Department of Home and Territories

The Department of Home and Territories was an Australian government department that existed between November 1916 and December 1928.

Department of Home and Territories

Department overview
Formed	14 November 1916[1]
Preceding Department	Department of External Affairs (I) Department of Home Affairs (I)
Dissolved	10 December 1928[1]
Superseding Department	Department of Home Affairs (II) Prime Minister's Department
Jurisdiction	Commonwealth of Australia
Headquarters	Melbourne
Ministers responsible	Fred Bamford, Minister (1916–1917) Paddy Glynn, Minister (1917–1920) Alexander Poynton, Minister (1920–1921) George Pearce, Minister (1921–1926) Thomas William Glasgow, Minister (1926–1927) Charles Marr, Minister (1927–1928) Neville Howse, Minister (1928) Aubrey Abbott, Minister (1928)
Department executives	Atlee Hunt, Secretary (1916–1921) John McLaren, Secretary (1921–1928) William Clemens, Secretary (1928)

Scope

Information about the department's functions and 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:^[1]

• Astronomy
• Census and statistics
• Elections
• Franchise
• Immigration and emigration
• Influx of criminals
• Lands and surveys
• Meteorology
• Naturalization and aliens
• Pearl shelling and trepang fisheries in Australian waters beyond territorial limits
• People of races (other than the Aboriginal races in any state) for whom it is deemed necessary to make special laws
• Seat of government
• Territories forming part of the Commonwealth

Structure

The Department was an Australian Public Service department, staffed by officials who were responsible to the Minister for Home and Territories.^[1]