The Department of Science and the Environment (CA 2749) was abolished and the Department of Science and Technology was established on 3 November 1980.
 
In a press release on 2 November 1980, the Prime Minister emphasised the clear link between the related functions of science and
technology, and that "advice to the Government from the Australian Science and Technology Council was that there would be considerable merit in joining them together in a Department". He said that the Patents Office and the Industrial Research and Development Incentive Board would also be a part of the new Department of Science and Technology.
 
The Department provided a comprehensive Government support for science and technology - from the conception of ideas to the
production of goods. Departmental operations covered:
 
 (a) funding arrangements which open the spectrum from pure research
     through industrial research and development to the support of
     innovation and technology development;
 (b) provision of scientific, technological and industrial related
     services such as weather forecasting and warnings, space
     tracking and remote sensing, analytical laboratory and testing
     services, patent and trade mark and design services, and
     scientific and technological information;
 (c) research in Antarctic, and research in support of the scientific
     services provided by the Department.
 
The Administrative Arrangements Orders of 3 November 1980 (Commonwealth Gazette, No S250 of 1980) set out the functions of the new Department of Science and Technology as follows:
 
. Science and Technology including research, support of research and
  support of civil space research programs
. Productivity of industry
. Patents of inventions and designs, and trade marks
. Meteorology
. Ionospheric prediction services
. Analytical laboratory services
. Weights and measures.
 
The Acts administered by the Minister as set out on the 3 November 1980 were:
 
. Anglo-Australian Telescope Agreement Act 1970
. Antarctic Treaty Act 1960
. Antarctic Treaty (Environment Protection) Act 1980
. Australian Antarctic Territory Acceptance Act 1933
. Australian Antarctic Territory Act 1954
. Australian Institute of Marine Science Act 1972
. Boys Scouts' Association Act 1924
. Defence (Transitional Provisions) Act 1946 and the Defence
  Transition (Residual Provisions) Act 1952, in relation to the 
  National Security (Industrial Property) Regulations and regulation
  62 of the National Security (Supplementary) Regulations Designs Act
  1906
. Heard Island and McDonald Islands Act 1953
. Industrial Research and Development Grants Act 1967
. Industrial Research and Development Incentives Act 1976
. Meteorology Act 1955
. Metric Conversion Act 1970
. Mount Stromlo Observatory Act 1926
. Patents Act 1952
. Patents, Trade Marks, Designs and Copyright Act 1939
. Science and Industry Endowment Act 1926
. Science and Industry Research Act 1949
. States Grants (Research) Act 1965
. Trade Marks Act 1955
. War Precautions Act Repeal Act 1920, in relation to paragraph 22(e)
. Weights and Measures (National Standards) Act 1960.
 
In the Administrative Arrangements Orders of 23 December 1981, the principal matters listed under the portfolio of Science and
Technology were reworded as follows:
 
. Science and Technology including research and support of research 
  and development, innovation and productivity improvement of
  industry 
. Antarctic program
. Civil space program.
 
The Antarctic program was listed for the first time as a principal matter - previously it had been an implicit function. Responsibility for paragraph 22(e) of the War Precautions Act Repeal Act 1920 was transferred to the Department of Home Affairs and Environment (CA 3068) in these changes. Two other acts - the Industrial Research and Development Grants Act 1967 and the States Grants (Research) Act 1965 - no longer appeared in the Administrative Arrangements Orders as they had been repealed. The Department also became responsible for a new Act-the Antarctic Marine Living Resources Act 1981.
 
The Central office of the Department was organised on divisional basis with three Divisions and two separate Branches. These were:  

. Policy Division
. Operational Programs Division
. Technology Development Division
. Managements Services Branch
. Secretariat Branch.
 
In addition, the Department administered the Antarctic Division in Hobart, the Bureau of Meteorology in Melbourne and the Patent, Trade Marks and Designs Office in Canberra. Statutory bodies responsible to the Minister for Science and Technology were:
 
. CSIRO
. Australian Institute of Marine Science
. National Standards Commission
. Anglo-Australian Telescope Board
. Australian Industrial Research and Development Incentives Board.
 
In the Administrative Arrangements Orders of 1 March 1984
(Commonwealth Gazette, No S83, 1 March 1984) responsibility for the Antarctic program was expressed as follows:
 
. Administration of the Australian Antarctic Territory and the 
  Territory of Heard Island and the McDonald Islands and Antarctic
  policy.
 
At this time the Department also became responsible for administering a new piece of legislation, the Management and Investment Companies Act 1983.
 
In the Administrative Arrangements Orders of 2 July 1984 (Commonwealth Gazette, No S255, 2 July 1984) the Boy Scouts' Association Act 1924 appeared under its new citation as the Scout Association Act 1924.  

The Department of Science and Technology was renamed the Department of Science [III] in the Administrative Arrangements Orders of 13 December 1984 (Commonwealth Gazette, No S520, 13 December 1984). The science functions and related legislation were retained by the Department of Science [III] (CA 4136) whilst the technology fuction passed to the new Department of Industry, Technology and Commerce (CA 4132).
 
Ministers for Science and Technology were:
 
 3 Nov 1980 - 13 Mar 1983   : David Scott Thompson
13 Mar 1983 - 13 Dec 1984   : Barry Owen Jones.
 
Secretaries to the Department were:
 
 3 Nov 1980 - 24 Dec 1981   : Dr J L Farrands
24 Dec 1981 - 13 Dec 1984    : Dr W J McG Tegart.
 

Sources
 
Commonwealth Government Directory, Vol 2
Science and Technology portfolio, 1983, p 1
Historical agency address
Entrance 5, Benjamin Offices, Belconnen ACT
Legislation administered
Creation: Commonwealth of Australia Gazette, No. S250, 3 November 1980
Abolition: Commonwealth of Australia Gazette, No. S250, 13 December 1984