The Commonwealth Office of Education was created by the Education Act, Sections 5 and 6 which came into operation on 8 November 1945 (1). Its functions as set out in Section 5 of the Education Act 1945 were:

 (a) to advise the Minister on matters relating to Education;
 (b) to establish and maintain liaison, on matters relating to
     education, with other countries and the States;
 (c) to arrange consultation between Commonwealth authorities
     concerned with matters relating to education;
 (d) to undertake research relating to education;
 (e) to provide statistics and information relating to education 
     required by any Commonwealth authority; and
 (f) to advise the Minister concerning the grant of financial
     assistance to the States and to other authorities for
     educational purposes and shall include such other functions in
     relation to education as are assigned to it by the Minister.

The legislation provided for the new Office to be headed by a Director, who would also be, ex-officio, Chairman of the Universities Commission (CA 274). Professor R C Mills held the position of Director and Chairman. Two Deputy Directors were appointed and given responsibility for the detailed development of policy, and the administration of sections dealing with: educational research, information, international relations, Commonwealth and State relations in education, education publications, special fields and the administrative sections of the Universities Commission.

Initially, the central organization of the Office of Education was located in Sydney, and branch offices were established in the six State capitals. In addition an Education Liaison Officer was appointed to Australia House, London. Because of its early involvement with training programmes for ex-servicemen, the Office was first located with the Department of Post-War Reconstruction 
(CA 49). On 11 January 1950, it became part of the Prime Minister's Department (CA 12) (2).  

For a number of years after its inception the Office of Education confined its interest very largely to scholarships and international relations in education. However, the period between 1955 and 1965 saw a significant development in the consideration given to education and related cultural matters by the Commonwealth Government. As a result, a number of activities with broad policy implications were transferred to the Education Branch of the Prime Minister's Department. The Office of Education retained a consultative role in respect of the activities so transferred.

At the 1963 elections, the Government announced its intention to introduce a number of new programmes in education, including student scholarships and capital grants for science laboratories in secondary and technical schools. To assist him in the development and
administration of these programmes, the Prime Minister appointed a Minister-in-Charge of Commonwealth Activities in Education and Research (Senator J G Gorton), and established the Education Division (CA 1192) within the Prime Minister's Department in June 1964. The Office of Education continued to function as part of the new Division, and co-operated in the development of the new programmes announced by the Government.

On 13 December 1966 (3), the Government created a Department of Education and Science made up of the Education Division of Prime Minister's Department and the Commonwealth Office of Education. In 1967 the Commonwealth Office of Education ceased to be staffed as a separate unit and its personnel were absorbed into the International Education Branch of the new department (CA 1318) (4).

In the second reading speech for the Scholarships Bill in the House of Representatives on 20 March 1969, the then Minister for Education and Science, Mr Fraser, said 'Honourable members will know that when the Department of Education and Science was established at the end of 1966 it embraced most of the functions of the former Education Division of the Prime Minister's Department which included the Commonwealth Office of Education. The present step therefore completes the formal arrangements which had applied in practice since the Department was set up' (5).

In fact, the Act although it was passed and received assent was never proclaimed and the Office of Education nominally existed until it was formally abolished on 15 October 1974 when the Student Assistance Act 1973, which abolished the Education Act 1945, was proclaimed to commence (6).


References

(1) Commonwealth of Australia Acts, No 55 of 1945, Education Act 
    1945, received assent on 11 Oct 1945, date of commencement 8 Nov
    1945
(2) Commonwealth of Australia Gazette, No 3, 12 Jan 1950, p 105 
(3) Commonwealth of Australia Gazette, No 103A, 13 Dec 1966, p 6217A
(4) A large part of this note has been taken from the Commonwealth 
    Parliament, Joint Committee on Public Accounts, Department of 
    Education and Science, Parliamentary Paper, No 106 of 1973, 
    p 3-4 
(5) Parliament, House of Representatives, Hansard, 20 Mar 1969, 
    p 737
(6) Commonwealth of Australia Acts, No 155 of 1973, Student
    Assistance Act 1973, section 3; proclamation in Australian
    Government Gazette, No 82, 8 Oct 1974, p 4
Historical agency address
      -c 1946: 119 Phillip Street, Sydney
by1947-  1957: 1st Floor, Grace Building, York Street, Sydney
by1957-  1958: 8th Floor, Commonwealth Bank Building, Cnr York &
               Market Streets, Sydney
  1958-  1967: 4th Floor, AMP Building, 50 Miller Street, North
               Sydney
Legislation administered
Creation: Commonwealth of Australia Acts, No. 55 of 1945, Education Act 1945 
Abolition: Commonwealth of Australia Acts, No. 155 of 1973, Student Assistance Act 1973