Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (Australia)

Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet
Agency overview
Formed	1911
Jurisdiction	Australia
Employees	526
Annual budget	A$140.7 million (2007/08)
Minister responsible	Julia Gillard, Prime Minister
Agency executive	Dr Ian Watt, AO, Secretary
Website
www.dpmc.gov.au

The Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (PM&C) is an Australian Government department. The Department was first established in 1911 (it was then known as the Prime Minister's Department; the later title was created in 1971). Its role is to ensure that policy proposals put to the Prime Minister and to Cabinet are developed in a coherent, informed and coordinated fashion, to co-ordinate the implementation of key government programmes, to support official visits, ceremonies and state occasions and, to manage the operations of the official residences. The responsibilities of the Department are considerably wider than in most other Westminster systems, although the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet in New Zealand has similar responsibilities.

Department organisation

The Department is organised into a Cabinet Division, an Economic Division, an Industry, Infrastructure and Environment Division, an International Division, a National Security Division, a Social Policy Division and a People, Resources and Communications Division and numerous Task Forces to deal with particular problems. The Secretary of the Department, currently Dr Ian Watt, is the equivalent of the Cabinet Secretary in Britain or the Clerk of the Privy Council in Canada. The acting National Security Advisor is Dr Margot McCarthy.

History

Prior to 1911, the Prime Minister had no department of his own as such. The Prime Minister was concurrently the Minister for External Affairs, and used the services of the Department of External Affairs.

On 1 July 1911, the Prime Minister's Department was created.

On 11 March 1968, a separate Department of the Cabinet Office was created.

On 12 March 1971, these two departments were merged to create the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet.

Secretaries of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet

The Secretary of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet is the public service head of the department and the most senior public servant in Australia. Below is the list of Secretaries since 1911 (until 1971, the office was Secretary of the Prime Minister's Department).

Name	Dates
Malcolm Shepherd	1911–1921
Percival Deane, CMG	1921–1928
Sir John McLaren	1928–1933
John Starling	1933–1935
Frank Strahan	1935–1949
Sir Allen Brown	1949–1959
Sir John Bunting, CBE	1959–1968
Sir Lenox Hewitt	1968–1971
Sir John Bunting	1971–1974
John Menadue	1974–1976
Sir Alan Carmody, CBE	1976–1978
Sir Geoffrey Yeend	1978–1986
Mike Codd	1986–1992
Dr. Michael Keating	1992–1996
Max Moore-Wilton	1996–2003
Dr. Peter Shergold, AM	2003–2008
Terry Moran	2008 - 2011
Dr Ian Watt, AO	2011 -

National Security Advisor of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet

The post of National Security Advisor was formed in December of 2008.

Name	Dates	Notes
MAJGEN Duncan Lewis, AO, DSC, CSC (Ret'd)	2008 - 2011	Currently serving as the Secretary of Defence
Dr Margot McCarthy	2011 - Incumbent	Acting

See also

• Prime Minister of Australia
• List of Australian Commonwealth Government entities

References

External links

• Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet Website