Department of Productivity

The Department of Productivity was an Australian government department with the mission to providing increased industrial productivity. The department existed between November 1976 and November 1980, operating under the Fraser Government.

Department of Productivity
Department overview
Formed8 November 1976[1]
Preceding Department
  • Department of Transport (III) - for materials handling

    Department of Business and Consumer Affairs - for patents of inventions and designs and trade marks
    Department of Employment and Industrial Relations (I) - for working environment, productivity promotion and national training policy

    Department of Industry and Commerce (I) - for efficiency and development of manufacturing and tertiary industries; and manufacture of goods and provision of services for defence purposes
Dissolved3 November 1980[1]
Superseding agency
JurisdictionCommonwealth of Australia
HeadquartersCanberra
Ministers responsible
Department executives
  • D.J. O'Connor, Acting Secretary (1976‑77)
  • Alan Cooley[2], Secretary (1977‑80)
  • Hugh Ryan, Acting Secretary (1979‑80)
  • D. Eltringham, Secretary (1980)

History

The establishment of the Department of Productivity was announced by Malcolm Fraser in November 1976, a new initiative taken to provide a technologically oriented agency with the responsibility of providing increased industrial productivity.[3]

The Department of Productivity was abolished in November 1980 when the Fraser Government joined the department together with the Department of Science and the Environment to form the Department of Science and Technology, having received advice from the Australian Science and Technology Council that there would be merit in merging the two departments.[4]

Outcomes and scope

The Department's mission was to provide increased industrial productivity.[1]

Information about the department's functions and/or 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 creation, the Department dealt with:[1]

  • Productivity of industry
  • Industrial training policy
  • Patents of Inventions and designs, and trade marks
  • Manufacture of goods and provision of services for defence purposes

Structure

The Department was an Australian Public Service department, staffed by officials responsible to the Minister for Productivity.[1]

List of ministers
#NamePartyStartEndPrime Minister
1Ian Macphee Liberal8 November 19768 December 1979Malcolm Fraser
2Kevin Newman Liberal8 December 19793 November 1980Malcolm Fraser
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References
  1. CA 2129: Department of Productivity, Central Office, National Archives of Australia, retrieved 11 January 2014
  2. Fraser, Malcolm (14 January 1977). "Secretary to the Department of Productivity" (Press release). Archived from the original on 20 March 2014.
  3. Fraser, Malcolm (7 November 1976). "Department of Productivity" (Press release). Archived from the original on 11 January 2014.
  4. Fraser, Malcolm (2 November 1980). "The New Ministry" (Press release). Archived from the original on 11 January 2014. Retrieved 11 January 2014.
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