14RESS STATEMENT NO. 153
NO: VEBER 19735
M! INISTERIAL AND DEP9ARTMENTAL CHANGES
I have recommended certain , Ministerial changes to
His Excellency the G. overnor-General a! na ils Excellency today
has Sappointed the Honourable Les Johnson to be
. Minister for Housing and Construction,
consequent upon the abolition of the
Department of Housing and the renaming of
the Department of Works as the Department
of Housing and Construction.
accepted the resignation of Senator the
Hionourable Don Willesee as Special Minister
of State following rearrangement of the
Ministerial workload consequent upon
Senator Willesee's appointment as Minister
for Foreign Affairs,
appointed the Honourable Lionel tF Bowen,
Postmaster-General, to be also Special
Minister of State. Mr, Bowen, in addition,
will be Minister Assisting the Prime
Minister. iiis Excellency has also acceped the resignation of
Senator Willesee as Vice-President of the Executive Council
and has appointed in his place the Honourable F. E. Stewart,
Minister for Tourism and Recreation, to be Vice-President
of the Executive Council.
The following administrative changes were also
approved today by the Executive Cou-ncil
Sthe Departments of Navy, Army and Air were
abolished and their functions merged with
those of the Department of Defence. / 2.
the Department of Civil Aviation was abolished
and its functions merged with those of the
Department of Transport.
the Department of Housing was abolished and
its functions merged with the Department of
4orks, renamed the Department of Iiousing and
Construction. the Department of External Territories was
abolished and its remaining functions
distributed to other departments.
Details of these changes will be published in the
Gazette today. With the abolition of the Departments of Housing,
Civil Aviation, Air, Army Navy and External Territories,
the associated Ministerial portfolios cease to exist.
Mir. Barnard continues as Minister for Defence, Mro Jones
as Minister for Transport and Mr. Morrison as Minister for
Science. 1Mr. Morrison will also be Minister Assisting the
Miister for Foreign Affairs in Papua New Guinea matters.,
By these changes the number of departments is
reduced from 37 to 31. Other changes the abolition of the
Department of Customs and Excise and the Department of Supply
are still under consideration.
Associated with the departmental changes approved
by the Executive Council today were formal decisions for
the abolition of Public Service positions in departments
being abolished. Staff will be transferred to corresponding
posi ions created in the departments to which functions are
being transferred. Mr. A. S. Reiher will be Permanent Iead of the
Department of Housing and Construction, Mr C. C. Halton
will be Permanent Head of the Department of Transport,,
Mr. Bruce White, formerly Permanent Head of the
Department of the Army, will continue as Permanent Head
Assisting the Secretary, Department of Defence.
Mr. F. J. Green, formerly Secretary, Department of
Air, will be Special Deputy of the Permanent Head,
Department of Defence ( Navy Office) and Special Deputy of
the Permanent Ilead, Department of Defence ( Air Office
Mr. J. B. R. Livermore, Acting Secretary, Department
of the Army, will be Special Deputy o the Permanent Head,
Department of Defence Army Officeso 0../ 30
As already announced, Mr. S. Landau, formerly
Secretary Department of the Navy, has been appointed
Minister ( Politico-Military Affairs) Australian Embassy,
Washington. It has also been announced that Mr. D. O. Hay,
formerly Secretary, Department of External ferritories,
will be Defence Force Ombudsman.
It is intended that Mr. J. F. Nimmo, formerly
Secretary, Department of Housing, be appointed a Member
of the Grants Commission. It is also intended that
Mr. Nimmo be appointed a Commissioner under the Royal
Commissions Act to undertake an inquiry into the impact
of freight rates on the Tasmanian economy.