FOR MEDIA: 11 DECEMBER 1984
CHANGES TO THE MINISTRY AND DEPARTMENTAL ARRANGEMENTS
THE MINISTRY
I have today written to the Governor-General recommending
the composition of the Second Hawke Ministry. The new
Ministry, which will be sworn into office on Thursday
morning, is: Representation in7
other Chamber
* Prime Minister
' Deputy Prime Minister,
Attorney-General, Minister
Assisting the Prime Minister
for Commonwealth-State
Relations and Vice-President
of the Executive Council
* Leader of the Government
in the Senate and Minister
for Industry, Technology
and Commerce
* Deputy Leader of the
Government and Manager
of Government Business in
the Senate and Minister for
Community Services rhe Hon. R. J. L. Hawke, AC, MP
rhe Hon. Lionel Bowen, MP
Senator the Hon John Button
Senator the Hon Don Grimes Senator Button
Senator Evans
Dawkins Jones
Dr Blewett
' Minister for Employment and The Hon Ralph Willis, MP
industrial Relations and
Minister Assisting the
Prime Minister for Public
Service Industrial Matters Senator Walsh
* Treasurer
' Special minister of State
and Leader of the House
* Minister for Finance and
and Minister Assisting the
Prime Minister for Public
Service Mattera The Hon P. J. Keating, MP
The Hon Michael J. Young, MP
Senator the Hon Peter Walsh Senator Walsh
Senator Evans
# Mr Hurford
# Mr Willis
m4inister for Foreign
Affairs The Hon Bill Hayden, MPSena ar Evans
* Minister for Education and Senator the Hon Susan Ryan
Minister Assisting the
Prime Minister on the
Status of Women
* Minister for Resources and Senator the Hon Gareth Evans
Energy, Minister Assisting QC
the Prime Minister and
Minister Assisting the
Minister for Foreign
Affairs Mr Dawkins
Mr Jones
* Minister for Trade and
Minister Assisting the
Prime Minister for
Youth Affairs
* Minister for Primary
Industry
* Minister for Housing and
Construction
* Minister for Defence
* Minister for Immigration
and Ethnic Affairs and
Minister Assisting the
Treasurer
* Minister for Social
Security
Minister-for Transport and
Minister for Aviation
Minister for Sport,
Recreation and Tourism
and Minister Assisting the
Minister for Defence
Minister for Health
Minister for S~ ience and
Minister Assisting the
Minister for Industry,
Technology and Commerce
Minister for Territories
Minister for Communications
and Minister Assisting
the Minister for Defence The Hon J. S. Dawkins, MP
The Hon John Kerin, MP
The Hon Stewart West, MP
The Hon Kim C. Beazley, MP
The Hon Chris Hurford, MP
The Hon Brian Howe, MP
The Hon Peter Morris, MP
The Hon John Brown, MP
The Hon Neal Blewett, MP
The Hon Barry 0. Jones, MP
The Hon Gordon Scholes, MP
The Hon Michael Duffy, NP. Senator Button
Senator Walsh
Senator Ryan
Senator Evans
Senator Grimes
Senator Grimes
Senator Gietzelt
Senator Ryan
Senator Grimes
Senator Button
Senator Gietzelt
Senator Walsh
Minister f or Arts,. Heritage The Hon Barry Cohen, 14P
and Environment and Minister,
Assisting the Prime Minister
for the Bicentennial
Minister for Aboriginal The Hon. Holding, H4P
. Affairs Senator Ryan
Senator Ryan
a number of departments will be reorganised and
renamed in view of signific~ nt changes of
functions: industry, Technology and Commerce ( previously
industry and Commerce);
Science ( previously Science and Technology);
Education ( previously Education and Youth
Affairs);
Arts, Heritage and Environment ( previously
Home Affairs and Environment);
Territories ( previously Territories and Local
Government); Local Government and Administrative Services
( bringing together functions from Territories
and Local Government and Administrative
Services).
the Department of Defence Support will be
abolished, and most of its functions allocated to
Defence.
The major departmental changes, which will be reflected
in new Administrative Arrangements to be gazetted on
Thursday, are as follows:
1. Industry Policy
There will be a substantial expansion of the department
primarily responsible for industry policy, through the
creation of a Department of Industry, Technology and
Commerce, under Senator Button. He will be assisted by
the Minister for Science, Mr Jones. The inclusion in
this Department of responsibility for technology and
civil offsets, and for the implementation of the
Government's deregulation initiatives, will enable a
better integration of our industry and technology
policies, and should increase the competitiveness of
Australian industry stimulating growth and greater
employment opportunities. The Department will work
closely with the Departments of Trade and of Employment
and industrial Relations to promote the Government's
competitiveness, growth and employment objectives.
Mr Jones will have special responsibility for assisting
Senator Button in regard to Information Technology and
Biotechnology. It is the Government's intention to have a separate
Comptroller of Customs, and a review of the functions of
Customs is being conducted, with a further announcement
to be made early next year.
Minister for Veterans' Senator the Ron A. T. Gietzelt Mr Holding
Af fairs
Minister for Local The Hon Tom Uren, MP Senator Gietzeli
Government and
Admninistrative Services
Minister in the Cabinet
~' Mr Dawkins to represent the Minister for Industry, Technology and
Commerce in Industry and Commerce matters, and Mr Jones in
Technology matters.
