(as seen in the Administrative Arrangements Order)
The Administrative Arrangements Order (AAO) forms the legal basis for the organisation of the public service into separate departments of state. The AAO specifies the matters dealt with by each department of state and the legislation administered by each minister of state administering a department.
One way the size and pervasiveness of the Commonwealth can be judged is through the evolution of the AAO. This is, of course, an imperfect measure but an illuminating one.
The very first AAO, under Prime Minister Barton, could fit on one page and described the roles of seven departments of state.
The current AAO, under Prime Minister Abbott, runs to 45 pages and describes 18 departments (a fraction less than that of his predecessor).
About halfway between Prime Ministers Barton and Abbott, the 1958 AAO under Prime Minister Menzies described 24 departments over eight pages.
Some of this variation in page length can be attributed to different fonts, layout and use of white space. More directly, the growing body of legislation administered by each department and listed in the AAO adds bulk. To provide a more direct comparison, these AAOs for each Prime Minister are reproduced below without the lists of legislation.
The change in the AAOs reflects growing Commonwealth powers, combined with significant consolidation of the departments of state in the 1980s. Although it should be noted that there have also been different preferences for drafting and a legalistic desire to provide a comprehensive description of the functions (compare the Menzies era Department of Primary Industries with the Department of Agriculture now).
Barton (1901)
| Portfolios and Responsibilities |
|---|
| The Department of External Affairs |
| Fisheries extra-territorial |
| Naturalisation of Aliens |
| Immigration and Emigration |
| Influx of Criminals |
| External Affairs |
| Pacific Islands |
| High Commissioner |
| Communications with States |
| Governor-General and Executive Council Offices |
| Officers of Parliament |
| The Attorney-General’s Department |
| Bills of Exchange |
| Bankruptcy |
| Foreign Corporations |
| Marriage |
| Divorce |
| Service of Process |
| Recognition of Laws |
| Judiciary and Courts |
| Crown Law Offices |
| Parliamentary Draftsmen |
| The Department of Home Affairs |
| Old-age Pensions |
| People of Special Races |
| Acquisition of Property |
| Acquisition of Railways with State Consent |
| Control of Railways with State Consent |
| Astronomical |
| Census and Statistics |
| Public Works |
| Federal Capital |
| Inter-State Commission |
| Elections |
| Public Service |
| The Department of the Treasury |
| Taxation exclusive of Customs and Excise |
| Public Loans and taking over of State Loans Insurance |
| Currency |
| Banking |
| Insurance |
| The Department of Trade and Customs |
| Trade and Commerce (including Navigation, Shipping and Customs) |
| Commonwealth bounties |
| Patents |
| Conciliation and Arbitration |
| Lighthouses |
| Quarantine |
| Weights and Measures |
| The Department of Defence |
| Naval and Military Defence |
| Control of Railway Transport for Defence |
| The Postmaster-General’s Department |
| Posts, Telegraphs, and Telephones |
Source: National Commission of Audit.
Menzies (1958)
| Portfolios and Responsibilities |
|---|
| The Prime Minister’s Department |
| Secretariat to Cabinet |
| Secretariat to Executive Council |
| Government hospitality and State ceremonial |
| Benefits to Students; Commonwealth Office of Education |
| Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization |
| National Archives |
| High Commissioners Office, London |
| Weights and Measures |
| The Department of the Treasury |
| Commonwealth finances, including taxation and borrowing money on the public credit of the Commonwealth |
| Banking |
| Census and statistics |
| Currency, coinage and legal tender |
| Foreign exchange |
| Government printing |
| Insurance |
| The Attorney-General’s Department |
| Law and Justice, including Parliamentary and legal drafting |
| Bankruptcy and insolvency |
| Bills of exchange and promissory notes |
| Copyrights, patents of inventions and designs, and trade marks |
| Divorce and matrimonial causes; and in relation thereto, parental rights, and the custody and guardianship of infants |
| Foreign corporations, and trading and financial corporations formed within the limits of the Commonwealth |
| Marriage |
| Recognition throughout the Commonwealth of the laws, the public Acts and records, and the judicial proceedings of the States |
| Service and execution throughout the Commonwealth of the civil and criminal process and the judgments of the courts of the States |
| The Department of External Affairs |
| External Affairs |
| Department of Defence |
| General defence policy |
| The Department of the Navy |
| Naval defence |
| The Department of the Army |
| Military Defence |
| The Department of Air |
| Air Defence |
| The Department of Customs and Excise |
| Duties of Customs and Excise |
| Bounties on the production or export of goods |
| The Department of Trade |
| Trade and Commerce with other countries |
| Industrial Development |
| The Department of Primary Industry |
| Agricultural and pastoral industries |
| Fisheries |
| The Postmaster-General’s Department |
| Postal, telegraphic, telephonic and other like services |
| The Department of the Interior |
| Administration of Australian Capital Territory and Jervis Bay Territory |
| Acquisition of property |
| Astronomical meteorological observations |
| Civil defence |
