The Department of Transport [IV] was created on 11 March 1983 by meeting of the Federal Executive Council (notified in Commonwealth Gazette, No S45, 11 March 1983). In his Press Statement of 10 March 1983, the Prime Minister Designate (the Hon R J Hawke) stated that the Department of Transport and Construction (CA 3257) had been split into two Departments:
 
. Transport [IV] (CA 3501)
. Housing and Construction [III] (CA 3495).
 
He said that:
 
 "the Department of Housing and Construction [II] (CA 2747), which 
 was abolished by the Fraser Government, will be reconstituted to 
 provide a focus for policies affecting the housing and building 
 industries."
 
The new Department of Transport [IV] was to be responsible for surface transport functions, receiving all of these functions from the abolished Department of Transport and Construction (CA 3257) which had earlier assumed the surface transport functions of the defunct Department of of Transport [III] (CA 1492).
 
The Department was responsible for:
 
. development and implementation of national policies relating to 
  sea, rail and road transport and assumes administrative, technical 
  and operational responsibility for the Commonwealth Government's 
  involvement in these related activities
 
. development of strategies and implementation of plans for the 
  development of Australia's National Highway network, development 
  and other roads
 
. formulation of advice on policies in respect of overseas shipping 
  coastal shipping and ports
 
. formulation, implementation and enforcement of policy, standards 
  and procedures relating to the construction, safety and
  seaworthiness, registration, manning and operations of all
  Australian vessels and other special craft subject to the
  Commonwealth's constitutional powers
 
. safety and seaworthiness aspect of foreign vessels in Australian
  ports and coastal waters
 
. design and maintenance of marine navigation aids network
 
. formulation of policies relevant to, and operational co-ordination 
  of, civil coastal surveillance, marine search and rescue, marine 
  pollution by ships, provision of marine navigation aids and
  associated maritime safety activities including Australianship 
  Reporting System (AUSREP)
 
. development of national road safety activities in Australia,
  particularly through co-operation and consultation with the States  
. studies and investigation as a basis for advice to the
  Commonwealth Government on the economic, financial and technical 
  aspect of transport in Australia.
 
The Administrative Arrangements Orders of 11 March 1983 (notified in Commonwealth Gazette, No S46, 11 March 1983) stated that the new Department had the following functions:
 
. Shipping and marine navigation (including lighthouses, lightships,
  beacons and buoys)
. Land transport.
 
It was responsible for the administration of the following
legislation:
 
. Appropriation (Urban Public Transport) Acts
. Australian Bicentennial Road Development Trust Fund Act 1982 
. Australian National Railways Act 1917
. Australian Shipping Commission Act 1956
. Beaches, Fishing Grounds and Sea Routes Protection Act 1932, 
  except section 3
. Commonwealth Aid Roads Act 1969
. Explosives Act 1961
. Inter-State Commission Act 1975
. King Island Harbour Agreement Act 1973
. King Island Shipping Service Agreement Act 1974
. Lighthouse Act 1911
. National Roads Act 1974
. National Railways Network (Financial Assistance) Act 1979
. Navigation Act 1912
. Northern Territory Railway Extension Act 1971
. Pollution of the Sea by Oil Act 1960
. Pollution of the Sea by Oil (Shipping Levy) Act 1972
. Pollution of the Sea by Oil (Shipping Levy Collection) Act 1972 
. Port Augusta to Whyalla Railway Act 1970
. Port Statistics Act 1977
. Protection of the Sea (Civil Liability) Act 1981
. Protection of the Sea (Discharge of Oil from Ships) Act 1981 
. Protection of the Sea (Powers of Intervention) Act 1981
. Protection of the Sea (Shipping Levy Collection) Act 1981
. Queensland Beef Cattle Roads Agreement Act 1962
. Railway Agreement (Adelaide to Crystal Brook Railway) 1980
. Railway Agreement (New South Wales and South Australia) Act 1968 
. Railway Agreement (Queensland) Acts
. Railway Agreement (Tasmania) Act 1971
. Railway Agreement (Western Australia) Act 1961
. Railway Equipment Agreement (South Austrlia) Act 1961
. Railway Standardisation (New South Wales and Victoria) Agreement
  Act 1958
. Railway Standardisation (South Australia) Agreement Act 1949 
. Railway Agreement (South Australia) Act 1975
. Railways (South Australia) Agreement Act 1926
. Railways (Tasmania) Act 1975
. Road Acts Amendment Act
. Road Grants Acts
. Sea-carriage of Goods Act 1924
. Seat of Government Railway Act 1928
. Shipping Registration Act 1981
. States Grants (Beef Cattle Roads) Act 1968
. States Grants (Roads) Act 1977
. States Grants (Roads Interim Assistance) Act 1977
. Seat of Government Acceptance Acts
. Seat of Government Act 1908
. Seat of Government (Administration) Acts.
 