Mr Hurford to represent the Minister for Finance, and Mr Willis to
represent the Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for Public Service
Matters. THE GOVERNMENT' S PRIORITIES AND DEPARTMENTAL CHANGES
The Government's major priority and achievement during
its first term in office was to bring Australia out of
the recession which it had inherited.
The Government's priorities during its second term are
to sustain the recovery, and to ensure that the benefits
of that recovery are shared in a fair and equitable way
among all Australians. This has necessitated some
changes in departmental arrangements, but these have
been kept to a minimum.
The changes that I will be making reflect the following
shifts in emphasis:
a reordering of industry and technology policy
functions to reflect the Government's priorities
for industry development, to ensure the achievement
of continued high growth and employment;
a more rational organisation of the welfare policy
area, to ensure that the Government's programs are
delivered in the most effective way;
a concentrated effort to improve and more
effectively integrate the Government's overall
policies for youth;
a better integration of defence administration.
To give effect to these changes in Government
priorities, the following departmental changes will be
made: a new Department of Community Services is to be
created;
offsets will be transferred to the'Department of
Industry, Technology and Commerce ( the precise split
will be guided by the report of the current inquiry into
off setsB). All other responsibilities of Defence Support
will move to Defence. The new Minister for Defence,
Mr Reazley, and his Ministers Assisting, Mr Duffy and
Mr Brown, will be responsible for A smooth transition
to the new arrangements.
Other Important Administrative Changes
In addition to being appointed Mini-ster for Resources
and Energy, Senator Evans will be Minister Assisting the
Minister for Foreign Affairs, having represented both
Mr Hayden and the Minister for Defence in the Senate
during the Government's first term. Senator Evans has
also been appointed to the new posi-tion of Minister
Assisting the Prime Minister, to assist me and the
relevant Minister or Ministers with particular areas of
policy difficulty, or when portfolib-. responsibility for
particular issues overlap or are not clear.
The responsibility, for the Bicentennial Authority, which
will demand greater attention by the Government between
now and* 1988, will be transferred to my portfolio. The
current Minister, Mr Cohen, will assist me in
Bicentennial matters. His Departrndnt will be renamed
Arts, Heritage and Environment. Responsibility for the
Australian War Memorial will be transferred to the
Minister for Veterans' Affairs.-
In the interest of greater administrative efficiency,
responsibility for local goverrnment~ nregional
development and Commonwealth common services, including
property services, has been brought together in the
Department of Local Government and Administrative
Services, with Mr Uren as Minister._
Responsibility for animal and * plant quarantine will be
transferred to the Department of PrImary Industry,
subject to necessary technical changes to the Quarantine
Act. The Department of Sport, Recreation and Tourism is to be
given responsibility for the Government's information
and advertising programs, as well as tourism promotion
and international expositions. It Will also gain
responsibility for the National Sports Centre. The
Department will have overall responsibility for
projecting the Australian achievement overseas.
IMPLEMENTATION I have asked Senator Walsh, as Minister for Finance and
Minister Assisting me for Public Service Matters, to
take responsibility for the implementation of the above
changes, to ensure that consequential questions of
finance, staffing and physical location of offices are
2. Welfare Policy
A new Department of Community Services will be created
under Senator Grim~ es to coordinate all Government social
security, community services aind health and welfare
policies, and to administer programs which provide or
subsidise services to the aged, the disabled, children
and others in special need. The Department will include
the Offices of Aged Care ( as promised during the
election campaign), Child Care and the Disabled,
together with a Policy Coordination Office formerly
the Social welfare Policy Secretariat.
The establishment of this Department will enable the
Government to concentrate overall policy development in
the welfare area in the one department, and to focus
more effectively on the important service programs, many
of which the Government is currently reviewing in
conjunction with the States.
The Minister for Social Security will retain
responsibility for payment of pensions and benefits.
Responsibility for nursing homes, home nursing and
assistance for the disabled in the Department of Health
will be transferred to the new Department of Community
Services. Community health centres will remain the
responsibility of the Minister for Health. The Minister
for Health's primary responsibilities will be for
Medicare, health research, medical services and
community health matters. The Minister will have
responsibility for the coordination of the national
campaign against drug abuse, which will have a high
priority for the Government during its second term.
3. Youth Policy
The Office of Youth Affairs will be transferred to the
Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, and it
will function in the same way as the Office * of the
Status of Women. it will have an input into the
development of all relevant Government programs, and it
will be the focal point within the Government for the
concerns and interests of our nation's youth, including
next year's International Youth Year programs. School
to work transition programs will remain in Education.
Mr Dawkins will be Minister Assisting for Youth Affairs.
4. Defence
The experience of the Government's first term suggests
that the needs of Defence policy making, and of the
Defence industries, will be better served if all related
responsibilities are brought together within the one
portfolio. it has, therefore, been decided to transfer
most of the functions of Defence Support into Defence,
under the supervision of a very senior officer working
to the Minister and Secretary of Defence. The close
working relationship developed by the Minister for
Defence Support with the defence industry will be
continued under the new arrangements. Responsibility
for offsets policy, and administration of non-Defence
SECRETARIES OF DEPARTMENTS
until a permanent appointment can be made, Mr Ayers
( Secretary to the Department of Social Security) will
act as Secretary to the Department of Community
Services.