The Department of Finance and Administration (also called DOFA) was an

Australian government The Australian Government, also known as the Commonwealth Government, is the national government of Australia, a federal parliamentary constitutional monarchy. Like other Westminster-style systems of government, the Australian Government i ...

department Department may refer to: * Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility Government and military *Department (administrative division), a geographical and administrative division within a country, ...

tasked to contribute to sustainable Government finances; improved and more efficient Government operations; and efficiently functioning Parliament. The Department existed between October 1997 and December 2007, operating under the Howard Government.

Outcomes and scope

The Department contributed to three key outcomes: sustainable Government finances; improved and more efficient Government operations; and efficiently functioning Parliament. Information about the department's functions and/or government funding allocation could be found in the Administrative Arrangements Orders, the annual Portfolio Budget Statements, in the department's annual reports and on the department's website. At its creation, the Department dealt with: *Evaluation and review of government programs and associated expenditure and staffing proposals *Expenditure and staffing estimates *Government financial administration and accounts, including administration of the Public Account *Commission of Audit *Commonwealth superannuation schemes *General policy guidelines for Commonwealth statutory authorities, Commonwealth companies and government business enterprises and monitoring the financial performance of government business enterprises *Oversight of Commonwealth public sector financial management policy development *Conduct of major asset sales *In relation to natural disaster relief arrangements, financial assistance to the States, the Australian Capital Territory and the Northern Territory *Acquisition, leasing, management and disposal of land and property in Australia and overseas *Transport and storage services *Co-ordination of purchasing policy and civil purchasing *Disposal of goods *Planning, execution and maintenance of Commonwealth Government works *Design and maintenance of Government furniture, furnishings and fittings *Government printing and publishing services *Electoral matters *Provision of facilities for Members of Parliament other than in Parliament House *Administrative support for Royal Commissions and certain other inquiries *Information co-ordination and services within Australia, including advertising

Structure

The Department was an

Australian Public Service The Australian Public Service (APS) is the federal civil service of the Commonwealth of Australia responsible for the public administration, public policy, and public services of the departments and executive and statutory agencies of the G ...

department, staffed by officials responsible to the Minister for Finance and Administration, initially John Fahey (until November 2001) and then

Nick Minchin Nicholas Hugh Minchin (born 15 April 1953) is a former Australian politician and former Australian Consul-General in New York, USA. He previously served as a Liberal member of the Australian Senate representing South Australia from July 1993 to ...

Notes

References and further reading

* Australia, Finance and Administration Finance and Administration {{Australia-gov-stub