| Commonwealth property, land and buildings |
| Parliamentary elections and referendums |
| Places acquired by the Commonwealth for public purposes |
| Publicity and information |
| War graves |
| The Department of Labour and National Service |
| Industrial relations, including conciliation and arbitration in relation to industrial disputes |
| Commonwealth Employment Service |
| Provision of hostel accommodation for immigrants |
| National Service other than the rendering of Service |
| The Department of Shipping and Transport |
| Navigation and shipping, including Shipbuilding Lighthouses, lightships, beacons and buoys |
| Land transport |
| The Department of Works |
| Planning and execution of Commonwealth Works |
| The Department of Civil Aviation |
| Civil Aviation |
| The Department of Social Services |
| Social services including- |
| Invalid and old age pensions, Maternity allowances, widows’ pensions, child endowment, unemployment and sickness benefits and family allowances |
| The Repatriation Department |
| Repatriation and other benefits for members of the Forces and their dependants |
| The Department of Immigration |
| Immigration and emigration |
| Nationality |
| Naturalization and aliens |
| The Department of Health |
| Public health, including- |
| Medical and dental services, pharmaceutical benefits and hospital benefits |
| Quarantine |
| The Department of Territories |
| Territories under the authority of the Commonwealth, other than the Australian Antarctic Territory, the Territory of Heard Island and McDonald Islands, the Australian Capital Territory and the Jervis Bay Territory |
| The Department of Supply |
| Supply, manufacture and overhaul of services and goods including munitions |
| Government transport and storage facilities outside the Australian Capital Territory |
| Defence research and development |
| Disposal of surplus goods |
| The Department of National Development |
| Development of National Resources Housing, including war service homes |
Source: National Commission of Audit.
Abbott (2013)
| Portfolios and Responsibilities |
|---|
| The Department of Agriculture |
| Agricultural, pastoral, fishing, food and forest industries |
| Soils and other natural resources |
| Rural adjustment and drought issues |
| Rural industries inspection and quarantine |
| Primary industries research including economic research |
| Commodity marketing, including export promotion and agribusiness |
| Commodity-specific international organisations and activities |
| Administration of international commodity agreements |
| Administration of export controls on agricultural, fisheries and forestry industries products |
| Food security policy and programmes |
| The Attorney-General's Department |
| Law and justice including - |
| Administrative law |
| Alternative dispute resolution |
| Bankruptcy |
| Censorship |
| Constitutional law |
| Copyright |
| Courts and tribunals |
| Human rights |
| International law |
| Law reform |
| Legal assistance |
| Legislative drafting |
| Marriage and family law |
| Personal property securities |
| Legal services to the Commonwealth |
| Criminal law and law enforcement |
| National security, protective security policy and co-ordination |
| Protective services at Commonwealth establishments and diplomatic and consular premises in Australia |
| Commonwealth emergency management |
| Natural disaster relief, recovery and mitigation policy and financial assistance including payments to the States and Territories and the Australian Government Disaster Recovery Payment |
| Administrative support for Royal Commissions and certain other inquiries |
| Critical infrastructure protection co-ordination |
| Privacy |
| Freedom of Information |
| Cultural affairs, including movable cultural heritage and support for the arts |
| Management of government records |
| Native title |
| The Department of Communications |
| Broadband policy and programmes |
| Postal and telecommunications policies and programmes |
| Spectrum policy management |
| Broadcasting policy |
| National policy issues relating to the digital economy |
| Content policy relating to the information economy |
| The Department of Defence |
| Defence, including - |
| international defence relations and defence co-operation |
| defence scientific research and development |
| defence procurement and purchasing |
| defence industry development and co-operation |
| The Department of Education |
| Schools education policy and programmes, including vocational education and training in schools, but excluding migrant adult education |
| Schooling transitions policy and programmes including career pathways |
| Education and training transitions policy and programmes |
| Youth affairs and programmes, including youth transitions |
| Early childhood and childcare policy and programmes |
| Co-ordination of early childhood development policy and responsibilities |
| Higher education policy, regulation and programmes |
| Co-ordination of research policy in relation to universities |
| Creation and development of research infrastructure |
| Research grants and fellowships |
| Policy, coordination and support for international education and research engagement |
| The Department of Employment |
| Employment policy, including employment services |
| Job Services Australia |
| Labour market programmes for people of working age |
| Workplace relations policy development, advocacy and implementation |
| Promotion of flexible workplace relations policies and practices, including workplace productivity |
| Co-ordination of labour market research |
