At the start of World War II, the production of aircraft in Australia was carried out under the control of the Aircraft Construction Branch of the Department of Supply and Development [I] (CA 33). With the extension of aircraft manufacture, in March 1940 it was reconstituted as the Aircraft Production Commission (CA 249) (1) under the National Security (Aircraft Production Commission) Regulations (Statutory Rules No 55). (2)  Ministerial responsibility for the Commission was transferred from the Minister for Supply and Development [I] to the Minister for Munitions on 11 June 1940 and remained so until the establishment, on 26 June 1941, (3) of the Department of Aircraft Production under National Security (Aircraft Production) Regulations (Statutory Rules, No 193, 11 August 1941). (4)

The functions of the Department as set out in the Regulations were:  



The manufacture, acquisition, provision and supply of
    aircraft and the repair and overhaul of aircraft (other than
    in air force establishments) and all matters incidental
    thereto;
Factories and establishments for the manufacture or assembly
    of aircraft established or purchased or deemed to have been
     established in pursuance of the Supply and Development Acts
     1939;
 (c) Scientific research in relation to, and the technical
     development and design of, aircraft and equipment for use in
     connexion therewith; and
 (d) Any other matter specified by the Governor-General to be a
     matter to be dealt with by the Department.

The Minister was charged with the administration of:
 
 (a) Part III of the Supply and Development Acts 1939;
 (b) The National Security (Aircraft Production Commission)          
     Regulations as amended for the time being; and
 (c) Part VI of the Supply and Development (Administration)
     Regulations, as amended for the time being.

The constitution and details of organization of the Aircraft Production Commission were retained until 6 January 1942 when the Commission was abolished, and under the National Security (Aircraft Production) Regulations (Statutory Rules 1942, No 4) (5), the production of aircraft was entrusted to the Director-General of Aircraft Production Mr Essington Lewis (who was also Director-General of Munitions, (CA 39)), assisted by an Aircraft Advisory Committee (CA 412) representative of the chief interests concerned in the Australian aircraft industry.

The Department of Aircraft Production thus became the organization responsible for arranging for the production of aircraft required by the Department of Air to supplement - and as far as possible to replace - the machines ordered overseas to give the RAAF the trainer and operational aircraft necessary for the defence of the Australian continent. It was also responsible for the development of facilities outside the RAAF establishment for the servicing of aircraft associated with the Empire Air Training Scheme and for the manufacture of spare parts necessary for aircraft being maintained both by the RAAF and by the civilian aircraft servicing contractors handling the trainer planes. (6)

The functions of the Department were divided in three areas:
 
Central Administration - comprising Secretariat, Central
    Finance and Central Supply Sections
Beaufort Division - the production section of the Department
Maintenance Division - responsible for the aircraft
    servicing activities, the manufacture of spare parts, and
    the service extended to the US Army Air Forces.

Under the general supervision of the Director-General of Aircraft Production, the business of the Department was conducted by the Secretary, with the assistance of the Assistant Secretary
(Administrative) and the Assistant Secretary (Finance), while the Directors of the Beaufort and the Maintenance Divisions attended to the detailed administration of their sections of the Department (7).

On 1 June 1945, National Security (Aircraft Production) Regulations (Statutory Rules, 1945, No. 83) were gazetted which changed the role of the Director-General of Aircraft Production. He was to be the Permanent Head of the Department and was no longer required to be the Director-General of Munitions; he became responsible to the Minister for the direction and control of operations and the Minister, rather than the Director-General, was made responsible for authorising delegation of powers and functions.  Also the regulations constituting the Aircraft Advisory Committee (CA 412) were repealed.

Under the National Security (Aircraft Production) Regulations (Statutory Rules 1946, No. 94) which took effect on 3 June 1946, the position of Director-General of Aircraft Production was abolished and it was provided that the Permanent Head of the Department would be the Secretary.

