The Department of Regional Australia, Regional Development and Local Government was an Australian

Government A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a state. In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive, and judiciary. Government is a ...

department that existed between September 2010 and December 2011.

Functions

In an Administrative Arrangements Order made on 14 September 2010, the functions of the department were broadly classified into the following matters: *Administration of the Jervis Bay Territory, the Territory of Cocos (Keeling) Islands, the Territory of Christmas Island, the Coral Sea Islands Territory, the Territory of Ashmore and Cartier Islands, and of Commonwealth responsibilities on Norfolk Island *Constitutional development of the Northern Territory *Constitutional development of the Australian Capital Territory *Delivery of regional and rural specific services *Planning and land management in the Australian Capital Territory *Regional development *Matters relating to local government *Regional Australia policy and co-ordination *Support for ministers and parliamentary secretaries with regional responsibilities

Intended outcomes

The department worked to help the Government of the day achieve its policy objectives by contributing to, and reporting against two key outcomes. The 2010–11 departmental annual report (which was the only annual report released by the department during its short period of operation) identified the outcomes as: * Coordinated community infrastructure in rural, regional and local government areas through financial assistance. * Good governance in the Australian territories through the maintenance and improvement of the overarching legislative framework for self-governing territories and laws and services for non self-governing territories.

Structure

During its life, the Department of Regional Australia, Regional Development and Local Government was accountable to

Simon Crean Simon Findlay Crean (born 26 February 1949) is an Australian politician and trade unionist. He was the Member of Parliament for Hotham from 1990 to 2013, representing the Labor Party, and served as a Cabinet Minister in the Hawke, Keating, R ...

as the Minister for Regional Australia, Regional Development and Local Government. The department was staffed by

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 ...

officials and headed by a Secretary, Glenys Beauchamp. The department's staff numbered approximately 330.

Notes

References and further reading

* * {{Authority control Government agencies disestablished in 2011 2010 establishments in Australia 2011 disestablishments in Australia Ministries established in 2010 Regional Australia, Regional Development and Local Government