The Department of Minerals and Energy 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 that existed between December 1972 and December 1975.

History

The department was one of several new departments established by the Whitlam government, a wide restructuring that revealed some of the new government's program. The department was dissolved shortly after the dismissal of the government in 1975.

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 National Archives of Australia, at its creation, the department was responsible for: *Evaluation and balanced development of minerals and energy resources having regard to future requirements. *Geodetic surveying, and the production of topographical maps, for Commonwealth purposes. In June 1975, the department adopted matters from the Department of Science (I) when it was reformed into the

Department of Science and Consumer Affairs The Department of Science and Consumer Affairs was an Australian government The Australian Government, also known as the Commonwealth Government, is the national government of Australia, a federal parliamentary constitutional monarchy ...

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 Minerals and Energy. The department was headed by a Secretary, initially

Lloyd Bott Lloyd Forrester Bott (8 April 1917 – 8 September 2004) was a senior Australian public servant. Early life Lloyd Bott was born on 8 April 1917 in Thornbury, Melbourne. He attended Northcote High School. Career After leaving high school, Bo ...

(acting until December 1972) and followed by

Lenox Hewitt Sir Cyrus Lenox Simson Hewitt (7 May 1917 – 28 February 2020) was an Australian public servant. His career in the Commonwealth Public Service spanned from 1939 to 1980, and included periods as a senior adviser and departmental secretary. His ...

(December 1972 to August 1975) and Jim Scully (August 1975 until the department's abolition).

References

Minerals and Energy Australia, Minerals and Energy {{Australia-gov-stub