In the Administrative Arrangements Orders of 11 March 1983 the Protection of the Sea (Prevention of Pollution from Ships) Act 1983 was added to the list of enactments administered by the Minister for Transport [IV].
 
The Department of Transport [IV] was organised on a geographic basis with its Central Office in Canberra and Regional Offices in New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia and Western Australia. Offices in Tasmania and the Northern Territory are administered from Melbourne and Adelaide respectively.
 
The Central Office was organised functionally on a divisional basis. The divisions were:
 
. Land Transport Policy Division
. Major Transport Projects Division
. Marine Operations Division
. Roads Division
. Road Safety Division
. Sea Transport Policy Division.
 
The Bureau of Transport Economics which reported directly to the Minister on its program of research work was also linked to the Department.
 
On 1 March 1984 in the Administrative Arrangements Orders
(Commonwealth Gazette, No S83, 1 March 1984) the principal matter of "Land transport" was reworded to "Land transport including road safety" and a new enactment "Australian National Railways Commission Act 1983" was introduced. In the same Orders the following
enactments were repealed:
 
. Australian National Railways Act 1917
. Pollution of the Sea by Oil Act 1960
. Pollution of the Sea by Oil (Shipping Levy) Act 1972
. Pollution of the Sea by Oil (Shipping Levy Collection) Act 1972.  

These enactments were repealed by the corresponding enactments:  

. Australian National Railways Commission (Transitional Provisions 
  and Consequential Amendments) Act 1983
. Protection of the Sea (Discharge of Oil from Ships) Act 1983 
. Protection of the Sea (Shipping Levy) Act 1981
. Protection of the Sea (Shipping Levy Collection) Act 1981.  

In the Administrative Arrangements Orders of 13 December 1984 (Commonwealth Gazette, No S521, 13 December 1984) the principal matter of "Shipping and marine navigation including lighthouses, lightships, beacons and buoys" was reworded to "Shipping and marine navigation". A new enactment, "Bass Strait Sea Passenger Service Agreement Act 1984", was introduced.
 
According to the Administrative Arrangements Orders of 30 July 1985 (Commonwealth Gazette, No S302, 1 August 1985) the following two enactments were introduced:
 
. Australian Land Transport (Financial Assistance) Act 1985
. Australian Shipping Commission (Additional Capital) Act 1985.  

On 1 February 1986 (Commonwealth Gazette, No S30, 31 January 1986) the "Northern Territory Railway Extension Act 1971" was repealed and the following two enactments introduced:
 
. Interstate Road Transport Act 1985
. Interstate Raod Transport Charge Act 1985.
 
In the same Orders the two enactments: Queensland Beef Cattle Roads Agreement Act 1962 and Railway Agreement (Western Australia) Act 1961 became new multiple listings to: Queensland Beef Cattle Roads Agreement Acts and Railway Agreement (Western Australia) Acts.  
 
In July 1987 there was a major restructuring of the administration, resulting in the amalgamation of 28 departments into 16
`super-ministries'. The Department of Transport [IV] was abolished and its functions passed to the new Department of Transport and Communications (CA 5992) (Commonwealth Gazette, No. S183, 24 July 1987).
 
Minister for Transport [IV] was:
 
11 Mar 1983 - 24 Jul 1987   : Hon Peter Frederick Morris.
 
Secretaries to the Department were:
 
11 Oct 1983 - 10 Feb 1986   : R M Taylor
10 Feb 1986 - 24 Jul 1987   : C W N Freeland.
 

Sources
 
1. Commonwealth Government Directory, Vol 2, Transport portfolio,
   1983, pp l-22
2. Commonwealth of Australia Gazette, No S45, 11 March 1983; No S83,
   1 March 1984; No S521, 13 December 1984; No.S302, 1 August 1985;
   No S30, 31 January 1986; No S183, 24 July 1987
Historical agency address
OTC House, 470 Northbourne Avenue, Dickson ACT
Legislation administered
Creation: Commonwealth of Australia Gazette, No. S45, 11 March 1983
 Abolition: Commonwealth of Australia Gazette, No. S183, 24 July 1987