The Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (PM&C) is 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 ...

public service A public service is any service intended to address specific needs pertaining to the aggregate members of a community. Public services are available to people within a government jurisdiction as provided directly through public sector agencies ...

central department of state with broad ranging responsibilities, primary of which is for intergovernmental and whole of government policy coordination and assisting the prime minister of Australia in managing the

Cabinet of Australia The Cabinet of Australia (or Federal Cabinet) is the chief decision-making organ of the executive branch of the government of Australia. It is a council of senior government ministers, ultimately responsible to the Federal Parliament. Minist ...

. The PM&C was established in 1971 and traces its origins back to the

Prime Minister's Department A cabinet department or prime minister's department is a department or other government agency that directly supports the work of the government's central executive office, usually the cabinet and/or prime minister, rather than specific ministe ...

established in 1911. The role of PM&C is to support the policy agenda of the prime minister and

Cabinet Cabinet or The Cabinet may refer to: Furniture * Cabinetry, a box-shaped piece of furniture with doors and/or drawers * Display cabinet, a piece of furniture with one or more transparent glass sheets or transparent polycarbonate sheets * Filing ...

through high quality policy advice and the coordination of the implementation of key government programs, to manage

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Indigenous Australians or Australian First Nations are people with familial heritage from, and membership in, the ethnic groups that lived in Australia before British colonisation. They consist of two distinct groups: the Aboriginal peoples ...

policy and programs and to promote

reconciliation Reconciliation or reconcile may refer to: Accounting * Reconciliation (accounting) Arts, entertainment, and media Sculpture * ''Reconciliation'' (Josefina de Vasconcellos sculpture), a sculpture by Josefina de Vasconcellos in Coventry Cathedra ...

, to provide leadership for the Australian Public Service alongside the

Australian Public Service Commission The Australian Public Service Commission (APSC) is a statutory agency of the Australian Government, within the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, that acts to ensure the organisational and workforce capability to meet future needs a ...

, to oversee the

honours Honour (British English) or honor (American English; see spelling differences) is the idea of a bond between an individual and a society as a quality of a person that is both of social teaching and of personal ethos, that manifests itself as a ...

and symbols of the Commonwealth, to provide support to ceremonies and official visits, and to coordinate national security, regulatory reform, public data, and women's policy. The department is similar but not analogous to the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

Executive Office of the President The Executive Office of the President (EOP) comprises the offices and agencies that support the work of the president at the center of the executive branch of the United States federal government. The EOP consists of several offices and agenc ...

, the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

Cabinet Office, the Canadian Privy Council Office, and the New Zealand Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. As well, the Australian states have their own departments of Premier and Cabinet.

History

Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet in Barton

Before 1911, the prime minister had no department of his own as such. The prime minister was concurrently the minister for external affairs, and used the services of the

Department of External Affairs In many countries, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is the government department responsible for the state's diplomacy, bilateral, and multilateral relations affairs as well as for providing support for a country's citizens who are abroad. The entit ...

. The

was created in July 1911, initially on a small scale compared to other government departments of the day. On 11 March 1968, Prime Minister

John Gorton Sir John Grey Gorton (9 September 1911 – 19 May 2002) was an Australian politician who served as the nineteenth Prime Minister of Australia, in office from 1968 to 1971. He led the Liberal Party during that time, having previously been a l ...

split off a section of the Prime Minister's Department to form the Department of the Cabinet Office with responsibility to service the Cabinet and the committees of Cabinet. On 12 March 1971, the Prime Minister's Department was abolished and its functions moved to the new Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet that combined the functions of the Prime Minister's Department and the Department of the Cabinet Office. The Prime Minister of the day,

William McMahon Sir William McMahon (23 February 190831 March 1988) was an Australian politician who served as the 20th Prime Minister of Australia, in office from 1971 to 1972 as leader of the Liberal Party. He was a government minister for over 21 years, ...

, told the media that the former system with separate departments was inefficient.

Portfolio ministers

The Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet portfolio includes the following ministers: *

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister i ...

