The Department of the Arts, Sport, the Environment, and Territories was created on 27 December 1991 as a result of a series of administrative changes announced by the Prime Minister, the Hon Paul Keating.

The Department of the Arts, Sport, the Environment and Territories gained all the functions of the abolished Department of the Arts, Sport, the Environment, Tourism and Territories (CA 5984), except those functions dealing with tourism, which became the responsibility of the newly created Department of Tourism (CA 7432).

The Administrative Arrangements Order of 27 June 1990 (published in Commonwealth of Australia Gazette, No S 182, 3 July 1990) and amended in the Administrative Arrangements Order of 27 December 1991 (Commonwealth of Australia Gazette, No S 370, 27 December 1991) stated that the Department would deal with the following Principal matters:

 Cultural affairs, including support for the arts
 National collections
 National heritage
 Sport and recreation
 Environment and conservation
 Meteorology
 Information co-ordination and services within Australia, including 
  advertising
 Administration of the Australian Capital Territory
 Administration of the Jervis Bay Territory, the Territory of Cocos 
  (Keeling) Islands, the Territory of Christmas Island, the Coral Sea
  Islands Territory, the Territory of Ashmore and Cartier Islands,
  the Australian Antarctic Territory, and the Territory of Heard
  Island and the McDonald Islands, and of Commonwealth
  responsibilities on Norfolk Island
 Constitutional development of the Northern Territory of Australia.  
 
The Department had responsibility for administering the following Acts:
 
 ACT Self-Government (Consequential Provisions) Act 1988
 Antarctic Marine Living Resources Conservation Act 1981
 Antarctic Treaty Act 1960
 Antarctic Treaty (Environment Protection) Act 1980
 Ashmore and Cartier Islands Acceptance Act 1933
 Australia Council Act 1975
 Australian Antarctic Territory Acceptance Act 1933
 Australian Antarctic Territory Act 1954
 Australian Capital Territory (Electoral) Act 1988
 Australian Capital Territory (Planning and Land Management) Act
  1988, except to the extent administered by the Minister for
  Administrative Services
 Australian Capital Territory (Self-Government) Act 1988
 Australian Capital Territory Stamp Duty Act 1969
 Australian Capital Territory Tax (Cheques) Act 1969
 Australian Capital Territory Tax (Hire Purchase Business) Act 1969
 Australian Capital Territory Tax (Insurance Business) Act 1969
 Australian Capital Territory Tax (Life Insurance Business) Act 1981
 Australian Capital Territory Tax (Purchases of Marketable Securities) Act 1969
 Australian Capital Territory Tax (Sales of Marketable Securities) Act 1969
 Australian Capital Territory Tax (Transfers of Marketable Securities) Act 1986
 Australian Capital Territory Tax (Vehicle Registration) Act 1981
 Australian Capital Territory Taxation (Administration) Act 1969
 Australian Federal Police Act 1979, section 69
 Australian Film Commission Act 1975
 Australian Film, Television and Radio School Act 1973
 Australian Heritage Commission Act 1975
 Australian Sports Commission Act 1989
 Canberra Water Supply (Googong Dam) Act 1974
 Captains Flat (Abatement of Pollution) Agreement Act 1975
 Christmas Island Act 1958
 Christmas Island Agreement Acts
 Cocos (Keeling) Islands Act 1955
 Commonwealth Teaching Service Act 1972
 Coral Sea Islands Act 1969
 Darwin Lands Acquisition Act 1945
 Environment (Financial Assistance) Act 1977
 Environment Protection (Alligator Rivers Region) Act 1978
 Environment Protection (Impact of Proposals) Act 1974
 Environment Protection (Nuclear Codes) Act 1978
 Environment Protection (Sea Dumping) Act 1981
 Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Act 1975
 Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Amendment Act 1988
 Hazardous Waste (Regulation of Exports and Imports) Act 1989
 Heard Island and McDonald Islands Act 1953
 Historic Shipwrecks Act 1976
 Jervis Bay Territory Acceptance Act 1915
 Koongarra Project Area Act 1981
 Lemonthyme and Southern Forests (Commission of Enquiry) Act 1987
 Meteorology Act 1955
 National Fitness Act 1941
 National Gallery Act 1975
 National Library Act 1960
 National Museum of Australia Act 1980
 National Parks and Wildlife Conservation Act 1975
 Norfolk Island Act 1979
 Northern Territory Acceptance Act 1910
 Northern Territory (Self-Government) Act 1978, except sections
  69 & 70
 Ozone Protection Act 1989
 Ozone Protection (Licence Fees-Imports) Act 1989
 Ozone Protection (Licence Fees-Manufacture) Act 1989
 Parliament Act 1974
 Pay-roll Tax (Territories) Act 1971
 Pay-roll Tax (Territories) Assessment Act 1971
 Protection of Movable Cultural Heritage Act 1986
 Public Lending Right Act 1985
 Removal of Prisoners (Territories) Act 1923, insofar as it relates 
  to the Northern Territory of Australia (except to the extent 
  administered by the Attorney-General) and to Norfolk Island, the 
  Territory of Cocos (Keeling) Islands, the Territory of Christmas
  Island, the Coral Sea Islands Territory, the Territory of Ashmore
  and Cartier Islands, the Heard Island and McDonald Islands
  Territory and the Australian Antarctic Territory
 Sea Installations Act 1987
 Sea Installations Levy Act 1987
 Sea Installations (Miscellaneous Amendments) Act 1987
 Seat of Government Acceptance Acts
 Seat of Government Act 1908
 Seat of Government (Administration) Acts
 States Grants (Air Quality Monitoring) Act 1976
 States Grants (Nature Conservation) Act 1974
 Urban and Regional Development (Financial Assistance) Act 1974, 
  insofar as it relates to national estate grants
 Whale Protection Act 1980
 Wildlife Protection (Regulation of Exports and Imports) Act 1982 
 World Heritage Properties Conservation Act 1983

In the Administrative Arrangements Order of 31 January 1992 (Commonwealth of Australia Gazette, No S 37, 5 February 1992) the Darwin Lands Acquisition Act 1945 was repealed by the Department of the Arts, Sport, the Environment, Tourism and Territories Legislation Amendment Act 1991 and the Commonwealth Teaching Service Act 1972 was omitted from the AAO (most probably repealed but subject to further research).

The following new enactments were added to those administered by the Department:

  Antarctic Mining Prohibition Act 1991
  Australian National Maritime Museum Act 1990
  Australian Sports Drug Agency Act 1990.

The Department of Arts, Sport, Environment and Territories was abolished on 24 March 1993, pursuant to the Administrative Arrangements Order of that date. The function of the arts and information co-ordination (including advertising) passed to the new Department of the Arts and Administrative Services (CA 7663). The remaining functions passed to the new Department of the Environment, Sport and Territories (CA 7661).

The Minister of the Department was:

27 Dec 1991 - 24 Mar 1993 : Hon Roslyn Kelly.

The Secretary to the Department was:
 
27 Dec 1991 - 24 Mar 1993 : A S Blunn AO.

Historical agency address
Tobruk House, 15 Moore Street, Canberra City ACT

Legislation administered
Creation: Executive Council Minute No. 12 (Commonwealth of Australia Gazette No. S 370, 27 December 1991)
Abolition: Commonwealth of Australia Gazette No. S 91, 24 March 1993