20th Parliament
Elected 28 April 1951 · first met 12 June 1951 · dissolved 21 April 1954
The changes below took effect from its election on 28 April 1951 to 28 May 1954, the day before the next election, so they count the work of the government it produced.
- Robert Menzies (Liberal)
Changes
14
4 renamed from1 absorbed5 split from2 took over functions from2 replaced
Departments of State
4 / 3
created / abolished
Other bodies
12 / 8
created / ended
Administrative Arrangements Orders
0
on the Federal Register, which holds few orders before 2001
The biggest reshuffle took effect on 11 May 1951, when 5 changes landed on one day.
What was happening
- Korean War · 25 June 1950 to 27 July 1953 · Australian forces serve with the United Nations Command until the armistice. (War or armed conflict)
- Malayan Emergency · June 1950 to 31 July 1960 · Australian involvement, from the first RAAF deployment to the end of the Emergency. (War or armed conflict)
Departments of State created (4)
- Department of Defence Production 1951–1958
- Department of Shipping and Transport 1951–1972
- Department of Territories 1951–1968
- Department of Works 1952–1973
Departments of State abolished (3)
- Department of External Territories 1941–1951
- Department of Works and Housing 1945–1952
- Department of Fuel, Shipping and Transport 1950–1951
Other bodies created (12)
- Commonwealth Hostels Limited 1951–1978
- Archives Division, Commonwealth National Library 1952–1961
- Commonwealth-New Guinea Timbers Limited 1952–1972
- Australian Secret Intelligence Service 1952–present
- Commonwealth Trading Bank of Australia 1953–1984
- Defence Standards Laboratories 1953–1974
- Royal Australian Air Force Veterans' Residences Trust Fund 1953–present
- Royal Commission on Television 1953–1954
- Australian Atomic Energy Commission 1953–1987
- Australian Wool Bureau 1953–1963
- Welfare Branch 1954–1973
- Royal Commission on Espionage 1954–1955
Other bodies ended (8)
- Commonwealth Oil Refineries Limited 1920–1952
- Amalgamated Wireless (Australasia) Limited 1922–1952
- Native Affairs Branch 1939–1954
- Australian Wool Board 1945–1953
- Australian Wool Realization Commission 1945–1952
- British Commonwealth Pacific Airlines Limited 1946–1954
- Defence Research Laboratories 1948–1953
- Royal Commission on the Port Augusta to Alice Springs Railway 1950–1952
Every change (14)
Show every change, day by day
1953
- Commonwealth Bank of Australia part split off to form Commonwealth Trading Bank of Australia
- Defence Research Laboratories renamed to Defence Standards Laboratories
4 June 1952
- Department of Works and Housing functions transferred to Department of National Development
- Department of Works and Housing renamed to Department of Works
1952
- Commonwealth National Library part split off to form Archives Division, Commonwealth National Library
October 1951
- Department of Labour and National Service part split off to form Commonwealth Hostels Limited
11 May 1951
- Department of Supply part split off to form Department of Defence Production
- Department of Fuel, Shipping and Transport functions transferred to Department of National Development
- Department of Fuel, Shipping and Transport renamed to Department of Shipping and Transport
- Department of External Territories replaced by Department of Territories
- Department of the Interior part split off to form Department of Territories