The Department of Civil Aviation was created on 24 November 1938 by Executive Council Minute No 59 of 24 November 1938 (Commonwealth of Australia Gazette, No 70 of 25 November 1938, p 1751). Prior to this date the administration of civil aviation in Australia had been carried out, since 1921, by the Department of Defence [II], (CA 19) and from April 1936 the Civil Aviation Board (CA 93) under the Department of Defence. The first Minister for Civil Aviation was Harold Victor Campbell Thorby, MP (Gazette No 70, 25 November 1938, p 2751) and the first Director-General of Civil Aviation (Acting) (permanent head) was Maurice William Mehaffey (Gazette No 2, 12 January 1939, p 65). 

Initially the Department was organised into seven Branches -
Administration, Transport Services and Legislation, Ground Organisation, Electrical Engineering, Aeronautical Engineering, Flying Operations and Accounts and Stores.
 
On 18 December 1945 the then Minister for Civil Aviation (Mr Drakeford) announced that to meet demands imposed by the expansion of civil aviation in Australia and many international and specifically post-war implications, the Department of Civil Aviation had been reorganised. It had been divided into four directorates - Air Transport and External Relations, Air Navigation and Safety, Airways and Airports - and two branches - finance and statistics and administrative and personnel. The functions of the department were listed in Commonwealth Year Book No 51 of 1965 as follows:
 
. provide, operate and maintain the Australia air traffic control
  and air navigation network, and aeronautical information service;
  provide in conjunction with the Commonwealth Meteorological Bureau
  a national weather information service for aircraft;
. design, operate and maintain aerodromes and related facilities and 
  licence their use;
. approve fares, freight rates and timetables;
. determine the rules of the air and general conditions of flight
  over Australian territory;
. license air services - operating in liaison with State Government 
  transport authorities;
. suspend or cancel pilot licences and airworthiness certificates, 
  enforce safety regulations and institute prosecutions for
  infringements;
. investigate aircraft accidents and incidents;
. license flying schools and training organisations and supervise 
  their activities;
. determine airworthiness requirements for civil aircraft and issue 
  certificates of airworthiness and of type approval;
. license pilots, flight engineers, radio operators, maintenance 
  engineers, and technicians;
. negotiate and administer international air transport arrangements 
  with overseas countries and regulate international flights and air
  services;
. impose, vary and collect charges levied on aircraft operators for
  the use of aerodromes and air route facilities;
. conduct continuous economic and statistical studies of airlines and
  other civil aviation activities;
. negotiate and administer Government airline agreements on air
  services, mail carriage, and other matters;
. represent the Australian Government on several international Civil
  Aviation Organisations (ICAO, SPATC) and also at international
  conventions and meetings dealing with civil aviation problems.
 
The Department's jurisdiction covered not only Australia but also Papua, New Guinea (including New Britain) and areas of the Indian and Pacific Oceans. The head office of the Department was in Melbourne with regional offices in each State and Territory including Papua and New Guinea. 

On its creation, the Department administered the following Acts:  

 Air Navigation Act 1920-1936
 Carriage by Air Act 1935
 Empire Air Service (England to Australia) Act 1938

At the time of its abolition, the Department administered:

 Airlines Agreements Act 1952-1972
 Airlines Equipment Act 1958
 Airline Equipment (Loan Guarantee) Act 1968
 Airline Equipment (Loan Guarantee) Act 1969
 Airline Equipment (Loan Guarantee) Act 1972
 Air Navigation Act 1920-1971
 Air Navigation (Charges) Act 1952-1972
 Airports (Business Concessions) Act 1959-1966
 Airports (Surface Traffic) Act 1960-1966
 Australian National Airlines Act 1945-1972
 
On 30 November 1973 the Department was abolished and its functions absorbed into CA 1492, Department of Transport [III] as the Air Transport Group.
  
Ministers of Civil Aviation were:

24 Nov 1938 - 26 Apr 1939  : Hon Harold Victor Campbell Thorby
26 Apr 1939 - 13 Aug 1940  : Hon James Valentine Fairbairn
14 Aug 1940 - 28 Oct 1940  : Hon Arthur William Fadden
28 Oct 1940 -  7 Oct 1941  : Hon John McEwen
 7 Oct 1941 - 19 Dec 1949  : Hon Arthur Samuel Drakeford (CP 139)
19 Dec 1949 - 11 May 1951  : Hon Thomas Walter White (CP 145)
11 May 1951 -  9 Jul 1954  : Hon Hubert Lawrence Anthony
 9 Jul 1954 - 24 Oct 1956  : Hon Athol Gordon Townley
24 Oct 1956 - 10 Jun 1964  : Hon Senator Shane Dunn Paltridge
10 Jun 1964 - 26 Jan 1966  : Hon Senator Norman Henry (Denham Henty) 
27 Jan 1966 - 12 Nov 1969  : Hon Reginald William Colin Swartz 
                             (CP 68) 
12 Nov 1969 -  5 Dec 1972  : Senator the Hon Robert Carrington Cotton
                             (CP 201)
 5 Dec 1972 - 19 Dec 1972  : Hon Edward Gough Whitlam (CP 99) 
19 Dec 1972 - 30 Nov 1973  : Hon Charles Keith Jones
 
Permanent heads Director's General of the Department of Civil Aviation were:
 
 3 Apr 1939 - 16 Fev 1944  : A B  Corbett
17 Feb 1944 - 10 Jun 1946  : Sir Daniel McVey
11 Jun 1946 - 31 Dec 1955  : Air Marshall Sir Richard Williams 
 1 Jan 1956 - 30 Sep 1973  : Sir Donald G  Anderson
30 Sep 1973 - 30 Nov 1973  : C C  Halton
 
Sources
 
1. Commonwealth of Australia Gazette No 70, 25 November 1938, p 1751 
    p 2751
2. Commonwealth Year Book, No 51, 1965, pp 578-579.
3. Post War Plans, Departmental Organisation, 18 December, 1945 in 
   Commonwealth Digest of Decisions and Announcements, No 109 1945, 
   pp 53-54
4. Committee of Review, Civil Staffing of Wartime Activities, Report
   on the Department of Civil Aviation, 14 August 1945, p 1.
 

Historical agency address
  1938-by1939: Victoria Barracks, Melbourne
  1939-by1951: Almora House, 522 Litttle Collins Street, Melbourne
by1951-by1968: Henty House, 499 Little Collins Street, Melbourne
by1968-  1973: Aviation House, 188 Queens Street, Melbourne
Legislation administered
Creation: Executive Council Meeting No. 59, Prime Minister's Department Minute No. 168 of 24 November 1938.
Abolition: Subject to research