Transport & infrastructureDepartment of State
Department of Works and Railways
14 November 1916 – 12 April 1932
Department responsible for Commonwealth public works and buildings, the construction and administration of Commonwealth railways, federal road grants and River Murray works.
How it came into existence
Created on 14 November 1916 by the second Hughes ministry from the public works and railway construction functions of the abolished Department of Home Affairs.
- Commonwealth public works
- Railway construction
- Rivers and water works
Changes during its life
- Federal capital works
On the abolition of the Federal Capital Commission, works in the Federal Capital Territory returned to the department.
- Operation of the Trans-Australian Railway
- Commonwealth railway administration
- Construction of Canberra
How it ended
Abolished on 12 April 1932 by the Lyons government, its functions merging with those of the Department of Home Affairs and the Department of Transport into the new Department of the Interior.
- Commonwealth works
- Commonwealth railways
- Federal aid roads
Main functions
- Design, construction and maintenance of Commonwealth works and buildings
- Construction of the Trans-Australian Railway and administration of Commonwealth railways
- Federal aid roads grants
- River Murray works
- Federal capital works (except while the Federal Capital Commission operated, 1925–1930)
Bodies in this portfolio (2)
Lineage
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