AGY-5059 | Department of the Arts, Sport and Recreation

Full description

The Department of the Arts, Sport and Recreation was established on 3 March 2006 under Clause 4 of the Public Sector Employment and Management (General) Order 2006. The Department combined all the branches of the former Ministry for the Arts, the former Department of Gaming and Racing, and the former Department of Tourism, Sport and Recreation other than the Tourism Industry Division. (1)

The branches of the former Ministry for the Arts concerned included the staff attached to the Art Gallery of New South Wales, the Australian Museum, the Film and Television Office, the Historic Houses Trust, the Powerhouse Museum, the State Library, State Records and the Sydney Opera House. (2)

The State Records Authority of New South Wales was transferred on 1 November 2006 to NSW Procurement within the Department of Commerce. (3)

The Department had administrative relationships with the state's major arts and cultural institutions, and other sport and recreation venue trusts in New South Wales. The three main business arms of the Department were: Arts NSW; the NSW Office of Liquor, Gaming and Racing; and, NSW Sport and Recreation. Each agency sought to work closely with local communities, industry partners and government to maximise community participation in the arts, sport and recreation and to regulate the liquor, gaming, racing and charity industries. (4)

The Department was comprised of five branches reporting to the Director-General. The branches were: Arts NSW (with responsibility for cultural institutions); Office of the Director-General; Corporate Services; NSW Office of Liquor, Gaming and Racing; and, NSW Sport and Recreation (with responsibility for sporting trusts). (5)

From 1 July 2009 the Department of the Arts, Sport and Recreation was abolished and its functions were transferred to the new Principal Department, Communities NSW. (6) The group of staff from the Department of the Arts, Sport and Recreation who were employed to enable the Film and Television Office to exercise its functions (other than those staff who were principally involved in arts policy and programs) were removed and added to Department of Industry and Investment. (7)

Endnotes
1. NSW Government Gazette No.30, 3 March 2006, pp.1052-1054.
2. Ibid., p.1053.
3. Ibid. No. 127, 27 October 2006, p.8903 and NSW Government Directory website for NSW Procurement http://www.directory.nsw.gov.au/showOrgUnit.asp?id={D2616F15-6474-432F-B85C-6852EC2F56C0} (accessed 1 November 2006).
4. Department of the Arts, Sport and Recreation, Annual Report, 2005-06, p.2.
5. Department of the Arts, Sport and Recreation, Annual Report, 2005-06, p.9; 2006-07, p.9; 2007-8, p.12; 2008-09, p.13.
6. Public Sector Employment and Management (Departmental Amalgamations) Order 2009 (2009 No 352), cl. 6; notified on NSW Legislation website, 27 July 2009.
7. Ibid., cl. 17.