The Department of Communications, Information Technology and the Arts (DCITA) 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 October 1998 and December 2007. The Department was closed on 3 December 2007 and its authority was transferred to the

Department of Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy The Australian Department of Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy is a former department of the Government of Australia that was charged with the responsibility to help develop a vibrant, sustainable and internationally competitive ...

Scope

While operational, information about the department's functions and government funding allocation originally could be found in the Administrative Arrangements Orders, the annual Portfolio Budget Statements and in the Department's annual reports. At the time of its creation, the Department was responsible for: *

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

's Postal and telecommunications services *Management of the electromagnetic spectrum *Broadcasting services *Management of government records *Centenary of federation *Cultural affairs, including support for the arts *National policy issues relating to the information economy *Information and communication industries development, electronic commerce and business on-line and Year 2000 issues *Government on-line delivery and information technology and communications management, excluding IT outsourcing

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 Communications, Information Technology and the Arts.

Arrangements for outside participation and public involvement

The Department had an ongoing involvement with the following bodies some of which played a role in consulting with the community and industry: * Collections Council of Australia * Committee on Taxation Incentives for the Arts * Community Broadcasting Foundation * Contemporary Music Touring Program Committee * Cultural Ministers Council (CMC) * Digital Content Industry Action Agenda Strategic Industry Leaders Group * Festivals Australia Committee * Film Certification Advisory Board * Media and Communications Council (MACC) * National Portrait Gallery Board * Networking the Nation Board * Online Council * Online and Communications Council including its Regional Communications and Indigenous Telecommunications Working Groups * Playing Australia Committee * Public Lending Right (PLR) Committee * Sport and Recreation Ministers Council (SR MC) * Visions of Australia Committee

References

Sources

Ministries established in 1998 Communications, Information Technology and the Arts {{Australia-gov-stub