Department of Home Affairs (1928–32)
The Department of Home Affairs was an Australian government department that existed between 1928 and 1932. It was the second so-named Australian Government department.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.
At its creation, the Department dealt with:
- Actuarial matters
- Aliens' registration
- Astronomy
- Australian War Memorial
- Census and Statistics
- Commonwealth Literary Fund
- Elections
- Emigration from Australia of children and aboriginal natives
- Forestry
- Franchise
- Immigration restrictions
- Indentured coloured labour
- Meteorology
- Naturalisation
- North Australia and Central Australia
- Northern Territory
- Oil investigation
- Oil prospecting
- Passports
- Pearl shelling and Trepang fisheries in Australian waters beyond territorial limits
- People of races for whom it is deemed necessary to make special laws
- Prisoners from territories
- Prospecting for precious metals
- Seat of Government
- Solar Observatory.
Structure
The Department was a Commonwealth Public Service department, staffed by officials who were responsible to the Minister for Home Affairs.
