Department of Customs and Excise
11 January 1956 – 27 March 1975
Renamed Department of Police and Customs in 1975.
Department of State that collected customs and excise duties, administered the tariff and import and export controls, censored imported publications and films and enforced narcotics laws at the border.
Names over time
- Department of Customs and Excise1956–1975
- Department of Police and Customs1975
How it came into existence
Created on 11 January 1956 by the Administrative Arrangements Order for the seventh Menzies ministry, with Denham Henty as minister. It took the customs and excise functions of the abolished Department of Trade and Customs, whose trade functions went to the new Department of Trade.
- Customs and excise collection
- Tariff administration and bounties
- Import censorship of films and literature
Changes during its life
- Narcotics investigation and enforcement
- Appeals against film censorship decisions
Took over the appeal role of the Appeal Censor, an office under the customs film censorship regulations administered by the department.
- Analytical laboratory services
Lineage from the customs laboratories not verified.
How it ended
Abolished on 27 March 1975, when the Whitlam government combined customs and excise with the Commonwealth Police and the territory police forces in the new Department of Police and Customs.
- Customs and excise
- Narcotics Bureau
Main functions
- Collection of customs and excise duties
- Tariff classification and valuation
- Import and export controls and prohibited imports
- Censorship of imported literature and films
- Narcotics law enforcement (Narcotics Bureau from 1969)
- Administration of bounties
- Analytical laboratory services (until 1973)
Lineage
Loading lineage…
Sources
Primary sources
- Administrative Arrangements Order of 19 December 1972 (sets it out)
Some dates or links for this organisation are not fully confirmed. Corrections are welcome.