1 June 2022

Two new departments in APS shake-up

| Ian Bushnell
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Government building with Coat of Arms and Australian flag.

The new Federal Government has announced Machinery of Government changes. Photo: Michelle Kroll.

Two new federal departments will be created and two renamed as part of Machinery of Government changes in the wake of the swearing in of the first Albanese Ministry.

The government said the changes would take effect from 1 July.

The two new departments are the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations to implement and administer the government’s workplace relations, jobs, skills and training agenda, and the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water to deliver the government’s climate change and energy agenda and “give Australia’s environment the protection it deserves”.

This means Water will no longer be paired with Agriculture, which had been a controversial decision of the previous government..

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The Department of Health will be renamed the Department of Health and Aged Care, and Arts will be added to the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Communications.

Three departments will gain new responsibilities.

Finance will now look after data policy, including the Digital Transformation Agency, as well as de-regulation.

Home Affairs will take on natural disaster response and mitigation, including the National Recovery and Resilience Agency.

The Attorney-General’s portfolio will gain responsibility for criminal law enforcement and policy, including the Australian Federal Police, which is being taken off Home Affairs.

The new Administrative Arrangements Orders will be published on Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet.

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Until liberal party is re-elected lol

It is disappointing that Anthony Albanese did not hive off some of the diverse functions of the former Dept of Home Affairs & Immigration. This department has grown too large, fails dismally in the area of service delivery and is in urgent need of reform

This is fantastic news for web designers, logo artists, stationery printers, elocution teachers and internet domain registration consultants!

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