Transport & infrastructureDepartment of State
Department of Shipping and Transport
11 May 1951 – 19 December 1972
Previously Department of Fuel, Shipping and Transport (1950–1951). Renamed Department of Transport in 1972.
Department of State responsible for shipping and shipbuilding, navigation and lighthouses, the Commonwealth Railways and railway standardisation, and Commonwealth involvement in roads and road safety.
Names over time
- Department of Fuel, Shipping and Transport1950–1951
- Department of Shipping and Transport1951–1972
- Department of Transport1972–1982
How it came into existence
Formed on 11 May 1951, when the Department of Fuel, Shipping and Transport was renamed after its fuel functions passed to the Department of National Development; Senator George McLeay continued as minister.
- Shipping
- Navigation and lighthouses
- Shipbuilding
- Commonwealth Railways and land transport
Changes during its life
- Administration of Commonwealth merchant shipbuilding
- Transport economics research
How it ended
Renamed the Department of Transport on 19 December 1972 by the Whitlam government.
- Shipping and navigation
- Roads
- Railways
- Transport policy
Main functions
- Shipping policy and the Commonwealth's shipping line (Australian Coastal Shipping Commission from 1956)
- Shipbuilding and shipbuilding assistance
- Navigation, lighthouses and marine safety
- Commonwealth Railways and railway gauge standardisation
- Commonwealth road grants and road safety
- Transport economics research (Bureau of Transport Economics from 1970)
Bodies in this portfolio (2)
- Australian Shipbuilding Board 1941–1957
- Australian Shipping Board 1946–1956
Lineage
Loading lineage…
Sources
Primary sources
- Administrative Arrangements Order of 19 December 1972 (took effect as it ended)
Other sources
Some dates or links for this organisation are not fully confirmed. Corrections are welcome.