12th Parliament
Elected 12 October 1929 · first met 20 November 1929 · dissolved 27 November 1931
The changes below took effect from its election on 12 October 1929 to 18 December 1931, the day before the next election, so they count the work of the government it produced.
- Stanley Bruce (Nationalist)
- James Scullin (Labor)
Changes
11
2 renamed from3 merged from2 split from3 took over functions from1 replaced
Departments of State
2 / 1
created / abolished
Other bodies
7 / 13
created / ended
Administrative Arrangements Orders
0
on the Federal Register, which holds few orders before 2001
The biggest reshuffle took effect on 12 June 1931, when 4 changes landed on one day.
What was happening
- Great Depression · October 1929 to December 1933 · Unemployment peaks at about a third of the workforce in 1932. (Pandemic or economic crisis)
Departments of State created (2)
- Department of Markets 1930–1932
- Department of Transport 1930–1932
Departments of State abolished (1)
- Department of Markets and Transport 1928–1930
Other bodies created (7)
- Federal Court of Bankruptcy 1930–1977
- School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine 1930–1980
- Royal Commission Appointed to Inquire into Allegations Affecting Members of the Parliamentary Joint Committee of Public Accounts in Connexion with Claims Made by Broadcasting Companies against the Commonwealth Government 1930
- Australian Institute of Anatomy 1931–1984
- Northern Territory Administration 1931–1978
- Supreme Court of the Northern Territory 1931–1979
- Royal Commission on Jacob Johnson 1931
Other bodies ended (13)
Show all 13 bodies ended
- Australian Institute of Tropical Medicine 1910–1930
- National Museum of Australian Zoology 1924–1931
- Federal Capital Commission 1925–1930
- Development and Migration Commission 1926–1930
- North Australia Commission 1927–1930
- Government Resident of Central Australia 1927–1931
- Government Resident of North Australia 1927–1931
- Supreme Court of Central Australia 1927–1931
- Supreme Court of North Australia 1927–1931
- Royal Commission on the Constitution 1927–1929
- Royal Commission on the Coal Industry 1929
- Royal Commission Appointed to Inquire into Allegations Affecting Members of the Parliamentary Joint Committee of Public Accounts in Connexion with Claims Made by Broadcasting Companies against the Commonwealth Government 1930
- Royal Commission on Jacob Johnson 1931
Every change (11)
Show every change, day by day
12 June 1931
- Government Resident of North Australia merged into Northern Territory Administration
- Government Resident of Central Australia merged into Northern Territory Administration
- Supreme Court of North Australia renamed to Supreme Court of the Northern Territory
- Supreme Court of Central Australia merged into Supreme Court of the Northern Territory
May 1930
- Federal Capital Commission functions transferred to Department of Home Affairs
- Federal Capital Commission functions transferred to Department of Works and Railways
21 April 1930
- Department of Markets and Transport part split off to form Department of Markets
- Department of Markets and Transport part split off to form Department of Transport
1930
- North Australia Commission functions transferred to Department of Home Affairs
- Australian Institute of Tropical Medicine replaced by School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine