The Science and Industry Research Act of 1949 which established the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation
(C.S.I.R.O.) came into operation on 19 May 1949. The Act abolished the Commonwealth Council for Scientific and Industrial Research and the State Committees, including the one in South Australia (CA 4230).
 
The 1949 Act defines the powers and functions of the CSIRO as being:  
 (a) The initiation and carrying out of scientific researches and 
     investigations in connection with, or for the promotion of,
     primary or secondary industries in the Commonwealth or in any
     Territory of the Commonwealth or in connection with any other
     matter referred to the Organisation by the Minister;
 
 (b) The training of scientific research workers and the
     establishment and award of scientific research studentships and
     fellowships;
 
 (c) The making of grants in aid of pure scientific research;  

 (d) The recognition or establishment of associations of persons 
     engaged in any industry for the purpose of carrying out
     industrial scientific research and the co-operation with and 
     the making of grants to, such organisations when recognised
     or established;
 
 (e) The testing and standardisation of scientific apparatus and 
     instruments and the carrying out of scientific investigations
     connected with the standardisation of apparatus, machinery,
     materials and instruments used in industry;
 
 (f) The collections and disseminations of information relating to 
     scientific and technical matters; and
 
 (g) The publication of scientific and technical reports, periodicals
     and papers.
 
State Committees of the CSIRO are statutory bodies responsible for  receiving or requesting information regarding reactions to CSIRO  activities in the State or Territory concerned. The Committees also  disseminate information on CSIRO activities in the respective State  or Territory as well as advising the CSIRO Advisory Council  accordingly.

The functions of the State Committee are to advise the Executive or the Advisory Council on the following:
 
 (a) the general work of the Organisation
 (b) any particular matter of investigation or research
 (c) any matter which the Executive or the Advisory Council refers 
     to the State Committee for advice.
 
The South Australian State Committee was composed of the following members as at 18 May 1949:
 
 Professor Sir Kerr Grant, M.Sc., (Chairman)
 A.S. Allen
 A.R. Callaghan, C.M.G., B.Sc. Agr., D.Phil.
 S.B. Dickinson, M.Sc.
 Sir James Gosse
 C. Haselgrove
 Professor T.H. Johnston, M.A., D.Sc.
 W.S. Kelly
 H.R. Marston, F.R.S.
 Sir Douglas Mawson, O.B.E., D.Sc., B.E., F.R.S.
 Professor M.L. Mitchell, M.Sc.
 F.W. Moorhouse, M.Sc.
 F.T. Perry
 Professor J.A. Prescott, D.Sc.
 S.D. Shield, A.S.A.S.M.
 W.J. Spafford, R.D.A.
 L.K. Ward, B.A. B.E., D.Sc.
 Professor J.G. Wood, D.Sc., PhD.
 
The Secretary for the Committee at this time was J. Ward Walters.  
Although the Organisation was legislatively under the control of the Prime Minister (from 1949 to 1966) the following were, in fact, Minister-in-Charge during this period:
 
 19 May     -19 Dec 1949: J.J. Dedman, Minister for Defence (CA 46)
                          and Post-war Reconstruction (CA 49)
 22 Mar 1950- 4 Feb 1960: R.G. Casey, Minister for National
                          Development (CA 560) and for External
                          Affairs [II] (CA 18) and External
                          Territories (CA 42) from 27 April 1951;
                          then Minister for External Affairs [II]
                          from 11 May 1956
  4 Feb 1960-22 Dec 1961: D.A. Cameron, Minister for Health (CA 17)
 16 Feb 1962- ?         : J.G. Gorton, Minister for the Navy (CA 38),
                          then Minister for the Interior (CA 31) from
                          18 December 1963, then Minister for Works
                          (CA 61) from 4 March 1964
 
In accordance with recommendations contained in the 1985 ASTEC Report "Future Directions for CSIRO", the CSIRO Executive, the CSIRO Advisory Council and the six State and Territory Advisory Committees were dissolved on 5 December 1986 and replaced by the corporate-style CSIRO Board.
 
 
SOURCES
 
 1. Science and Industry Research Act No. 13 of 1949
 
 2. Commonwealth Gazette No. 344, 19 May 1949, p 1306 B
 
 3. Parliamentary Paper, General Session 1948-49, Vol. 10, 
    pp 1503, 1616, 1628
 
 4. CSIRO Annual Report 1986/7, p 42
Historical agency address
Subject to research
Legislation administered
Creation: Commonwealth of Australia Acts, No. 13 of 1949, Science and Industry Research Act 1949