The Department of Education and Science was created on 13 December 1966 (notified in Commonwealth Gazette No. 103, 13 December 1966). The Department took over functions previously the responsibility of the Prime Minister's Department (CA 12), the Department of the Interior [II] (CA 31) and the Department of Territories [I] (CA 60).
 
The functions of the Department at its inception were:
 
. general education policy
. education research
. administration of various schemes of assistance for overseas 
  students in Australia, particularly the Colombo Plan
. Australian activities in relation to UNESCO
. administration of scholarships for Australian students
. administrative assistance for the committee concerned with the 
  development of the concept and scheme of advanced education in 
  Australia
. science facilities grants to secondary schools both government and 
  non-government
. secretariat for the Australian Research Grants Committee
 
The Department was also to administer the CSIRO, the National Standards Laboratory and the Australian Universities Commission.  
The Administrative Arrangements Order of 13 December 1966 allocated the following Acts to the Department:
 
. Australian Institute of Aboriginal Studies Act 1964-1966
. Australian National University Act 1946-1966
. Australian Universities Commission Act 1959-1965
. Education Act 1945-1966
. Re-establishment and Employment Act 1945-1966; Part III in
  relation to university and university-type training; and Part XII
  to the extent to which it applied or may be applied in relation to
  the foregoing.
. Science and Industry Endowment Act 1926-1949
. Science and Industry Research Act 1949-1966
. States Grants (Advanced Education) Acts
. States Grants (Research) Act 1965-1966
. States Grants (Science Laboratories and Technical Training) Act
  1964 
. States Grants (Science Laboratories) Act 1965-1966
. States Grants (Technical Training) Act 1965-1966
. States Grants (Universities) Acts
. Universities (Financial Assistance) Acts
. Weights and Measures (National Standards) Act 1960-1966
 
The Department gained responsibility for the following new Acts in 1968 (notified in Commonwealth Gazette, No 45, 16 May 1968):
 
 Canberra College of Advanced Education Act 1967
 States Grants (Teachers Colleges) Act 1967
 
In 1970, the Department gained the following new Acts (notified in Commonwealth Gazette, No 30, 17 April 1970):
 
 Independent Schools (Loans Guarantee) Act 1969
 States Grants (Independent Schools) Act 1969
 States Grants (Pre-schools Teacher's Colleges) Act 1968
 States Grants (Secondary Schools Libraries) Act 1968
 States Grants (Teachers Colleges) Act 1967
 
In the same Administrative Arrangements Order (17 April 1970), responsibility for administering the following Act was moved to the Prime Minister's Department (CA 12):

 Australian Institute of Aboriginal Studies Act 1964 

In 1971, The Department gained the following new Acts (notified in Commonwealth Gazette, No 4, 18 January 1971):
 
 Anglo Australian Telescope Agreement Act 1970
 Australian Institute of Marine Science Act 1970
 Education Research Act 1970
 Metric Conversion Act 1970
 
In 1972, the Department gained the following new Act (notified in Commonwealth Gazette, No 17, 6 March 1972):
 
 Australian Commission on Advanced Education Act 1971
 
The early organization of the Department was a simple amalgamation of the Education Division of the Prime Minister's Department and the Commonwealth Office of Education. The Head of the Education
Division, Mr K N Jones, became First Assistant Secretary in the Department and the Director of the Commonwealth Office of Education, Mr W J Weeden became Senior Assistant Secretary. 

By 1971, the Department consisted of four Divisions and one Branch; a Policy Development Division; a Student Assistance and International
Education Division; a Science Division; an Educational Facilities and Territorial Education Division; and an Establishments and Finance Branch.
 
The following were Ministers of the Department:
 
14 Dec 1966 - 28 Feb 1968: Senator the Hon John Grey Gorton (CP 136)
28 Feb 1968 - 12 Nov 1969: Hon Malcolm Fraser (CP 51)
12 Nov 1969 - 22 Mar 1971: Hon Nigel Bowen (CP 74)
22 Mar 1971 - 20 Aug 1971: Hon David E. Fairbairn (CP 124)
20 Aug 1971 -  5 Dec 1972: Hon Malcolm Fraser (CP 51)
 5 Dec 1972 - 19 Dec 1972: Hon Edward Gough Whitlam (CP 99)
 
The following were Permanent Heads of the Department:
 
13 Dec 1966 -  1 Feb 1967: E J Bunting (CP 91)
 1 Feb 1967 - 19 Dec 1972: A H Ennor
 
Following the formation of a new government by the Australian Labor Party after the Federal Election of December 1972, the Department was abolished on 19 December 1972; its place being taken by the two new Departments of Education [I] (CA 1478) and Science [I] (CA 1486).
Historical agency address
1966-1969: Childers Street, Turner ACT
1969-1972: Albemarle Building, Furzer Street, Phillip ACT