The Department of Shipping and Fuel 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 April 1948 and March 1950.

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 13 May 1948, the department dealt with: *Commonwealth Oil Refineries Ltd (Government relations with) *Coal production and distribution *Importation, sale and use of liquid fuels and petroleum products, including rationing and distribution of petroleum fuels and substitute and synthetic fuels *Mining and distribution of coal *Mining and distribution of oil shale and refining of shale oil products *Oil wells. Refining and distribution of locally produced petroleum products *Control and maintenance of coastal lights and other aids to navigation on the ocean highways of the Australian coastline. *Control of navigation services such as seamen's compensation, prevention of obstruction on shipping routes and fishing grounds, accommodation for ships' crews, welfare of seamen, maintenance of ships' gear, examination of masters and officers, Courts of Marine Inquiry *Shipping, including the best utilization of the Australian Coastal Fleet, the chartering of ships, the manning of ships *Stevedoring labor and operations, delivery of carto to and from ships, including wharf clearance and storage of cargo *Stowage and movement of explosives and dangerous cargoes at Australian ports *Policy in respect of shipbuilding and subsidy to promote the operation of Australian-built ships *Commonwealth Handling Equipment Pool

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 who were responsible to the Minister for Shipping and Fuel, initially Bill Ashley and, after the 1949 federal election,

George McLeay George McLeay (6 August 1892 – 14 September 1955) was an Australian politician and senior minister in the Menzies Liberal government. Early life McLeay was born in Port Clinton, South Australia and educated at Port Clinton Public School unt ...

References

Shipping and Fuel Ministries established in 1948 Government agencies disestablished in 1950 1948 establishments in Australia 1950 disestablishments in Australia Ministries established in 1950 Shipping in Australia {{Australia-gov-stub