Department of the Environment, Aborigines and the Arts

The Department of the Environment, Aborigines and the Arts was an Australian government department that existed between May 1971 and December 1972.

Department of the Environment, Aborigines and the Arts
Department overview
Formed31 May 1971[1]
Dissolved19 December 1972[1]
Superseding agency
JurisdictionCommonwealth of Australia
HeadquartersCanberra
Ministers responsible
Department executive

The department, created by the McMahon Government, was a grab-bag of three areas which had previously been handled by other departments or government agencies. These included the Department of the Interior, the Department of the Vice-President of the Executive Council, and the Office of Aboriginal Affairs in the Prime Minister's Department. The department was abolished by the incoming Whitlam Government, with its functions split across six departments (the Departments of Aboriginal Affairs, Environment and Conservation, Media, Prime Minister and Cabinet, Special Minister of State, Science and Services and Property).[1]

Scope

Information about the department's functions and/or government funding allocation could be found in the Administrative Arrangements Orders, the annual Portfolio Budget Statements and in the department's annual reports.

At its creation, the department dealt with:[1]

  • activities related to the environment;
  • aboriginal affairs;
  • support for the arts and letters;
  • the National Library;
  • Australian films;
  • national Archives;
  • general services of printing, publishing and advertising (including the Gazette)
  • world expositions;
  • grants to national organizations;
  • overseas visits;
  • War Memorial and War Graves; and
  • overseas property.

Structure

The department was an Australian Public Service department, staffed by officials who were responsible to the Minister for the Environment, Aborigines and the Arts.[1] The department's first Minister, Peter Howson, was not keen on the job, reportedly calling the portfolio "trees, boongs and poofters."[2]

The secretary of the department was Lenox Hewitt.[1]

References
  1. CA 1407: Department of the Environment, Aborigines and the Arts, Central Office, National Archives of Australia, retrieved 15 December 2013
  2. MacCallum, Mungo (5 February 2009), Peter Howson, minister for ‘trees, boongs and poofters’, Crikey, archived from the original on 5 November 2012
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