* Minister for Indigenous Australians * Minister for Women * Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for the Public Service and Cabinet * Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister and Cabinet

Secretary of the Department

The secretary of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet is the head of the department, also known as the

secretary A secretary, administrative professional, administrative assistant, executive assistant, administrative officer, administrative support specialist, clerk, military assistant, management assistant, office secretary, or personal assistant is a ...

of the level of ''Senior Executive Service Band 4'' in the Australian Public Service as per the ''Public Service Act 1999''. The secretary of the department is the equivalent of the Cabinet Secretary in the

or the Clerk of the Privy Council in

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

. The position of Secretary of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet should not be confused with the position of Cabinet Secretary which has been both a ministerial position within the Cabinet and a political staffer within the Prime Minister's Office. The secretary is supported by a senior executive of the department, composed of the ''Senior Executive Service Band 3'' officials of deputy secretaries across the portfolio groups of the department.

Functions

In an Administrative Arrangements Order made on 1 September 2016 with an amendment on 27 October 2016, the functions of the department were broadly classified into the following matters: *Advice to the Prime Minister across Government on policy and implementation *Assistance to the Prime Minister in managing the Cabinet programme *Whole of government national security and intelligence policy co-ordination *Intergovernmental relations and communications with State and Territory Governments *Co-ordination of Government administration *Australian Government employment workplace relations policy, including equal employment opportunity and administration of the framework for agreement making and remuneration and conditions *Australian honours and symbols policy *Government ceremonial and hospitality *Commonwealth Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander policy, programmes and service delivery *Promotion of reconciliation *Community development employment projects *Women’s policies and programmes *Public data policy and related matters *Official Establishments, ownership and property management of the Prime Minister’s official residences *National child protection policy and strategy

Organisational structure

The structure of PM&C is organised along four policy and program groups: the Domestic Policy Group (responsible for cities, women's policy, science and innovation, economic policy, infrastructure, social policy, and environmental policy), the National Security and International Policy Group (responsible for counterterrorism, intelligence, national security, cybersecurity, international policy, and defence strategy), the Governance Group, and the Indigenous Affairs Group. In addition to the National Office in Canberra, the department has 33 offices and an in-community presence in another 60 locations across Australia for the Indigenous Affairs regional network. Staff are employed as Australian Public Service officials under the ''Public Service Act 1999''. In February 2014, ''The Canberra Times'' examined pay conditions and staffing records and found that PM&C is one of the public service's best-paid departments and among its least culturally diverse. The following month, then Secretary

Ian Watt Ian Watt (9 March 1917 – 13 December 1999) was a literary critic, literary historian and professor of English at Stanford University. His ''The Rise of the Novel: Studies in Defoe, Richardson and Fielding'' (1957) is an important work in the h ...

told his staff that the department was battling to balance its budget and deliver its programs, and that staff would be cut and service delivery reviewed.

Domestic Policy Group

The Domestic Policy Group has responsibilities for supporting the development of policy and coordinating implementation across economic, social, and environmental, industry, and infrastructure policy. The Group also coordinates the implementation of whole of government reform, supports government priorities for gender equality and the empowerment of women, coordinates the

Council of Australian Governments The Council of Australian Governments (COAG) was the primary intergovernmental forum in Australia from 1992 to 2020. Comprising the federal government, the governments of the six states and two mainland territories and the Australian Local G ...

(COAG) arrangements, provides advice and support for

Australian federal budget An Australian federal budget is a document that sets out the estimated revenues and expenditures of the Australian Treasury in the following financial year, proposed conduct of Australian government operations in that period, and its fiscal poli ...

process, and formulates national policy on public data. The Group is led by Deputy Secretary (Economic), Deputy Secretary (Social Policy), Deputy Secretary (Jobs and Industry).

National Security and International Policy Group

The National Security and International Policy Group provides the Prime Minister with high quality advice on foreign policy, international trade, overseas aid, international treaties, engagement with foreign governments and international organisations, defence strategy, non-proliferation, information sharing, law enforcement, border security, and crisis coordination and emergency management. The Group also plays a coordinating role in the development of whole of government national security policy, provides secretariat functions to the National Security Committee of Cabinet, and policy settings for the Australian Intelligence Community. The Group also coordinates the foreign affairs, trade and national security aspects of the

. The Group is led by the Deputy Secretary (National Security). The Group was formerly led by the post of National Security Adviser (NSA) which was established in December 2008 by Prime Minister

Kevin Rudd Kevin Michael Rudd (born 21 September 1957) is an Australian former politician and diplomat who served as the 26th prime minister of Australia from 2007 to 2010 and again from June 2013 to September 2013, holding office as the leader of the ...

and disbanded in 2013 by Prime Minister

Tony Abbott Anthony John Abbott (; born 4 November 1957) is a former Australian politician who served as the 28th prime minister of Australia from 2013 to 2015. He held office as the leader of the Liberal Party of Australia. Abbott was born in Londo ...

with responsibilities transferred back to the Deputy Secretary of the National Security and International Policy Group. The inaugural NSA was

Major General Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of ...

