Description of series:
This series contains minutes of meetings of Executive officers of Allied Works Council relating to the execution of work for various armed services including the U.S. Army & Air Force. The set was created by Allied Works Council, which consisted of Co-ordinator General & Works Services Branch of the Dept of Interior.

There are two sets containing 26 volumes of meeting minutes. The first set runs from volume 1 to 15 and the second from 16 to 26. The meetings are numbered from 1 to 690, then each item discussed at the meetings are numbered from 1 to 19756.

Prior to 1942, the Commonwealth Authority responsible for the
execution of Commonwealth works was the Works and Services Branch of
the Department of the Interior [II] (CA 31).
 
On 26 February 1942 National Security (Allied Works) Regulations
(Statutory Rules 1942, No. 88) were promulgated. These Regulations
made provision for the appointment of a Director-General of Allied
Works who was to have direct control of:
 
 (a) the carrying out of works of whatever nature required for war 
     purposes by Allied Forces in Australia;
 (b) the securing of supplies of materials, plant, tools and
     equipment for the purposes of such works;
 (c) the employment of technicians, workmen and others for the 
     purposes of such works, and the transport, accommodation and
     provisioning of such workmen and others.
 
In exercising his functions the Director-General could, on behalf of
the Commonwealth;
 (a) make and vary contracts and agreements;
 (b) employ such persons as were necessary;
 (c) direct any contractor with the Commonwealth, or any person
     sub-contracting with such a contractor, as to the manner of
     carrying out the work for which he has contracted or
     sub-contracted;
 (d) requisition or compulsorily acquire any property (other than
     land) including exclusive rights or licences an privileges;
 (e) acquire by purchase any goods or chattels or things in action
     (including rights in relation to inventions); and
 (f) sell or otherwise dispose of or turn to account or write off
     property held in connexion with the carrying out of works.
 
On 25 February the then Prime Minister, Mr Curtin, informed the Hon.
E.G. Theodore, who was appointed Director-General of Allied Works,
that Cabinet approved the establishment of an Allied Works Council to
assist him in coping with the Australian-American Works Projects. The
Council was to assist the Director-General and to exercise such
powers as were delegated to it by him. It was not considered
necessary to prescribe the functions of the Council by Regulations;
the full functions of the Council were to be drawn up by the Director-
General, but were to embrace the following:
 
 (a) the Council was to work in close collaboration with
     Commonwealth Departments and instrumentalities charged with
     responsibility for the control of manpower, materials and
     equipment;
 (b) with a view to assisting in solving manpower problems, the
     Department of Labour and National Service (CA40) was to be
     linked with the Council and the Minister for Labour and National
     Service was to appoint a Liaison Officer for the purpose;
 (c) The Council was required to co-ordinate its efforts with other
     Commonwealth authorities charged with the implementation of
     works for Australian defence purposes and to make the fullest
     use of existing government machinery for arranging contracts and
     procuring supplies.
 
The initial members of the Council were:
 The Hon. E.G. Theodore, Director-General of Allied Works - Chairman
 C. A. Hoy, Director-General of Works, Department of the Interior  
 A nominee of the Commanding General of the United States Army 
Forces in Australia.
 
On 27 February 1942, Lieutenant-General Geo. H. Brett, Commanding
Officer at the Headquarters of the United States Army Forces in
Australia, notified the Prime Minister of the nomination of
Lieutenant-Colonel Elvin H. Heiberg of the Corps of Engineers as the
United States Army representative on the Allied Works Council.
 
The first meeting of the Allied Works Council was held on 28 February
1942.
 
At the time of the establishment of the Council, the Works and
Services Branch of the Department of the Interior [II] was carrying
out a comprehensive programme of works for various Departments,
particularly for the Departments of Navy, Army, Air, Munitions and
Civil Aviation. These works and the staffs associated with them were,
by agreement with the Department of the Interior [II], all placed
under the direct control of the Director-General of Allied Works, and
the Director-General, Works and Services Branch, Department of the
Interior, was appointed Assistant Director-General of Allied Works.
Thus all Commonwealth constructions activities were amalgamated under
one form of administration carried on under the authority of the
National Security (Allied Works) Regulations.
 
On 14 April 1942 the Regulations were amended by Statutory Rules
1942, No. 170. A Civil Constructional Corps was established (CA 681)
under the control of the Director-General of Allied Works.
 
On 3 May 1943 a Civil Aliens Corps (CA 680) was established by
National Security (Aliens Service) Regulations, Statutory Rules 1943,
No. 108 under the control of the Director-General of Allied Works. He
was given power to direct any male refugee alien or male enemy alien
between the ages of 18 and 60 to serve in the Civil Aliens Corps. 
 
On 2 February 1945 the Department of Works [II] (CA 50) was
established and on 16 February 1945 National Security (Allied Works)
Regulations, Statutory Rules 1945, No. 16 were promulgated. They
abolished the position of the Director-General of Allied Works and
thus abolished the Allied Works Council.
 
 

 
Administrative information
 
The following data was keyed from the paper documentation:
Form number:              CA 17
Creating department:      Interior -  Works and Services Branch
Transferring department:  Works - Records and Despatch
Date of transfer:         20/02/1951
Archives file number:     RWB21/1/4