initiated on a small scale compared to other government departments of the day.[2] The department at its formation was placed under the charge of Malcolm Shepherd,[3] who had been secretary to the Prime Minister for some years already.[4] It had been speculated that the government would create such a department in media before its creation, including in May 1910.[5]
In 1968, Prime Minister John Gorton split a section of the Prime Minister's Department off, to form the Department of the Cabinet Office with the responsibility to service the Cabinet and the committees of Cabinet.[6]
By 1970, it had become apparent there was considerable unhappiness about the way the Prime Minister's Department was run.[7] The following year, in March 1971, the department was abolished and its functions moved to the newly formed Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. The new department combined the functions of the Prime Minister's Department and the Department of the Cabinet Office.[8] The Prime Minister of the day, William McMahon, told media that the former system with separate departments for Cabinet and for the Prime Minister, that had been operating since 1968, was inefficient.[9]
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.
In 1912, the department's functions were outlined in an Administrative Arrangements Order as:[1]
- Auditor-General and Staff
- Communication with the Governor-General
- Communication with the States
- Officers of the Parliament
- Public Service Commissioner and Staff (as from 1 July 1912)
- Royal Commissions
- The Commonwealth of Australia Gazette
- The Federal Executive Council
Structure
editThe department was a Commonwealth Public Service department, staffed by officials who were responsible to the Prime Minister of Australia.[1]
References
edit- ^ a b c d CA 12: Prime Minister's Department, National Archives of Australia, retrieved 27 December 2013
- ^ ""Prime Minister's Department.": Another Federal Creation". The Register. Adelaide, South Australia. 24 August 1911. p. 6.
- ^ Hudson, W. J.; Steele, Christine (1988), "Shepherd, Malcolm Lindsay (1873–1960)", Australian Dictionary of Biography, vol. 11, Australian National University, archived from the original on 14 May 2013
- ^ "Prime Minister's Department: Scope of its work". Kalgoorlie Western Argus. 29 August 1911. p. 9.
- ^ "Prime Minister's Department". The Advertiser. Adelaide, South Australia. 2 May 1910. p. 10.
- ^ Gaul, Jonathan (12 March 1968). "PM forms a Cabinet department". The Canberra Times. p. 1.
- ^ Juddery, Bruce (21 October 1970). "Power in the Prime Minister's Department". The Canberra Times. p. 2.
- ^ Solomon, David (13 March 1971). "PM sets up new departments". The Canberra Times. p. 1.
- ^ "System inefficient". The Canberra Times. 13 March 1971. p. 1.