Duncan Lewis Major General Duncan Edward Lewis (born 3 August 1953) is an Australian military officer, diplomat and intelligence chief. From 2014 to 2019, he was the Director-General of Security of the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO). Pr ...

serving until 2011. The second and final NSA was Dr Margot McCarthy serving from 2011 to 2013.

Governance Group

The Governance Group, led by the Deputy Secretary (Governance) provides advice on legal policy, parliamentary and government matters and honours and symbols policy. In addition it provides support services to the prime minister, the Cabinet, Cabinet committees, and the department’s portfolio ministers and assistant ministers. The group delivers the department’s enabling and support functions and also oversees the implementation and ongoing delivery of key Government programmes, policies and initiatives.

Portfolio agencies

National Indigenous Australians Agency The National Indigenous Australians Agency (NIAA) is an Australian Government agency responsible for whole-of-government coordination of policy development, program design, and service delivery for Aboriginal Australians and Torres Strait Isl ...

(NIAA) *

Indigenous Advisory Council The Indigenous Advisory Council (IAC), also known as the Prime Minister's Indigenous Advisory Council, was established by then Prime Minister of Australia, Tony Abbott. The council was created on 25 September 2013, announced on 23 November 201 ...

(NIA) * Indigenous Land and Sea Corporation *

Office of the Registrar of Indigenous Corporations The Office of the Registrar of Indigenous Corporations (ORIC) assists the Registrar of Indigenous Corporations in administering the ''Corporations (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander) Act 2006'' ("CATSI Act") and in supporting and regulating ...

* Office of National Intelligence * Office of the Official Secretary to the Governor-General *

Australian National Audit Office The Australian National Audit Office (ANAO) is the supreme audit institution of Australia, functioning as the national auditor for the Parliament of Australia and Government of Australia. It reports directly to the Australian Parliament via the ...

National Australia Day Council The National Australia Day Council (NADC) is a non-profit social enterprise owned by the Australian Government and is the national coordinating body for the Australian of the Year awards and Australia Day. It was established in 1979 and inc ...

Workplace Gender Equality Agency The Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA) is an Australian Government statutory agency responsible for promoting and improving gender equality in Australian workplaces. The agency was created by the ''Workplace Gender Equality Act 2012'' and ...

Central Land Council The Central Land Council (CLC) is a land council that represents the Aboriginal peoples of the southern half of the Northern Territory of Australia (NT), predominantly with regard to land issues. it is one of four land councils in the Northern T ...

Northern Land Council The Northern Land Council (NLC) is a land council representing the Aboriginal peoples of the Top End of the Northern Territory of Australia, with its head office in Darwin. While the NLC was established in 1974, its origins began in the strugg ...

* Aboriginal Land Commissioner * Executive Director of Township Leasing *

Aboriginal Hostels Limited Aborigine, aborigine or aboriginal may refer to: *Aborigines (mythology), in Roman mythology * Indigenous peoples, general term for ethnic groups who are the earliest known inhabitants of an area *One of several groups of indigenous peoples, see ...

* Indigenous Business Australia * Anindilyakwa Land Council * Tiwi Land Council * Outback Stores Pty Ltd *

Torres Strait Regional Authority The Torres Strait Regional Authority is an Australian Government body established in 1994 to administer the Torres Strait Islands. It consists of 20 elected representatives. The primary function of the authority is to strengthen the economic, s ...

Wreck Bay Aboriginal Community Council Wreck Bay Village, formerly Wreck Bay Aboriginal Reserve, is an Aboriginal village in the Jervis Bay Territory, Australia. At the 2016 census the population was 152. It is mainly an Australian Aboriginal community, run by the Wreck Bay Aborigi ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Department Of The Prime Minister And Cabinet (Australia) Prime Minister and Cabinet Australia, Prime Minister and Cabinet Prime Minister of Australia Australia