The Department of Industry and Science was a department of the

Australian Government The Australian Government, also known as the Commonwealth Government, is the national government of Australia, a federal parliamentary constitutional monarchy. Like other Westminster-style systems of government, the Australian Government ...

responsible for consolidating the Government’s efforts to drive economic growth, productivity and competitiveness by bringing together industry, energy, resources and science.

History

The department was established on 23 December 2014, taking on most of the functions of the previous Department of Industry; but transferring skills responsibilities to the Department of Education and Training. The Department's creation, and the associated swearing in of Industry Minister Ian Macfarlane when he added 'Science' to his official title, was seen by several media outlets as an admission from the Abbott Government that it had been a mistake to not have a dedicated Science minister in 2014. The Department was abolished and replaced with the

Department of Industry, Innovation and Science The Department of Industry, Science, Energy and Resources was a department of the Australian Government responsible for consolidating the Government’s efforts to drive economic growth, productivity and competitiveness by bringing together indu ...

in September 2015, to create a new federal government focus on innovation.

Scope

As outlined in the December 2014 Administrative Arrangements Orders, the department was responsible for a wide range of functions including: * Manufacturing and commerce including industry and market development * Industry innovation policy and technology diffusion * Construction industry, excluding workplace relations * Facilitation of the development of service industries generally * Trade marks,

plant breeders' rights Plant breeders' rights (PBR), also known as plant variety rights (PVR), are rights granted to the breeder of a new variety of plant that give the breeder exclusive control over the propagating material (including seed, cuttings, divisions, tissue ...

and patents of inventions and designs * Anti-dumping * Civil space issues * Science policy * Energy policy

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Department of Industry and Science 2014 establishments in Australia 2015 disestablishments in Australia Australia, Industry and Science Industry and Science