Department of Administrative Services
DAS
22 December 1975 – 13 December 1984
Renamed Department of Local Government and Administrative Services in 1984.
Department of State providing common services to the Commonwealth, including property and accommodation, purchasing and stores, transport, surveying, publishing and information, electoral administration and the Commonwealth (from 1979 Australian Federal) Police, and for part of its life the national archives and the external territories.
Names over time
- Department of Administrative Services1975–1984
- Department of Local Government and Administrative Services1984–1987
How it came into existence
Created by the Fraser government's Administrative Arrangements Order of 22 December 1975, with Reg Withers as minister. It continued the first Department of Administrative Services, regained property and survey from the Department of Urban and Regional Development, took the Australian Archives and the external territories (Norfolk Island, Christmas Island and the Cocos (Keeling) Islands) from the abolished Department of the Special Minister of State and the Department of the Capital Territory, publishing and information from the Department of the Media, and the Commonwealth Police from the Department of Police and Customs.
- Purchasing and procurement
- Stores and transport
- Electoral administration
- Parliamentary accommodation
- Commonwealth property and land acquisition
- Surveying (Australian Survey Office)
These functions had moved from the Department of Services and Property to Urban and Regional Development on 7 October 1975; their return here is inferred from this department's responsibilities.
- Norfolk Island
Norfolk Island had been administered by the Department of the Capital Territory since December 1972; the December 1975 order lists it under Administrative Services.
- Australian Archives
- Administration of Christmas Island and the Cocos (Keeling) Islands
The December 1975 order gave this department the external territories; that the archives and the two island territories came from the Special Minister of State is inferred from that department's responsibilities.
- Australian Government Publishing Service
- Australian Information Service
- Commonwealth Police Force
The ACT and Northern Territory police forces went to their territory departments rather than to this department.
Changes during its life
- Administration of Norfolk Island
- National archives (Australian Archives)
Administrative Services had held Norfolk Island, the other external territories and the national archives since December 1975; only Norfolk Island and the archives moved to Home Affairs, the other external territories (including Christmas Island) staying with Administrative Services.
- Defence purchasing
- Christmas Island
- Electoral matters
- Australian Federal Police
- Support for royal commissions
- Parliamentary facilities
Which of these functions came from Administrative Services, rather than other departments, is not confirmed against the 1983 Administrative Arrangements Order.
How it ended
Replaced on 13 December 1984 by the Department of Local Government and Administrative Services, which also took local government from the Department of Territories and Local Government. It had earlier lost the archives and Norfolk Island to the Department of Home Affairs (December 1977), defence purchasing to the Department of Defence Support (May 1982), and electoral matters, the Australian Federal Police and Christmas Island to the Department of the Special Minister of State and the Department of Territories and Local Government (March 1983).
- Property
- Purchasing
- Publishing
- Surveying
- Common services
Main functions
- Commonwealth property, land acquisition and office accommodation
- Government purchasing, stores and disposals
- Government transport services
- Surveying (Australian Survey Office)
- Electoral administration (Australian Electoral Office) until 1983
- Government publishing and information (Australian Government Publishing Service and Australian Information Service)
- Commonwealth Police, from 1979 the Australian Federal Police, until 1983
- External territories (Norfolk Island until 1977, Christmas Island until 1983) and Australian Archives (until 1977)
Bodies in this portfolio (1)
- Commonwealth Police Force 1960–1979
Lineage
Loading lineage…
Sources
Primary sources
- Administrative Arrangements Order of 22 December 1975 (created it)
- Administrative Arrangements Order of 11 March 1983 (sets it out)
Government records and websites
Some dates or links for this organisation are not fully confirmed. Corrections are welcome.