Department of Premier and Cabinet

Establishment

The Department of the Premier and Cabinet was established in 1982, superseding the Department of the Premier (VA 2717) (Victoria Government Gazette No.102, 13 October 1982).

Services to Statutory and Other Bodies

The Department has also provided financial and personnel services to the following statutory bodies:

• Agent-General for Victoria (in London) (VA 1829) to 1985
• Ombudsman (VA 1037)
• Solicitor-General (VA 1079) 1985 to 1992
• Auditor-General (VA 1031)
• Public Service Board (VA 886) to 1992
• Public Service Commissioner (VA 3088) from 1992.

Some administrative support is also provided for Parliamentary Offices of the Government, Opposition and Third Party at Parliament House and for Cabinet Ministers and Members of Parliament.

Until 1986 the Official Secretary to the Governor was located within the Department of the Premier and Cabinet. However, records maintained by the Official Secretary will be found attributed to the Governor (VA 466). Likewise, although the Clerk of the Executive Council was located within the Department from 1982, records maintained by the Clerk will be found attributed to the Executive Council (VA 2903).

Administrative Structure from October 1992

Since October 1992 the Department has comprised the following units:

• Cabinet Office (See VA 2989 Cabinet)
• Office of Public Sector Management and Co-ordinator General
• Office of State Administration.

The Department's name changed slightly sometime during the period 1 July 1994 and 30 June 1995.  It changed from Department of the Premier and Cabinet and became the Department of Premier and Cabinet.  

Following significant machinery of government changes after the re-election of the Kennett Government in April 1996, the Department of Arts, Sport and Tourism (VA 3095) was abolished. Under Administrative Arrangements Order No.150, effective 3 April 1996, the Department of Premier and Cabinet assumed responsibility for most of the arts functions of the Department of Arts, Sport and Tourism.

Administrative history of this department for the period 1996 to 2009 is subject to further research.

On the 18 December 2009 under the Public Administration Act 2004 an Establishment of Administrative Office Order in Council notice in the Victorian Government Gazette G 51 records that the Victorian Multicultural Commission was moved to the Department of Premier and Cabinet (DPC). This transfer of function from DPCD to DPC coincided with the portfolio of Multicultural Affairs moving to DPC. In this instance there are no Administrative Orders or Minister of the Crown Changes (the ministerial portfolio did not change) in the Victorian Government Gazettes.

In a restructuring of the Victorian Public Service announced by the new Premier the Hon Denis Napthine on 9 April 2013, the Department gained Aboriginal Affairs Victoria (VA 3101) and the Veterans Affairs Unit from the simultaneously abolished Department of Planning and Community Development (VA 4838). At the same time, the Victorian Government Architect transferred out of the Department to the new Department of Transport, Planning and Local Infrastructure (VA 5003). The changes were effected by order of the Governor-in-Council under section 10 (c) of the Public Administration Act 2004 (Victorian Government Gazette, S 124).

Following the 29 November 2014 election DPC was enlarged. Portfolios supported by DPC were as follows:

• Premier
• Deputy Premier
• Special Minister of State
• Aboriginal Affairs
• Equality
• Multicultural Affairs
• Prevention of Family Violence
• Veterans
• Women

Of these, the Special Minister of State, Equality, and Prevention of Family Violence were new portfolios, while the portfolio of Women marked a change from the previous government's portfolio of Women's Affairs, which had been supported by the Department of Human Services.

From 2 March 2015, the expanded department was restructured into three thematically clustered working groups, each overseen by a Deputy Secretary:

• Economic Policy and State Productivity Group, responsible for economic development, regional and local government outcomes, international engagement, infrastructure, planning, major transactions, energy, resources and land policy.
• Governance Policy and Coordination Group, responsible for public sector governance, performance and reform, Cabinet management, community security and emergency management, intergovernmental relations and strategic communication and protocol. This group also had primary responsibility for supporting the Special Minister of State.
• Social Policy and Service Delivery Reform Group, responsible for Aboriginal affairs, multicultural affairs and citizenship, veterans' affairs, women, equality, education, justice, health and human services policy. This group also coordinated DPC's leadership on the policy priority of prevention of family violence, working closely with the separate secretariat for engagement with the Royal Commission into Family Violence.

Separately from these groups, two agencies were created, modelled on similar bodies a federal level and in NSW, to oversee a pipeline of infrastructure projects across electoral cycles and ensure the delivery of major projects:

• Infrastructure Victoria
• Projects Victoria

Under Administrative Arrangements Order (No. 219) 2104, with effect on 1 January 2015, DPC provided support to a number of administrative offices, statutory authorities and special bodies that had previously been supported by the Department of Justice:

• Victorian Electoral Commission (VA 4196)
• Victorian Electoral Boundaries Commission
• The Office of the Freedom of Information Commissioner
• Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission
• Office of the Commissioner for Privacy and Data Protection
• Public Interest Monitor
• The Victorian Inspectorate

Other supported agencies were:

