COPY Minister for the Interior,
Parliament House,
Canberra, AOC. T.
2 February, 1959.
My dear Prime Minister, Knowing your keen personal interest in having the
policy making core of the Defence and Service Departments located
in Canberra at the earliest possible moment, I thought you w-ould
like to know what progress has been made to date. This letter,
therefore, describes in detail what has been achieved.
In November 1956, Cabinet directed
that the policy making' core of the Department of
Defence and such other staff as would need to
be associated with it in Canberra for policy
making purposes should transfer to Canberra at
the earliest possible date; and
that planning be based on 450 500 being transferred
initially, i. e. as soon as office accommodation was
available in Block of the Administrative
Building, and a further 600 about six months later.
Subsequently a scheme to provide for the transfer
Wof approximately 1,100 personnel over a period of one year from
1st January, 1959 was submitted to and approved by Cabinet in
February, 1957. Itthe same timae approval was given for a
programme of works, including additional houses, schools, and
associated engineering works, totalling an estimated X. 37.2m. to
be spread over a period of five years from 1st July, 1957. This
programme was designed not only to meet the needis of the transferees
but also to meet the normal requirements of the rapidly expanding
city. The prime task, however, was to effect the transfer of
personnel of the Defence and Service Departments and I am pleased to
be able to report that the first phase o' the movement has been
Wsatisfactorily completed.
According to figures 2urnish1-ed by the Depart-ment of
Defence, 433 positions w-ere transferred i n the first group. Some
of these, however, were vacant and the occupants of some other
Wpositions declined to transfer. The actual numzber for whom
accommodation had to be found totalled 372. including 47 United Kingdom
and United States Liaison staffs. Approxi mately another 20 were
accommodated at Fairbairn and Harman or obtai-ned private accommodation.
The following shows the type of accommodation provided
for the transferees Houses 208
Flats 62
Hostel bed 02
372
Despite this requirement it was possible during 1958
to allocate to the ordinary waiting l. ist a total of 864 tenancies
made up of 637 new houses and flats and 227 re-allocated vacancies.
This compares with the previous best total of 759 during 1956, and
the previous three-year average of 625. , Acccrdingly, far from
suffering any loss because of the transfers, the need to accelerate
the building programme to meet the transfers benefited those who
were on the waiting list for houising.
The need to provide such a large number of houses,
flats and hostel beds, and at the samne time make some provision for
2.
people already in Canberra who were waiting for housing,, presented
quite a formidable task. A special unit was set up in the Department
of the Interior to do the initial planning and programming and to
co-ordinate the activities of the various agencies concerned in the
overall development involved. Much credit is due to these officers,
to the Department of Works, and over the latter half of last year,
to the newly created National Capital Development Commission, for
seeing the programme through and ensuring that requirements were met
on time. It was a striking example of good planning and excellent
team work between the various departmental agencies, backed up by
close co-operation on the part of the contractors and men on the job.
The actual movement of officers with their families,
and of departmental papers and records, was also carried out very
smoothly and the officers of the Department of Supply and the
removalists are to be commended on the manner in which this largescale
movement was organised and completed.
The allocation of accommodation was carried out in
Melbourne some three months prior to the move commenci-ng by officers
Sof the Department of the Interior. Every officer being transferred
Wwas interviewed and given a choice of house types, consistent with
his family needs. As a result quite a number of officers have
expressed their appreciation for the way in which they were treated.
The Victorian Branch of the Administrative and Clerical Officers
Association in their official journal, " Viewpoint" had this to say
" Victorian ' Viewpointt ! wishes to add its
congratulations to the officers from the Department
of the Interior who carried out the allocation task
in Melbourne with such patience, fairness and
courtesy that every future tenant went away with
complete satisfaction." 1
The Secretary, Department of Defence, also expressed his thanks for
the way the job was handled.
As you know, additional schools, pre-school centres
and mothercraft centres also formed an important part of the fiveyear
construction programme. Some of these were required urgently
to relieve the over-crowding that had occurred due to the rapid
growth of Canberra over recent years, as well as to meet the
increased requirements arising from the transfers. Since 1st July,
1957, additional school accommodation has been provided as follows
Class-athe Maximum~
rooms rooms cupacijy
North Ainslie Primary 8 4 380
Forrest Infants and Primary 15 5 700
Tharwa school extensions 0.0 1 48
x Lyneham High School 0. 19 21 900
x Lyneham Infants and Primary .15 5 700
( Yi Portions only of these two schools have actually been taken
over but the remainder will be available later in the year.)
In addition, the first stage of alterations and
additions to Telopea Park School to convert it to a full High
School has been completed, giving 24 classrooms and 18 other rooms
with a total capacity of 95' 0.
Further schools in course of desig n or projected are
3. Class-Other Maximum
rceoms rooms capacity
Red Hill Infants and Primary 23 5 1,000
( required by 1960)
Narrabundah High School o* 19 21 900
( required by 1961)
Canberra High School extensions Additional Home Science
and '-echnical accommodation.
Telopea Park High School
second stage 00. Mainly alterations
The denominational schools have also increased their
accommodation. The Roman Catholic Church has made extensions to
St. Edmund's College providing additional classrooms and science
laboratories, and a new secondary school for girls has been opened
this year at Braddon providing accommodation for 4-i00.
The Canberra Church of England Boys' Grammar School
has built a block of new classrooms, assembly hall and ancillary
accommodation, giving additional capacity of 120. The Girls'
Grammar School has at present under construction a block of five
classrooms, science laboratory and ancillary accommodation,
As a result of the school. expansion programme the
increased school population at the beginning of the school year has
been absorbed without difficulty and the fu.-ther increase expected
from the second moves to commence in July can also be absorbed,
Three new pre-school centres and two mothercraft
centres were also opened during 1958.
Second move. The Defence Department has stated
that it is anticipated 624i positions w-il l be transferred in the
second move scheduled to commence in July next. Construction
to meet the housing requirements of this group is proceeding.
Individual needs are not yet knoivm but based on the pattern of
types of accommodation sought by those in the first group, there
appears to be little doubt at this stage that requirements can be
met in time to permit of the second movement commriencing on
__ schedule. ( Sgd. GORDON FREETH.