The Department of Works and Housing was established on 13 July 1945, replacing the Department of Works [II] which was abolished on that date (Commonwealth Gazette No 138, 13 July 1945, p 1536).

The functions of the new Department, as outlined in the Department of Works and Housing (Functions) Order made on 19 July 1945 (Commonwealth Gazette No 149, 2 August 1945, pp 1656-57, were:
 
(a) the design, estimate of cost, supervision and execution of
    all architectural and engineering works (both capital and
    maintenance) for the Commonwealth Government and such other
    works as were requested by a State or an authority of the
    Commonwealth or of a State;
(b) the inspection of all works and advice to the Department
    concerned as to necessary maintenance and the estimated cost
    of such maintenance;
(c) the formulation of proposals for the co-ordination of works 
    projects independently initiated by two or more Departments; 
(d) the formulation of town planning proposals in areas
    controlled by the Commonwealth in collaboration with other
    responsible Departments;
(e) technical advice in relation to Commonwealth works
    programmes;
(f) the investigation, planning and development of such works of
    national importance as were referred to the Department by
    the Commonwealth government;
(g) technical advice to the Commonwealth in relation to works of
    a State, or of an authority of a State, in which the
    Commonwealth had a direct financial interest, and, if so
    directed by the Commonwealth Government, the design or
    execution of those works;
(h) collaboration with Commonwealth and State Departments and 
    authorities and local authorities on regional and town
    planning insofar as it affected Commonwealth works;
(i) the submissions to the Defence Services of Works proposals
    or work plans (other than Defence Works) for which the
    Commonwealth was wholly or partially responsible, and which,
    in the consideration of the Department, had strategic
    importance; and
(j) collaboration in research carried out by Commonwealth and
    State Departments or authorities in relation to works and
    the circulation of relevant data to interested Departments
    or authorities; and also the planning and conduct of such
    further research as the Department considered necessary in
    relation to matters affecting the planning, design and
    execution of works.

A Directorate of Housing (CA 542) was formed within the Department on its creation. The Directorate was an amalgamation of sections concerned with housing matters previously located in the Departments of Labour and National Service (War Housing Division, to which had previously been added the War Housing Section of the Department of Post-War Reconstruction) and Post-War Reconstruction (Building Industry Division) the Prices Commission of the Department of Trade and Customs and the War Service Homes Commission. Functions specific to the Directorate were:
 
(a) administration of the Commonwealth - States Housing
    Agreement;
(b) the issue of building permits;
(c) administration of Building Materials Orders (bricks, tiles, 
    fibrous plaster, stone, concrete pipes);
(d) administration of the National Security (Commonwealth War
    Housing Trust) Regulations, pending the completion and
    liquidation of the Trust's projects;
(e) administration of the National Security (Landlord and
    Tenant) Regulations;
(f) responsibility for the inter-departmental Building Industry
    Committee and its subsidiary committees in the States;
(g) any other matters necessarily associated with a Commonwealth 
    Housing Authority.

During 1947 the Directorate of Housing (CA 542) was redesignated Housing Division, Department of Works and Housing (CA 2006). The Acts administered by the Minister for Works and Housing as enumerated in the Administrative Arrangements Order issued on 12 March 1947 (Commonwealth Gazette, No 52, 14 March 1947, p 896) were:

 Commonwealth - State Housing Agreement Act 1945
 Defence (Transitional Provisions) Act 1946, insofar as it
 related to the following Regulations and Order: 
  Regulations:
   National Security (Landlord and Tenant) Regulations
   National Security (Salvage) Regulations
  Order:
   Control of Essential Materials Order
 Federal Aid Roads Act 1926
 Federal Aid Road Act 1931
 Federal Aid Roads Act 1936
 Federal Aid Roads and Works Act 1937
 Re-establishment and Employment Act 1945 (Part viii)
 River Murray Waters Act 1915
 River Murray Waters Act 1934
 War Service Homes Act 1918
 War Service Homes Agreement Act 1932
 War Service Homes (South Australia) Agreement Act 1934

Responsibility for the River Murray Waters Commission (CA 246) passed to Works and Housing from the Department of the Interior [II] on 12 September 1945 (Commonwealth Gazette, No 176, 13 September 1945, p 1980).

Responsibility for the National Security (Landlord and Tenant) Regulations was transferred from the Department of Trade and Customs (Prices Commissioner) to Works and Housing on 16 October 1945.

As from 1 November 1945, responsibility for issuing building permits was taken over by the state governments.
 
The Department of Works and Housing was allotted a role in the 
post-war field of materials supply and the residue of the wartime Commonwealth Timber Control (CA 536) was transferred from the Department of Munitions to Works and Housing. The changeover was effected administratively on 8 November 1945. The Government approved certain recommendations of the Timber Controller which led to the establishment within the Department of the Interior [II] of a permanent Forestry and Timber Bureau (CA 213) in April 1946. As the Bureau was to be a permanent timber planning authority, responsibility for Timber Control passed from Works and Housing to the Bureau within the Department of the Interior [II] as from 1 July 1946 (see CA 213, CA 1536).

In 1946, Works and Housing gained responsibility for the Commonwealth Salvage Commission (CA 226) from the Department of Home Security. On 31 January 1946 the control of the Commonwealth Experimental Building Station (CA 669) was transferred to Works and Housing from the Department of Post-War Reconstruction (see CA 669).

On 17 March 1950 the Housing Division (CA 2006) was transferred to the Department of National Development [I].
 
On 4 January 1951, the War Service Homes Division which was created to replace the War Service Homes Commission in 1947 was transferred from Works and Housing to the Department of Social Services (Commonwealth Gazette, No. 2, 5 January 1951, p 1).

On 21 June 1951 responsibility for the function 'Housing Finance' passed from Works and Housing to the Department of National Development [I] (Commonwealth Gazette, No 46, 2 July 1951, p 1664).

On 4 June 1952 the Department of Works and Housing was abolished and the Department of Works [III] (CA 61) created which assumed all functions previously carried out by the abolished Department. It was decided to change the title of the Department because there was very little left in the Department which had any direct bearing on "housing". The new title was felt to be a more appropriate description of the functions. The title "Works and Housing" was found to confuse the public by creating an impression that the Commonwealth was directly responsible for all housing activities, including those controlled by State Governments. (Commonwealth Public Service Board Bulletin, Vol 4, No 3, May-June 1952, p 14)

The Ministers for Works and Housing were:
 
13 Jul 1945 -  1 Nov 1946: Hubert Peter Lazzarini
 1 Nov 1946 - 19 Dec 1949: Nelson Lemmon
19 Dec 1949 - 11 May 1951: Richard Gardiner Casey
11 May 1951 -  4 Jun 1952: Wilfred Selwyn Kent Hughes

Sir Louis F Loder, CBE, was Secretary to the Department during the seven years of its existence.

Sources
 
S J Butlin and C B Schedvin, War Economy, 1942-1945, Australian War Memorial, Canberra, 1977.

Joint Committee of Public Accounts Fourth Report. Department of National Development, p 6 in Commonwealth Parliamentary Papers Session 1951-52-53 Vol II, pp 531 ff.

Committee of Review - Civil Staffing of Wartime Activities.  Report on the Department of Works and Housing, 14 November 1945, pp 2-3

271 Collins Street, Melbourne, Vic

Creation: Executive Council Meeting No. 42 (P.M.'s Minute No. 27) of 13 July 1945
Abolition: Executive Council Meeting No. 26 (P.M.'s Minute No. 21) of 4 June 1952

Subsequent agency unregistered

1945: State housing authorities (issue of building permits)