• Office of the Auditor-General (VA 1031)
• Office of the Chief Parliamentary Counsel (VA 629)
• Office of the Governor (VA 466)
• Public Record Office Victoria (VA 683)
• Victorian Multicultural Commission (VA 1029)
• Victorian Ombudsman (VA 1037)
• Victorian Public Sector Commission (VA 5026)
• Victorian Competition and Efficiency Commission
• Local Government Investigations and Compliance Inspectorate (VA 5006)

By Order of the Governor in Council under section 11 of the Public Administration Act 2004, with effect on 1 January 2015, the Local Government Investigations and Compliance Inspectorate (the last-mentioned agency above) was disestablished in relation to the Department of Transport Planning and Local Infrastructure (VA 5003) and re-established in relation to DPC (Victoria Government Gazette No. S 432, 4 December 2014). By the same order, Arts Victoria (VA 4416) transitioned into Creative Victoria, and together with associated Arts agencies was removed from the support of DPC and transferred to the new Department of Economic Development, Jobs, Transport and Resources (VA 5034), with the sole exception of the Public Record Office Victoria (VA 683), which was retained by DPC as an agency reporting to the Special Minister of State and the Premier.

On 1 March 2016, the following Act was transferred from the Department of Cabinet and Premier to the Department of Treasury and Finance (VA 3745), as per the Victorian Government Gazette, No. S 44, 8 March 2016:

• Audit Act 1994 - Sections 8-10, 16A, 16B, 16D, 16E and 16G.

Following the machinery of government changes after the re-election of Andrews Government in November 2018:

• a new division, Fairer Victoria, was established within DPC. This brought together the Office of Women and Youth from the Department of Health and Human Services (VA 5037) with DPC's Veterans Affairs, Multicultural Affairs and Equality portfolios
• DPC assumed the function relating to Industrial Relations Victoria from the former Department of Economic Development, Jobs, Transport and Resources (VA 5034)
• DPC assumed responsibility for the Royal Commission into Victoria’s Mental Health System (Secretariat)
• The Latrobe Valley Authority and DPC’s Cities and Precincts function were transferred to the new Department of Jobs, Precincts and Regions (VA 5251)
• The National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS): the work on leading the process to transfer government-delivered disability services to the non-government sector moved to the Department of Health and Human Services (VA 5037)

At this time, DPC was supporting the following ministers:

• Premier
• Deputy Premier
• Special Minister of State 
• Minister for Aboriginal Affairs
• Minister for Industrial Relations
• Minister for Equality
• Minister for Veterans Affairs
• Minister for Multicultural Affairs
• Minister for Women and Youth

Following the machinery of government changes on 22 June, 2020 a new portfolio, Government Services, was established within the Department of Premier and Cabinet. 

Following the machinery of government changes announced on 30 November 2020, the Department of Health and Human Services (VA 3970) was separated into two separate new Departments. The two Departments came into operation on 1 February 2021. The new Department of Families, Fairness and Housing (VA 5256) became responsible for the portfolios of Multicultural Affairs, Equality, Veterans, Women, and Youth. These portfolios were served by the Department of Premier and Cabinet until 1 February 2021 when DFFH became operational (Victoria Government Gazette - Special Gazette No. S41, 27 January 2021). The Family Violence Branch in DPC’s Social Policy Group also transferred to DFFH.

A range of portfolio entities including the Victorian Multicultural Commission, Respect Victoria, Queen Victoria Women’s Centre Trust, Public Sector Gender Equality Commissioner, Gender Equality Commissioner, Language Loop, the Shrine of Remembrance, Victorian Veterans Council and Family Violence Reform Implementation Monitor, also now sit under the Department of Families, Fairness and Housing.

Following the machinery of government changes after the re-election of Andrews Government in November 2022, which came into effect 1 January 2023, the following changes occurred to the Department:

A new precincts and land coordination function was established.  A corporate shared service arrangement was established between DPC, Department of Treasury and Finance (DTF) (VA 3745) and the new Department of Government Services (VA 5282). 

The Department continued to support the Industrial Relations portfolio.  It also continued to support the Treaty and First Peoples portfolio (previously the Aboriginal Affairs portfolio), with further consolidation of land justice and traditional owner settlement functions into the First People - State Relations Group.

Oversight for Public Record Office Victoria (VA 683) and Cenitex the whole of government shared information and communications technology (ICT) services state-owned enterprise, was transferred from DPC into DGS (VA 5282)

Responsibility for Office of the Victorian Government Architect (VA 5008) was transferred from DPC to Department of Transport and Planning (VA 5286).

As at 1 January 2023, the Department supported the following Ministers:

• Premier
• Deputy Premier
• Minister for Government Services (jointly with DGS (VA 5282))
• Minister for Industrial Relations
• Minister for Treaty and Fist Peoples

As at 1 January 2023, the Department consisted of the following groups:

• Cabinet, Legal, Governance and Communications Group
• Social Policy and Intergovernmental Relations Group
• Economic Policy and State Productivity Group
• First Peoples – State Relations Group
• Industrial Relations Victoria.