The functions of the Department as listed in November 1945 were:  

 "(a) to arrange for the construction of aircraft approved by War
      Cabinet for use for the RAAF;
 to arrange for the overhaul and repair of training aircraft
     and of some operational aircraft and of aircraft engines
     for the RAAF;
 to procure components and parts required by the RAAF for
    its training and operational aircraft;
 to arrange for the manufacture in Australia of Merlin
    Rolls Royce engines;
 as agent for the Commonwealth Disposals Commission, to
    dispose of materials and parts surplus to the requirements
    of the Department." (8)

On 1 November 1946, the activities of the Department of Munitions and Aircraft Production were amalgamated, subsequent aircraft production activities being conducted by the Division of Aircraft Production, Department of Munitions. (9)

Ministers of the Department of Aircraft Production were: (10)
 
26 Jun 1941 -  7 Oct 1941 : Senator the Hon William Leckie
 7 Oct 1941 -  2 Feb 1945 : Senator the Hon Donald Cameron
 2 Feb 1945 - 15 Aug 1946 : Hon Norman John Oswald Makin
15 Aug 1946 -  1 Nov 1946 : Hon John Jonstone Dedman

Directors-General of Aircraft Production were:
 
 6 Jan 1942 - 31 May 1945 : Essington Lewis
 1 Jun 1945 - 29 May 1946 : Sir D McVey (CP 273)
 
Secretaries to the Department were: (11)
 
 1 Jul 1941 - 21 Jan 1942 : J B Brigden
22 Jan 1942 - 10 Jun 1946 : Sir D McVey (CP 273)
 2 Jun 1946 - 31 Oct 1946 : V F Letcher

Records (12)
 
It was not possible to locate all the branches of a division of the Department together (because of office accommodation, shortages etc) and consequently it was not possible to operate an efficient Central Registry. Central Administration maintained a Central Registry but it was not comprehensive. 
Branches of the Central Administration and the other Divisions were instructed to see that all policy matters were routed to the Central Administration Registry (either in original or copy form) but the records of the everyday workings of the branches and sections were to be maintained in the sections. This procedure led to many problems as it was not always possible to distinguish departmental policy matters. 
Consequently there is no certainty that the Central Administration files (Accession MP 287) do contain all the policy matters.


References

 1. Commonwealth Year Book 1944-1945, No 36, p 1068
 2. Commonwealth Statutory Rules 1940, No 55, p 397
 3. Commonwealth Gazette, No 125, 26 June 1941, p 1415
 4. Commonwealth Statutory Rules 1941, No  193, p 394
 5. Commonwealth Statutory Rules 1942, No  4, p 514
 6. Department of Aircraft Production, Australia's Aircraft
    Industry (Melbourne, January 1945), p 12
 7. Committee of Review, Civil Staffing of Wartime Activities
    Report on the Department of Aircraft Production, 27 November
    1945, p 13 
 8. Committee of Review Civil Staffing of Wartime Activities,
    Report on the Department of Aircraft Production, 27 November
    1945, p 3 
 9. Commonwealth Gazette, No 208, 1 November 1946, p 3119
10. Hughes, C A  and Graham, B D Australian Government and
    Politics, 1890-1964, p 49
11. Australian Public Service Board Annual Report, 1973, 
    p 122-124. 
12. For notes on records see Australian Archives Accession MP 407 
    Accession history

by1942-c 1943: 83 William Street, Melbourne, Vic
by1943-c 1945: Temple Court, 422 Collins Street, Melbourne, Vic
by1946-  1946: Salman Street, Port Melbourne

Creation: Executive Council Meeting No. 69 (Prime Minister's Department Minute No. 56) 26 June 1941, National Security (Aircraft Production) Regulations Statutory Rule No. 193, 11 Aug. 1941
Abolition: Executive Council Meeting No. National Security (Aircraft Production) Regulations, Statutory Rule No. 94, 29 May 1946