Department of Supply and Development
26 April 1939 – 17 October 1942
Renamed Department of Supply and Shipping in 1942.
Department of State responsible for supplying munitions, stores and equipment to the armed services and for organising Australian industry to meet defence needs on the eve of and in the early years of the Second World War.
Names over time
- Department of Supply and Development1939–1942
- Department of Supply and Shipping1942–1948
How it came into existence
Created on 26 April 1939 by the Administrative Arrangements Order made when the first Menzies ministry took office, with R. G. Casey as minister. It took munitions supply (the Munitions Supply Board and the government factories), defence purchasing and supply planning from the Department of Defence; its powers were set out in the Supply and Development Act 1939.
- Munitions supply (Munitions Supply Board and government factories)
- Defence purchasing and contracts
- Defence supply planning
Legislation: Supply and Development Act 1939
Changes during its life
- Munitions production
- Government munitions factories
- Mineral resources survey
- Aircraft construction
- Beaufort bomber program
How it ended
Renamed the Department of Supply and Shipping on 17 October 1942, when it also took over shipping, navigation and lighthouses from the Department of Commerce. Munitions production had already passed to the Department of Munitions in June 1940 and aircraft production to the Department of Aircraft Production in June 1941.
- Defence supply and procurement
- Liquid fuel control
- Strategic materials and mineral resources
Main functions
- Munitions supply and the government munitions factories (to June 1940)
- Purchase of supplies and equipment for the armed services
- Organisation of secondary industry for defence production
- Aircraft construction, including the Beaufort bomber program (to June 1941)
- Stockpiling of strategic and essential materials
- Liquid fuel control
- Mineral resources survey (from 1941)
Bodies in this portfolio (1)
- Munitions Supply Board 1921–1940
Lineage
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Sources
Some dates or links for this organisation are not fully confirmed. Corrections are welcome.