| Occupational health and safety, rehabilitation and compensation |
| Equal employment opportunity |
| Work and family programmes |
| The Department of the Environment |
| Environment protection and conservation of biodiversity |
| Air quality |
| National fuel quality standards |
| Land contamination |
| Meteorology |
| Administration of the Australian Antarctic Territory, and the Territory of Heard Island and McDonald Islands |
| Natural, built and cultural heritage |
| Environmental information and research |
| Ionospheric prediction |
| Co-ordination of sustainable communities policy |
| Population policy |
| Urban environment |
| Development and co-ordination of domestic climate change policy |
| Climate change adaptation strategy and co-ordination |
| Co-ordination of climate change science activities |
| Renewable energy |
| Greenhouse gas abatement programmes |
| Community and household climate action |
| Water policy and resources |
| The Department of Finance |
| Budget policy advice and process, and review of governmental programmes |
| Government financial accountability, governance and financial management frameworks, including grants and procurement policy and services |
| Shareholder advice on Government Business Enterprises and commercial entities treated as GBEs |
| General policy guidelines for Commonwealth statutory authorities |
| Superannuation arrangements for Australian Government civilian employees and members of parliament and retirement benefits for Federal Judges and Governors General |
| Asset sales |
| Commonwealth property policy framework, legislation and policy for the management of property leased or owned by the Commonwealth, including acquisition, disposal and management of property interests |
| Management of non-Defence Commonwealth property in Australia, including construction, major refurbishment, sustainability, acquisition, ownership and disposal of real property |
| Electoral matters |
| Administration of Parliamentarians’ entitlements |
| Administration of the Australian Government’s self-managed general insurance fund (Comcover) |
| Government on-line delivery and information technology and communications management |
| Policy advice on the Future Fund and Nation-building Funds and authorisation of payments from the Nation-building Funds to Agencies |
| Co-ordination of Government Advertising |
| Official Establishments, ownership and property management of the Prime Minister’s official residences |
| The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade |
| External Affairs, including - |
| relations and communications with overseas governments and United Nations agencies |
| treaties, including trade agreements |
| bilateral, regional and multilateral trade policy |
| international trade and commodity negotiations |
| market development, including market access |
| trade and international business development |
| investment promotion |
| international development co-operation |
| diplomatic and consular missions |
| international security issues, including disarmament, arms control and nuclear non-proliferation |
| public diplomacy, including information and cultural programmes |
| International expositions |
| Provision to Australian citizens of secure travel identification |
| Provision of consular services to Australian citizens abroad |
| Overseas property management, including acquisition, ownership and disposal of real property |
| Tourism industry |
| International development and aid |
| Development and co-ordination of international climate change policy |
| International climate change negotiations |
| The Department of Health |
| Public health, including health protection, and medical research |
| Health promotion and disease prevention |
| Primary health care |
| Hospitals funding and policy, including relationships and linkages within the continuum of health care |
| Implementation of the National Health and Hospitals Network |
| Health research |
| Pharmaceutical benefits |
| Health benefits schemes |
| Hearing services policy and funding |
| Specific health services, including human quarantine |
| Sport and recreation |
| National drug strategy |
| Regulation of therapeutic goods |
| Notification and assessment of industrial chemicals |
| Gene technology regulation |
| Medical indemnity insurance issues |
| Private health insurance |
| Blood and organ policy and funding |
| Health workforce capacity |
| Mental health policy and primary mental health care |
| The Department of Human Services |
| Development, delivery and co-ordination of government services, and development of policy on service delivery |
| Monitoring and management of service delivery arrangements involving social security, child support, students, families, aged care, health programmes, disability employment services, superannuation release and Australian Hearing Services |
| The Department of Immigration and Border Protection |
| Entry, stay and departure arrangements for non-citizens |
| Border immigration control |
| Citizenship |
| Ethnic affairs |
| Customs and border control other than quarantine and inspection |
| The Department of Industry |
| Manufacturing and commerce including industry and market development |
| Industry innovation policy and technology diffusion |
| Promotion of industrial research and development, and commercialisation |
| Biotechnology, excluding gene technology regulation |
| Marketing of manufactures and services |
| Enterprise improvement |
| Construction industry, excluding workplace relations |
| Small business programmes |
| Business entry point management |
