Commonwealth Investigation Branch
Investigation Branch · Investigation Branch of the Attorney-General's Department
November 1919 – 1946
Renamed Commonwealth Investigation Service in 1946.
The Attorney-General's Department's investigation and security intelligence branch between the wars, investigating offences against Commonwealth law and keeping watch on communists and other groups considered subversive.
Names over time
- Commonwealth Investigation Branch1919–1946
- Commonwealth Investigation Service1946–1960
How it came into existence
Formed in November 1919 within the Attorney-General's Department from the Special Intelligence Bureau and the wartime Commonwealth Police Force, with Harold Jones as director, after a dispute with the Department of Defence over control of security intelligence.
- Security intelligence
- Political surveillance
- Investigation of Commonwealth offences
Changes during its life
- Commonwealth peace officers
Formed from the Investigation Branch's peace officer section (from 1935); peace officers were appointed under the Peace Officers Act 1925.
How it ended
Reorganised and renamed the Commonwealth Investigation Service in 1946, absorbing the wartime Commonwealth Security Service.
- Investigation of Commonwealth offences
- Security intelligence
The National Archives describes the Investigation Branch as reorganised and renamed after the war.
Main functions
- Investigation of offences against Commonwealth law
- Security intelligence and political surveillance
- Immigration and naturalisation inquiries
- Protection of Commonwealth interests
Where it sits
Last in the portfolio of Attorney-General's Department.
Lineage
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Sources
Government records and websites
Some dates or links for this organisation are not fully confirmed. Corrections are welcome.