Department of Education

Full description

Following significant machinery of government changes after the election of the first Kennett Government in October 1992, the Department of Education was established by amendment of Schedule 2 of the Public Sector Management Act 1992 (Victorian Government Gazette S 53).

Under Administrative Arrangements Order No. 114, the new Department of Education assumed responsibility for school education and post secondary education and training. These functions had hitherto been the responsibility of a number of separate, independent, departmental-level bodies, established in the period October 1991 to 1992. The new department consolidated the administration of school and post secondary education and training under one departmental body.

At the same time, the existing ministerial portfolios of School Education, and Employment, Post Secondary Education and Training were abolished, and replaced by the portfolios of Education and Tertiary Education and Training.

Responsibility for employment, previously within the education portfolio, was transferred to the Department of Business and Employment (VA 3096) in December 1992, under the Minister for Industry and Employment.

Note: The various departmental-level bodies responsible for the administration of education immediately prior to the establishment of VA 3098 Department of Education are not registered separately within the PROV archival control system. They are, instead, described within the registration for VA 1112 Ministry of Education and Training. For purposes of research using the PROV archival control system, researchers can assume VA 1112 Ministry of Education and Training to be the previous agency to VA 3098 Department of Education. Refer to the registration for VA 1112 for further details.


The Department of Education reported to the Minister for Education and the Minister for Tertiary Education and Training. The Department was divided into two main areas: the Directorate of School Education and the Office of Training and Further Education.

The Directorate of School Education was responsible for administration of all Government primary and secondary schools in Victoria. The Directorate was responsible for the employment of teachers in the Government system and the registration of new schools. Statutory bodies associated with the Directorate included the Registered Schools Board, Teachers Registration Board and the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Board.

The Office of Training and Further Education was responsible for the administration of Government programs and services for the provision of vocational education and training and of adult, community and further education in Victoria. It was responsible for all technical and further education (TAFE) programs as well as adult and community education programs run by organisations such as the Council of Adult Education (CAE; VA 1195) and Adult Migrant Education Services (AMES). Statutory bodies associated with the Office of Training and Further Education included the Adult, Community and Further Education Board and the State Training Board.

In 1997, the Directorate of School Education was renamed the Office of Schools, and the Office of Training and Further Education was split into the Office of Higher Education and the Office of Training and Further Education. This structure remained until the Department was abolished in 1999.

In October 1999, following the election of the Bracks Government, the Department of Education was abolished and the Department of Education, Employment and Training (DEET; VA 4828) was established under Administrative Arrangements Order No. 159 (Victorian Government Gazette S 158).