The Department of Housing and Regional Development 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, ...

that existed between March 1994 and March 1996.

History

The department was created by the Keating government on 25 March 1994, dividing the Department of Human Services and Health. At the time, media noted that the department was similar to the

Whitlam Edward Gough Whitlam (11 July 191621 October 2014) was the 21st prime minister of Australia, serving from 1972 to 1975. The longest-serving federal leader of the Australian Labor Party (ALP) from 1967 to 1977, he was notable for being the he ...

-era

Department of Urban and Regional Development The Department of Urban and Regional Development was an Australian government department that existed between December 1972 and December 1975. History The Department was one of several new Departments established by the Whitlam Gover ...

, with the key difference being that all funds were to be paid through states and local governments rather than through Australian Government programs. After the Howard government was elected at the 1996 federal election, Prime Minister

John Howard John Winston Howard (born 26 July 1939) is an Australian former politician who served as the 25th prime minister of Australia from 1996 to 2007, holding office as leader of the Liberal Party. His eleven-year tenure as prime minister is the s ...

dismantled the department, assigning its welfare housing functions to the

Department of Social Security The Department of Social Security (DSS) was a governmental agency in the United Kingdom from 1988 to 2001. The old abbreviation is still often used informally. Advertisements for rented accommodation used to describe prospective tenants who wou ...

and its industry functions to the newly created

Department of Industry, Science and Tourism The Department of Industry, Science and Tourism (also called DIST) was an Australian government The Australian Government, also known as the Commonwealth Government, is the national government of Australia, a federal parliamentary con ...

Scope

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. According to the Administrative Arrangements Order (AAO) made on 25 March 1994, the Department dealt with: *Housing *Matters relating to local government *Planning and land management in the

Australian Capital Territory The Australian Capital Territory (commonly abbreviated as ACT), known as the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) until 1938, is a landlocked federal territory of Australia containing the national capital Canberra and some surrounding townships. ...

*Regional development

Structure

The Department was administered by

Australian public servants Australian(s) may refer to: Australia * Australia, a country * Australians, citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia ** European Australians ** Anglo-Celtic Australians, Australians descended principally from British colonists ** Aboriginal Aus ...

who were responsible to the Minister for Housing and Regional Development, Brian Howe. The Secretary of the Department was

Andrew Podger Andrew Stuart Podger, (born 6 November 1948) is a retired Australian senior public servant. He is currently Professor of Public Policy at the Australian National University. Early life Podger was born 6 November 1948. Public service career Pod ...

References

{{Authority control Ministries established in 1994

Housing Housing, or more generally, living spaces, refers to the construction and assigned usage of houses or buildings individually or collectively, for the purpose of shelter. Housing ensures that members of society have a place to live, whether it ...

1994 establishments in Australia 1996 disestablishments in Australia Government agencies disestablished in 1996