This series comprises the main administrative record collection of the ABC Talks Department. The Talks Department was responsible for all talks broadcast on ABC radio. The records in this series document the administration involved in performing this function, from the Department's inception, to its closure on 27 June 1969. 

The records in this series are roughly divided into subject groupings. The first of these groupings contains the policy material of the Department. The second contains reports documenting the work of the Department, while the third grouping is comprised of material documenting the work of the Department's Advisory Committee and Conferences attended by staff. The fourth grouping contains the Department's correspondence, including correspondence from listeners regarding their views on talk programmes. The fifth grouping contains correspondence from and with the ABC regional stations across the country, while the sixth, seventh and eighth groupings contain correspondence and reports about the Talk Department's relationship with Radio Australia, and work in Papua New Guinea and South East Asia. The final subject grouping is comprised of general miscellaneous material, including correspondence with the BBC, records relating to television broadcasts and hints for talk presenters.