The machinery of government (sometimes abbreviated as MoG) is the interconnected structures and processes of

government A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a state. In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive, and judiciary. Government i ...

, such as the functions and accountability of

departments Department may refer to: * Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility Government and military *Department (administrative division), a geographical and administrative division within a country, ...

in the

executive Executive ( exe., exec., execu.) may refer to: Role or title * Executive, a senior management role in an organization ** Chief executive officer (CEO), one of the highest-ranking corporate officers (executives) or administrators ** Executive di ...

branch of government. The term is used particularly in the context of changes to established systems of

public administration Public Administration (a form of governance) or Public Policy and Administration (an academic discipline) is the implementation of public policy, administration of government establishment ( public governance), management of non-profit es ...

where different elements of machinery are created. The phrase "machinery of government" was thought to have been first used by Author Stuart Mill J.S in ''Considerations on Representative Government'' (1861). It was notably used to a public audience by U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt in a radio broadcast in 1934, commenting on the role of the

National Recovery Administration The National Recovery Administration (NRA) was a prime agency established by U.S. president Franklin D. Roosevelt (FDR) in 1933. The goal of the administration was to eliminate " cut throat competition" by bringing industry, labor, and governm ...

(NRA) in delivering the

New Deal The New Deal was a series of programs, public work projects, financial reforms, and regulations enacted by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in the United States between 1933 and 1939. Major federal programs agencies included the Civilian Con ...

. A number of national governments, including those of

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. With an area of , Australia is the largest country by ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by to ...

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring coun ...

and the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and ...

, have adopted the term in official usage.

Australia

In Australia, the terms ‘machinery of government changes’ and ‘administrative re-arrangements’ are interchangeable and are used to refer to the changes to the structure of government and the allocation of government functions between departments and ministers. Machinery of government changes may occur at any time, however the most significant changes generally occur immediately following an election. There is usually very little consultation or discussion prior to machinery of government changes in Australia, especially those following elections. The Commonwealth Government and some state and territory governments use Administrative Arrangements Orders (also called AAOs) as legal instruments as a primary method to make machinery of government changes.

Australian Government Administrative Arrangements Orders

At the Commonwealth Government level, Administrative Arrangements Orders (AAOs) are made by the Governor-General on the advice of the

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is ...

formally allocating executive responsibility among ministers. AAOs establish

Departments of State The United States federal executive departments are the principal units of the executive branch of the federal government of the United States. They are analogous to ministries common in parliamentary or semi-presidential systems but (the United ...

under the

Constitution A constitution is the aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organisation or other type of entity and commonly determine how that entity is to be governed. When these pr ...

, including the principal matters and legislation dealt with by each Department and its Minister(s). The AAO is generally only updated when functions move between departments, ordering machinery of government changes. Since 1901, there have been over 170 AAOs ordered by the Governor-General. Only one AAO remains active at any one time; when a new AAO is made, all previous AAOs are revoked. Administrative Arrangement Orders are generally published in the ''Commonwealth Gazette''. Administrative Arrangements Orders are seen by some academics as a central platform of good government management as the orders set the basic structure of cabinet, ministerial responsibilities, portfolios and departments.

Implementation costs

When an Administrative Arrangements Order orders departments to be split, cut or combined, the costs involved in public service machinery of government may include: *renaming departments, redesigning websites and changing signs; *transferring staff, furniture, equipment, leases and files between departments; *transferring or merging IT services; and *cutting staff, particularly in senior ranks. Total costs associated with issuing new Administrative Arrangements Orders are unknown, as the costs involved with machinery of government changes are not collated or reported, but in November 2013 the Secretary of the Department of Immigration and Border Protection told a Senate estimates hearing that the cost of the Department's name change was cheap at 'only' an estimated $195,000.

State and territory government machinery of government mechanisms

Australian Capital Territory

According to KPMG, in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT), the Chief Minister of the ACT is given full power to allocate executive power to ministers and to establish government "administrative units".

New South Wales

According to

KPMG KPMG International Limited (or simply KPMG) is a multinational professional services network, and one of the Big Four accounting organizations. Headquartered in Amstelveen, Netherlands, although incorporated in London, England, KPMG is a net ...

, in New South Wales government structure is established under section 104 of the ''Public Sector Employment and Management Act 2002''. The Act gives the

Governor of New South Wales The governor of New South Wales is the viceregal representative of the Australian monarch, King Charles III, in the state of New South Wales. In an analogous way to the governor-general of Australia at the national level, the governors of the A ...

the power to create, rename or abolish any NSW Government department through the issue of an executive order, acting on the advice of the elected government.

Northern Territory

In the Northern Territory, according to KPMG, the Administrator of the Northern Territory determines government structural arrangements, acting on the advice of the government of the day.

Queensland

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , establishe ...

, the

Premier Premier is a title for the head of government in central governments, state governments and local governments of some countries. A second in command to a premier is designated as a deputy premier. A premier will normally be a head of governm ...

has sole responsibility for determining ministerial portfolios. On the Premier’s advice, the

Governor of Queensland The governor of Queensland is the representative in the state of Queensland of the monarch of Australia. In an analogous way to the governor-general of Australia at the national level, the governor performs constitutional and ceremonial func ...

sets out the responsibilities of ministers and their portfolios in AAOs. AAOs are re-issued or amended when government structural changes take place. The biggest machinery of government changes in Queensland's history were in December 1989 under the Labor Government headed by Wayne Goss. Machinery of government changes made in March 2009 were also significant, collapsing 23 stand-alone government departments into 13.

South Australia

According to KPMG, in South Australia the

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

may establish, alter and abolish government departments under powers provided in section 26 of the ''Public Service Act 2009''.

Tasmania

In Tasmania, administrative arrangements are set out in Administrative Arrangements Orders The orders cover which Minister is responsible for the administration of legislation.

Victoria

In Victoria, government structure is set by an Order in Council made under section 10 of the ''Public Administration Act 2004''. The Act gives the

Governor of Victoria The governor of Victoria is the representative of the monarch, King Charles III, in the Australian state of Victoria. The governor is one of seven viceregal representatives in the country, analogous to the governors of the other states, and t ...

the power to create departments and allocate functions. Staff and work units can also be transferred between departments by declaration of the relevant Minister.

Western Australia

According to KPMG, under section 35(1) of the Western Australian ''Public Sector Management Act 1994'', the Governor of Western Australia may establish, amalgamate or abolish government departments on the recommendation of the Public Service Commissioner. Section 35(4) of the same Act provides that the Minister responsible for public service matters may direct the Public Service Commissioner to make recommendations the Governor and the Commissioner must comply with that recommendation.