AGY-10 | Premier's Office [II] (1988) / Premier's Department [II] (1988-2007) / Department of Premier and Cabinet (2007-2023) / Premier's Department [III] (2023- )

Full description

On 15 June 1988, the Premier's Department was abolished and replaced with the Premier's Office and the Cabinet Office which were established as Departments.(1) Former responsibilities of the Premier's Department were transferred to the Premier's Office, Cabinet Office, Department of Administrative Services, and the National Parks and Wildlife Services. (2) Specifically, the following branches were removed from the Premier's Department and added to the Premier's Office:

i) Office of Aboriginal Affairs;
ii) General Division;
iii) Industrial Relations Unit;
iv) New South Wales Government Offices in London, Los Angeles and Tokyo;
v) Premier's Private Office;
vi) Senior Executive Unit.

The following branches were removed from the Premier's Department and added to the Cabinet Office:

i) Premier's Advisory Unit;
ii) Cabinet Secretariat;
iii) Industrial Resources Branch;
iv) Justice and Consumer Affairs Branch;
v) Legal Branch;
vi) Natural Resources Branch;
vii) Social Development Branch. (3)

Also on 15 June 1988, the Property Management Unit and the Advertising Branch were removed from the Premier's Department and added to the Department of Administrative Services (4) and responsibility for Bicentennial Park was transferred from the administration of the Premier's Department to the National Parks and Wildlife Service. (5)

The Government Actuary's Office was removed from the Public Service Board and added to the Premier's Office on 13 July 1988. (6)

The final administrative change within the Premier's Office in 1988 was the establishment of The Office of Public Management. (7) The Office was established following the abolition of the Public Service Board, and the proclamation of the Public Sector Management Act 1988, to assist with the formulation and implementation of Government policy regarding public sector management. (8) The Premier's Office also comprised the Office of State Administration. The responsibility of this office was to provide administrative support and advice on sensitive public issues.

The Premier's Office was renamed the Premier's Department on 7 December 1988 but no functional changes were made. (9)

In July 1989, administration of overseas offices was transferred to the Department of State Development and responsibility for Homebush Bay was transferred to the Department of Administrative Services in September, prior to the establishment of the Property Services Group. (10)

The Office on Ageing and the Office on Disability were removed from the Premier's Department on 1 July 1991 and transferred to the Department of Community Services. (11)

In 1993, the primary responsibility of the Department was to serve and advise the Premier in his dual capacity as head of Government and head of State administration. Its major functions included:

i) administration, with particular emphasis on efficient and effective Government management, including all matters covered by the Office of Public Management and the Office of State Administration;
ii) relations with the legislature;
iii) Government relations in respect of the Crown;
iv) relations between the Premier and the Ministers in respect of matters and other Cabinet deliberations, which are handled by the Cabinet Office, including matters referred to the Premier by the Ministers; and
v) inter-governmental relations, that is with foreign governments, the Federal Government, state administrations and local government. (12)

The Premier's Department still consisted of two Offices - the Office of State Administration which assisted in the general administration of the State by providing policy coordination and programs related to selected issues, undertaking specific tasks as directed and providing support services. The Office of Public Management acted as a catalyst for the effective formulation and implementation of Government policy regarding public sector management. (13) On 1 July 1993, the Office of Economic Development was established as a branch of the Premier's Department. (14)

Following the March 1995 elections, and subsequent change of Government, the Premier's Department underwent several administrative changes which took effect on and from 6 April 1995. The Office of Public Management was abolished and the majority of its functions were divided between two new business units of the Premier's Department, namely the Public Employment Office and the Office of the Council on the Cost of Government. However the Information Technology Policy and Planning Unit of the former Office was transferred to the Department of Public Works and Services.

In addition, the Office of Olympic Coordination was removed from the Premier's Department and transferred to the Olympic Co-ordination Agency. The Government Actuary's Office was added to the Treasury and the Office of Economic Development was moved to the Department of State Development.

Transferred to the Premier's Department, were both the Office of Strategic Planning from the Cabinet Office and the Public Employment Service from the Department of Industrial Relations. (15)

All the groups of staff from all Departments comprising Ministers' private offices were added to the Premier's Department on 2 August 1995. (16) The Capital Works Unit was removed from the Premier's Department on 9 August 1995 and added to the Treasury. (17) The New South Wales Superannuation Office was abolished in the Treasury and transferred to the Premier's Department on 23 August 1995. (18)

On 4 October 1995, the Public Employment Office was removed from the Premier's Department and established as a separate department. (19) Administration of the Office of the Director of Equal Opportunity in Public Employment was transferred to the Public Employment Office on 24 November, as was the Office of the Council on the Cost of Government on 8 December 1995. (20)

At 30 June 1996, the Department had five major divisions - the Office of State Administration; Service, Performance and Operations Division; Government Trading Enterprises Reform Unit; the Office of Protocol and Corporate Services Directorate. (21)

Approval was given on 4 October 1996 by the Governor-in-Council for an order to abolish the Public Employment Office and to transfer its employees and functions to the Premier's Department. (22)

On 29 August 2005, the Department of Infrastructure, Planning and Natural Resources was abolished and its branches transferred to different agencies, with the group of staff in the Office of Major Projects, who in the opinion of the Director-General of the Premier's Department were principally involved in major infrastructure and project coordination, transferred to the Premier's Department. (23)

The title of the Premier's Department was changed to the Department of Premier and Cabinet on 27 April 2007 when the Cabinet Office was abolished and its branches transferred to the Department of Premier and Cabinet. (24)

Other changes to the Department of Premier and Cabinet from the 27 April 2007 were:

i) the establishment of the Office of the Coordinator General as a separate office within the Department of Premier and Cabinet (the Office had previously been a section or branch of the Premier's Department);
ii) such staff in the Department of State and Regional Development as the Director-General of the Department of Premier and Cabinet determined were required in connection with the Office of the Coordinator General were removed from the Department of State and Regional Development and added to the Department of Premier and Cabinet (25);
iii) the staff comprising the Marine Parks Authority Secretariat in the Department of Premier and Cabinet were transferred to the Department of Environment and Climate Change. (26)

The Parliamentary Counsel's Office continued as a separate office within the Department of Premier and Cabinet.

