Department of the Environment, Aborigines and the Arts
{{Short description|Australian government department, 1971–1972}}
{{Use Australian English|date=December 2013}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2013}}
{{Infobox Government agency
|agency_name = Department of the Environment, Aborigines and the Arts
|logo =
|logo_width = 200 px
|logo_caption =
|seal =
|seal_width =
|seal_caption =
|preceding1 =
|superseding = Department of Aboriginal Affairs – for Aboriginal affairs
Department of Environment and Conservation
Department of the Media – for film industry, government printing, publishing, advertising
Department of Services and Property
Department of the Special Minister of State (I)
|type = Department
|jurisdiction = Commonwealth of Australia
|employees =
|budget =
|minister1_name = Peter Howson
|minister1_pfo = Minister (1971–1972)
|minister2_name = Gough Whitlam
|minister2_pfo = Minister (1972)
|minister3_name =
|minister3_pfo =
| chief1_name = Lenox Hewitt
| chief1_position = Secretary
| headquarters = Canberra
}}
The Department of the Environment, Aborigines and the Arts was an Australian government department that existed between May 1971 and December 1972.
The department, created by the McMahon government, was a collection of three areas that had previously been handled by other departments or government agencies. These included the Department of the Interior, the Department of the Vice-President of the Executive Council, and the Office of Aboriginal Affairs in the Prime Minister's Department. The department was abolished by the incoming Whitlam government, with its functions split across six departments (the Departments of Aboriginal Affairs, Environment and Conservation, Media, Prime Minister and Cabinet, Special Minister of State, Science and Services and Property).
The DEAA was not formally created as a new department, but rather the former Department of the Vice-President of the Executive Council was renamed.{{cite news|url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/241060507|title=Change of Name of Department|work=Commonwealth of Australia Gazette|date=31 May 1971|issue=56A|page=3303A}}
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:
- activities related to the environment
- Aboriginal affairs
- support for the arts and letters
- the National Library
- Australian films
- national archives
- general services of printing, publishing and advertising (including the Gazette)
- world expositions
- grants to national organizations
- overseas visits
- war memorial and war graves
- overseas property
Structure
The department was an Australian Public Service department, staffed by officials who were responsible to the Minister for the Environment, Aborigines and the Arts. The department's first Minister, Peter Howson, was not keen on the job, reportedly calling the portfolio "trees, boongs and poofters".{{citation|author-link=Mungo Wentworth MacCallum|url=http://www.crikey.com.au/2009/02/05/peter-howson-minister-for-trees-boongs-and-poofters/|title=Peter Howson, minister for ‘trees, boongs and poofters’|first=Mungo|last=MacCallum|publisher=Crikey|date=5 February 2009|archivedate=5 November 2012|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20121105200208/http://www.crikey.com.au/2009/02/05/peter-howson-minister-for-trees-boongs-and-poofters/}}
The secretary of the department was Lenox Hewitt.