Department of Youth, Sport and Recreation

Full description

Establishment and Functions

The Department of Youth, Sport and Recreation was established under the provisions of the Youth, Sport and Recreation Act 1972.

The Department was responsible for Youth Affairs which included the development of a State Youth Policy, research into the needs of young people, provision of leisure activities for young people in co-operation with municipalities and community organizations, and the provision of financial assistance to youth organizations.

Another major responsibility was sport and recreation which included promoting the fitness and general health of Victorians, providing financial assistance and advice to state wide recreation and sporting organizations and to municipalities to encourage the development of sporting facilities and the co-ordination of training programmes for recreational workers, sports officials and coaches.

The Department also provided administrative support to the State Sports Council and the Community Recreation Council and administered the Racing Act from 1972 and the Lotteries, Gaming and Betting Act from 1983. The Racing Act regulated horse and greyhound racing, the registration of bookmakers and the Totalizator Agency Board, while the Lotteries, Gaming and Betting Act regulated raffles and bingo.

In 1985 its responsibility for Youth Affairs passed to the Department of Employment and Industrial Affairs (VA 2356) and its other functions were transferred to the Department of Sport and Recreation (VA 2691).

Location of Records

No department records have been transferred to the Public Record Office. See also List of Holdings 2nd edition 1985, 3.20.2 (Raffles and Bingo) and 3.20.3 (1956 Olympic Games Organising Committee).