| Provision of B2G and G2G authentication services |
| Facilitation of the development of service industries generally |
| Trade marks, plant breeders’ rights and patents of inventions and designs |
| Country of origin labelling |
| Weights and measures standards |
| Civil space issues |
| Analytical laboratory services |
| Science policy |
| Science engagement and awareness |
| Promotion of collaborative research in science and technology |
| Coordination of science research policy |
| Commercialisation and utilisation of public sector research relating to portfolio programmes and agencies |
| International science engagement |
| Information and communications technology industry development |
| Food processing industry policy |
| Skills and vocational education policy regulation and programmes |
| Training, including apprenticeships and training and skills assessment services |
| Foundation skills for adults |
| Support for introduction of a national occupation licensing system |
| Energy policy |
| Mineral and energy industries, including oil and gas, and electricity |
| National energy market |
| Energy-specific international organisations and activities |
| Administration of export controls on rough diamonds, uranium and thorium |
| Minerals and energy resources research, science and technology |
| Geoscience research and information services including geodesy, mapping, remote sensing, groundwater and spatial data co-ordination |
| Radioactive waste management |
| Renewable energy technology development |
| Low emissions fossil fuel energy |
| Industrial energy efficiency |
| Energy efficiency |
| Anti-dumping |
| Migrant adult education |
| The Department of Infrastructure and Regional Development |
| Infrastructure planning and co-ordination |
| Transport safety, including investigations |
| Land transport |
| Civil aviation and airports |
| Transport security |
| Maritime transport including shipping |
| Major projects office, including facilitation and implementation of all non Defence development projects |
| Administration of the Jervis Bay Territory, the Territory of Cocos (Keeling) Islands, the Territory of Christmas Island, the Coral Sea Islands Territory, the Territory of Ashmore and Cartier Islands, and of Commonwealth responsibilities on Norfolk Island |
| Constitutional development of the Northern Territory |
| Constitutional development of the Australian Capital Territory |
| Delivery of regional and territory specific services and programmes |
| Planning and land management in the Australian Capital Territory |
| Regional development |
| Matters relating to local government |
| Regional policy and co-ordination |
| The Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet |
| Advice to the Prime Minister across Government on policy and implementation |
| Assistance to the Prime Minister in managing the Cabinet programme |
| National security policy co-ordination |
| Counter terrorism policy co-ordination |
| Cyber policy co-ordination |
| Intergovernmental relations and communications with State and Territory Governments |
| Co-ordination of Government administration |
| Australian Government employment workplace relations policy, including equal employment opportunity and administration of the framework for agreement making and remuneration and conditions |
| Australian honours and symbols policy |
| Government ceremonial and hospitality |
| Commonwealth Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander policy, programmes and service delivery |
| Promotion of reconciliation |
| Community development employment projects |
| Reducing the burden of government regulation |
| Women’s policies and programmes |
| The Department of Social Services |
| Ageing research |
| Income security and support policies and programmes for families with children, carers, the aged, people with disabilities and people in hardship |
| Income support policies for students and apprentices |
| Services for families with children, people with disabilities and carers |
| Services for older people, including their carers |
| Policy for and promotion of active ageing, other than employment policy |
| Community mental health |
| Community support services |
| Family relationship, Family and Children’s Support Services |
| Social housing, rent assistance and homelessness |
| Child support policy |
| Housing affordability |
| Services to help people with disabilities obtain employment |
| Arrangements for the settlement of migrants and humanitarian entrants, other than migrant child and migrant adult education |
| Non-profit sector and volunteering |
| Multicultural affairs |
| The Department of the Treasury |
| Economic, fiscal and monetary policy |
| Taxation |
| Borrowing money on the public credit of the Commonwealth |
| International finance |
| Foreign exchange |
| Financial sector policy |
| Currency and legal tender |
| Foreign investment in Australia |
| Superannuation and retirement savings policy |
| Business law and practice |
| Corporate, financial services and securities law |
| Corporate insolvency |
| Competition and consumer policy |
| Prices surveillance |
| Excise |
| Census and statistics |
| Valuation services |
| Commonwealth-State financial relations |
| Consumer credit |
| Housing supply policy |
| Small business policy |
| The Department of Veterans' Affairs |
| Repatriation income support, compensation and health programmes for veterans, members of the Defence Force, certain mariners and their dependants |
| Commemorations |
| War graves |
| Defence Service Homes |
Source: National Commission of Audit.