Department of National Development
16 March 1950 – 19 December 1972
Department of State responsible for national development planning, mineral and energy resources, water resources and northern development, and from 1952 to 1963 for Commonwealth housing.
How it came into existence
Created on 16 March 1950 by Administrative Arrangements Order in the Menzies government's reorganisation of departments, with R. G. Casey as minister. It took mineral resources and geology, including the Bureau of Mineral Resources, from the Department of Supply and Development and development planning and the secondary industries division from the abolished Department of Post-War Reconstruction, and the Forestry and Timber Bureau joined its portfolio. Fuel came from the Department of Fuel, Shipping and Transport in 1951, housing from the Department of Works and Housing in 1952, and national mapping from the Department of the Interior in about 1956.
- Mineral resources and geology
- Bureau of Mineral Resources
- Development planning
- Secondary industries and regional development
- Forestry and timber (Forestry and Timber Bureau)
The Forestry and Timber Bureau came into this portfolio on 16 March 1950; that it came from the Interior portfolio, where the Commonwealth Forestry Bureau had been, is assumed rather than confirmed.
Changes during its life
- National mapping (National Mapping Office, becoming the Division of National Mapping)
Year approximate.
- Coal and liquid fuel
- Commonwealth housing
- Commonwealth–State Housing Agreement
- Secondary industry development (Division of Industrial Development)
The National Archives says the Division of Industrial Development, which came from the Department of Post-War Reconstruction, operated until 1956, when its functions were incorporated into the Department of Trade; Wikipedia lists National Development among the department's predecessors for industrial development.
- Commonwealth housing policy
- Commonwealth–State Housing Agreements
- War service homes
How it ended
Abolished on 19 December 1972 by the Whitlam government; its minerals, energy and national resources functions passed mainly to the Department of Minerals and Energy, and northern development to the Department of Northern Development.
- Minerals and energy policy
- Fuel and energy, including petroleum exploration
- Bureau of Mineral Resources
- National mapping
- Northern development
Main functions
- National development planning and co-ordination
- Mineral resources, geology and geophysics (Bureau of Mineral Resources)
- Fuel and energy, including coal and petroleum exploration
- Water resources
- Northern development
- Snowy Mountains Hydro-electric Scheme
- National mapping (Division of National Mapping, from about 1956)
- Commonwealth housing and war service homes (to 1963)
Bodies in this portfolio (2)
- Commonwealth Oil Refineries Limited 1920–1952
- Australian Forestry School 1926–1965
Lineage
Loading lineage…
Sources
Primary sources
- Administrative Arrangements Order of 16 November 1950 (sets it out)
- Administrative Arrangements Order of 19 December 1972 (took effect as it ended)
Government records and websites
Some dates or links for this organisation are not fully confirmed. Corrections are welcome.