Agency Name: | Department of National Development |
Formed: | 16 March 1950 |
Preceding1: | Department of Supply and Development |
Dissolved: | 19 December 1972 |
Type: | Department |
Jurisdiction: | Commonwealth of Australia |
Chief1 Name: | Robert Jackson |
Chief1 Position: | Secretary (1950–1951)[1] |
Chief2 Name: | Jack Stevens |
Chief2 Position: | Secretary (1950–1951) |
Chief3 Name: | Harold Raggatt |
Chief3 Position: | Secretary (1951–1965) |
Chief4 Name: | Bill Boswell |
Chief4 Position: | Secretary (1965–1969) |
Chief5 Name: | Lloyd Bott |
Chief5 Position: | Secretary (1969–1972) |
Formed: | 20 December 1977 |
Preceding1: | Department of National Resources – for energy planning, research, minerals exploration and resource assessment, water resources and electricity, geodesy and mapping Department of Environment, Housing and Community Development – for decentralisation |
Dissolved: | 8 December 1979 |
Superseding: | Department of National Development and Energy |
Type: | Department |
Jurisdiction: | Commonwealth of Australia |
Minister1 Name: | Kevin Newman |
Minister1 Pfo: | Minister for National Development |
Chief1 Name: | Alan Woods |
Chief1 Position: | Secretary |
Headquarters: | Australian Capital Territory |
The Department of National Development was an Australian government department that existed between March 1950 and December 1972, and between December 1977 and December 1979.
The Department of National Development was established in March 1950, with Richard Casey, Baron Casey as its Minister. Media reported that the new Department would plan for the supply of basic commodities, promote decentralisation and regional development and plan for the development of primary and manufacturing industries and the stimulation of housing construction.[2]
By 1969, the Department consisted of five divisions: the resources policy division; the northern development division; the Bureau of Mineral Resources; the Forestry and Timber Bureau; and the division of national mapping.[3]
The Department was one of six abolished by the Whitlam government in December 1972.[4] It functions were split between four new departments, namely the Department of Environment and Conservation, the Department of Minerals and Energy and the Department of Northern Development, as well as two established departments—the Department of Works and the Department of Primary Industry.
The department was created for the second time on 20 December 1977, by the Fraser government, before it was abolished two years later in 8 December 1979.
Information about the department's functions and government funding allocation could be found in the Administrative Arrangements Orders, the annual Portfolio Budget Statements and in the Department's annual reports.
At its first creation, the Department was responsible for the following:
At its second creation in 1979, the Department was responsible for the following:
The Department was a Commonwealth Public Service department, staffed by officials who were responsible to the Minister for National Development. In order of appointment, the Department's Ministers were: Richard Casey, Bill Spooner, David Fairbairn, Reginald Swartz and Lance Barnard, and Kevin Newman between 1977 and 1979. The Secretary of the Department was A.J. Woods.
Order | Minister | Party | Prime Minister | Title | Term start | Term end | Term in office | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | John Dedman | Labor | Curtin | Minister for Postwar Reconstruction | align=center | 2 February 1945 | align=center | 6 July 1945 | ||||
Forde | align=center | 6 July 1945 | align=center | 13 July 1945 | ||||||||
Chifley | align=center | 13 July 1945 | align=center | 19 December 1949 | ||||||||
2 | Eric Harrison | Liberal | Menzies | align=center | 19 December 1949 | align=center | 17 March 1950 | align=right | days | |||
3 | Richard Casey | Minister for National Development | align=center | 17 March 1950 | align=center | 11 May 1951 | align=right | |||||
4 | Bill Spooner | align=center | 11 May 1951 | align=center | 10 June 1964 | align=right | ||||||
5 | David Fairbairn | align=center | 10 June 1964 | align=center | 21 January 1966 | |||||||
Holt | align=center | 26 January 1966 | align=center | 19 December 1967 | ||||||||
McEwen | align=center | 19 December 1967 | align=center | 10 January 1968 | ||||||||
Gorton | align=center | 10 January 1968 | align=center | 12 November 1969 | ||||||||
6 | Reginald Swartz | align=center | 12 November 1969 | align=center | 10 March 1971 | |||||||
McMahon | align=center | 10 March 1971 | align=center | 5 December 1972 | ||||||||
align=center | 7 | Lance Barnard | Labor | Whitlam | align=center | 5 December 1972 | align=center | 19 December 1972 | align=right | days | ||
align=center | 8 | Rex Patterson | Minister for Northern Development | align=center | 19 December 1972 | align=center | 11 November 1975 | align=right | ||||
9 | Kevin Newman | Liberal | Fraser | Minister for National Development | align=center | 20 December 1977 | align=center | 8 December 1979 | align=right | |||
10 | John Carrick | Minister for National Development and Energy | align=center | 8 December 1979 | align=center | 11 March 1983 | align=right |