On 16 March 2009 the Small Business Regulation Review Unit was removed from the Department of State and Regional Development and added to the Department of Premier and Cabinet. (27)

From 1 July 2009 the Department of Premier and Cabinet became one of thirteen Principal Departments of the Public Service. The Department was responsible to the Premier, the Ministers for the Central Coast, the Hunter, the Illawarra, Infrastructure, Local Government, Police, Public Sector Reform, Regulatory Reform, Women, the Special Minister of State and the Minister Assisting the Premier on Veterans' Affairs. (28)

From 4 April 2011 the Department of Premier and Cabinet became one of nine Principal Departments of the Public Service. The Department was responsible to the Premier, the Minister for Western Sydney, the Deputy Premier, the Minister for the Hunter, the Minister Assisting the Premier on Infrastructure NSW, the Minister for the Central Coast, the Minister for the Illawarra, the Minister for Local Government, the Minister for the North Coast, the Minister for Western New South Wales, the Minister for the Environment, and the Minister for Heritage. (29)

On 24 February 2014 the Public Sector Employment and Management Act 2002 (Act No.43, 2002) was replaced by the Government Sector Employment Act 2013 (Act No. 40, 2013). Under the Constitution Act 1902 (Act No.32, 1902) the Administrative Arrangements Order 2014 was issued to commence on 24 February 2014. The Order abolished all principal departments under the former act however they were re-established with the same name as Departments under Schedule 1 of the Government Sector Employment Act. For all purposes the re-established Department of Premier and Cabinet was the successor and a continuation of the former principal Department. (30) The Government Sector Employment Act replaced the former position of Director General of the Department of Premier and Cabinet with Secretary of the Department of Premier and Cabinet. (31)

From 1 July 2023 the Department of Premier and Cabinet was split into Premier’s Department [III] and Cabinet Office [II]. The following parts of the Department of Premier and Cabinet were transferred to the Cabinet Office [II]: (a) Office of General Counsel, (b) Policy Group (excluding WestInvest, Emergency Management branch, Women NSW, and Flood Inquiry Project Management Office), (c) the Shaping Futures branch of the Community Engagement Group. (32) The rest remained with the Premier’s Department [III] and was divided into 4 groups: Delivery and Coordination; Community Engagement; People and Operations and Aboriginal Affairs NSW. (33)

Endnotes
1. New South Wales Government Gazette No.101, 15 June 1988, p.3167.
2. Ibid. No.102, 17 June 1988, p.3171.
3. Ibid.101, 15 June 1988, p.3167.
4. ibid., p.3168.
5. New South Wales Government Gazette No.102, 17 June 1988, p.3171.
6. Ibid. No.118, 15 July 1988, p.3739.
7. Ibid. No.140, 2 September 1988, p.4555.
8. New South Wales Premier's Department Annual Report 1988-89, p.6.
9. New South Wales Government Gazette No.180, 9 December 1988, p.6282.
10. Premier's Department Annual Report year ended 30 June 1990, In Parliamentary Papers 1990-91, Vol.14, p.7.
11. New South Wales Government Gazette No.101, 28 June 1991, p.5336.
12. Premier's Department Annual Report 1993, pp.34-35.
13. loc. cit.
14. New South Wales Government Gazette No.63, 24 June 1993, Vol.2, Part 2, p.3060.
15. Ibid. No.39, 5 April 1995, pp.1859-62.
16. Ibid. No.94, 4 August 1995, p.3968.
17. Ibid. No.97, 11 August 1995, p.4116.
18. Ibid. No.105, 1 September 1995, p.5042.
19. Ibid. No.121, 4 October 1995, p.7033.
20. Premier's Department Annual Report 1996, p.3.
21. loc. cit.
22. Premier's Department Annual Report 1996, p.4.
23. Public Sector Employment and Management (Planning and Natural Resources) Order 2005 in NSW Government Gazette No.108, 26 August 2005, p.6385.
24. NSW Government Gazette No.47, Special Supplement 2 April 2007, p.2102.
25. loc. cit.
26. ibid., p.2105.
27. Public Sector Employment and Management (General) Order 2009 (2009 No 184); notified on Legislation website, 22 May 2009.
28. Public Sector Employment and Management (Departmental Amalgamations) Order 2009 (2009 No 352); notified on NSW Legislation website, 27 July 2009 clauses 2, 4 and 26.
29. Public Sector Employment and Management (Departments) Order 2011 (2011 No 184) cls. 4, 15; notified on NSW Legislation website, 3 April 2011.
30. Administrative Arrangements Order 2014 (2014 No 11), cls.4 (amending Schedule 1 to Government Sector Emplolyment Act), 7(2), 11(1); notified NSW Legislation Website (2014 No 11), 29 January 2014.
31. Government Sector Employment Act 2013 (Act No.40, 2013), s.23.
32. Administrative Arrangements (Administrative Changes—Miscellaneous) Order (No 4) 2023 (2023 No 316), cl.11.
33. NSW Government website, About the Premier’s Department, https://www.nsw.gov.au/departments-and-agencies/premiers-department/about-us (accessed 24 July 2023).