CHRIS WOODS

The Public Service Commission has published a list of new and updated departments as a result of the ongoing machinery of government.

Brisbane’s Executive Building hosts a number of departments undergoing the machinery of government. Photo: Chris Woods.

Released on 3 April 2012, the notice lists new departments such as “Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and Multicultural Affairs” and “Environment and Heritage Protection”.

These come as older departments are changed or removed entirely, for example the new “Science, Information Technology, Innovation and the Arts” merges previously distinct departments such as “Arts Queensland” and the “Centre for Information Technology and Communications (CITEC)”.

It also briefly details how overhauled departments, such as “Environment and Resource Management (DERM)”, will be distributed, although it did not specify when the changes will be implemented.

Julie Wissmann, a communications officer at DERM, described the department’s current uncertain position as it prepares to be “split across four, and possibly six, different departments in coming months.”

“At this stage, those of us in the support services, for example, Human Resources,  finance and communications, have no idea who is going where and what this means for us at the coal face,” Ms Wissmann said.

“So it is business as usual until we are directed otherwise. Personally, I don’t expect to know my new duties for some weeks.”

In a press release published March 30, Campbell Newman, Premier of Queensland, stated that the reasons for these ministry changes were “to grow a four pillar economy, lower the cost of living by cutting waste, revitalise front line services, deliver better infrastructure and planning and restore accountability to government.”

For a complete list of new departments please see The Public Service Departmental Arrangements Notice (No1) 2012, available here.

This article was originally submitted to the University of Queensland for assessment.