The Department of Education and Youth Affairs (CA 3494) was renamed the Department of Education [II] on 13 December 1984. The Office of Youth Affairs was transferred to the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet and in his Media Release of 11 December 1984, the Prime Minister said that it would function in the same way as the Office of the Status of Women. He also mentioned that School to Work
transition programmes would remain in Education. The change to the former Education and Youth Affairs portfolio had, he said, been undertaken to reflect "a concentrated effort to improve and more effectively integrate the Government's overall policies for youth."  
The Department of Education [II] inherited responsibility for legislation relating to overseas students from the Department of Immigration and Ethnic Affairs (CA 1955).
 
The Administrative Arrangements Orders of 13 December 1984 (notified in Commonwealth Gazette, No S521, 13 December 1984) stated that the Department would be responsible for "education, other than migrant adult education" and that the Minister would be responsible for administering the following legislation:
 
. Australian National University Act 1946
. Canberra College of Advanced Education Act 1967
. Commonwealth Schools Commission Act 1973
. Commonwealth Teaching Service Act 1972
. Commonwealth Tertiary Education Commission Act 1977
. Education Research Act 1970
. Immigration (Education) Act 1971, except to the extent administered
  by the Minister for Immigration and Ethnic Affairs 
. Independent Schools (Loans Guarantee) Act 1969
. Maritime College Act 1978
. Non-governmental Schools (Loans Guarantee) Act 1977
. Overseas Students Charge Act 1979
. Overseas Students Charge Collection Act 1979
. States Grants (Advanced Education) Acts
. States Grants (Advanced Education Assistance) Act 1976
. States Grants (Education Assistance-Participation and Equity) Act 
  1983
. States Grants (Independent Schools) Act 1969
. States Grants (Pre-School Teachers Colleges) Act 1968
. States Grants (Schools) Acts
. States Grants (Schools Assistance) Act
. States Grants (Technical and Further Education) Act 1974
. States Grants (Technical and Further Education Assistance) Act 1979 . States Grants (Technical Training) Act 1971
. States Grants (Tertiary Education Assistance) Acts
. States Grants (Universities) Acts
. States Grants (Universities Assistance) Act 1976
. Student Assistance Act 1973
. Student Assistance (Loans Guarantee and Subsidy) Act 1982
. Universities (Financial Assistance) Acts.
 
The Central Office of the Department was located in Canberra and it has offices in the capital city of each state and territory as well as a number of regional offices in Queensland and the Northern Territory. The Department was organised on a functional basis into seven major divisions:
 
. Policy and Resource Planning Division
. General Student Assistance Division
. Office of ACT Further Education Division
. Education Programs Division
. Overseas Students Office
. General Policy and Research Division
. Management Division.
 
The Department was also responsible for the following agencies:  

. Apprenticeship Board of the Australian Capital Territory
. Australian Capital Territory Schools Authority
. Australian Maritime College
. Australian National University
. Canberra College of Advanced Education
. Commonwealth Schools Commission
. Commonwealth Tertiary Education Commission
. Curriculum Development Council
. Student Assistance Review Tribunals
(Commonwealth Government Directory, Volume 2, Education portfolio).  

On 12 December 1985 the Prime Minister announced an administrative change as a prelude to increased self government for the ACT. The Press Release of that date stated that the Department of Territories [II] would receive responsibility for the "territorial education system excluding post-secondary education" from the Education portfolio.
 
The Administrative Arrangements Orders of 12 December (notified in Commonwealth Gazette, No S523 of that date) stated that:
 
 (a) the matters dealt with by the Department of Territories include
     Administration of the Australian Capital Territory including
     Territorial health and pre-school, primary and secondary
     education;
 (b) the enactments administered by the Minister of State for
     Education include the Commonwealth Teaching Service Act 1922,
     except insofar as it relates to pre-school, primary and
     secondary education; and
 (c) the enactments administered by the Minister of State for
     Territories include the Commonwealth Teaching Service Act 1922
     insofar as it relates to pre-school, primary and secondary
     education.
 
The transfer of responsibility involved the movement of the ACT Schools Authority from the Education portfolio.
 
The repeal of legislation in 1986 resulted in the following Acts being deleted from the list of those administered by the Department in the Administrative Arrangements Orders of 3 February 1987
(notified in the Commonwealth of Australia Gazette, No S16, 3 February 1987):
 
. States Grants (Independent Schools) Act 1969
. States Grants (Pre-School Teachers Colleges) Act 1968
. States Grants (Schools) Acts
. States Grants (Technical and Further Education) Act 1974
. States Grants (Technical and Further Education Assistance) Act 1976 . States Grants (Technical Training) Act 1971
. Universities (Financial Assistance) Acts.
 
In July 1987 the Prime Minister announced a major restructuring of the administration, resulting in the consolidation of 28 departments into 16 `super-ministries'. The Department of Education was
abolished on 24 July 1987. Responsibility for the Canberra College of Advanced Education Act 1967 and the Commonwealth Teaching Service Act 1972 was inherited by the new Department of the Arts, Sport, the Environment, Tourism and Territories (CA 5984). All remaining functions and legislative responsibilities of the abolished
Department were assumed by the Department of Employment, Education and Training (CA 5986).
 
The Minister for Education [II] was:
 
13 Dec 1984 - 24 Jul1987   : Hon Susan Maree Ryan.
 
Secretaries to the Department were:
 
13 Dec 1984 - 14 Jan 1985   : Professor R Johnson
14 Jan 1985 - 24 Jul 1987   : H R Williams.
Historical agency address
MLC Tower, Phillip ACT
Legislation administered
Creation: Commonwealth of Australia Gazette, No. S521, 13 December, 1984
Abolition: Commonwealth of Australia Gazette, No. 183, 24 July 1987