The Department of the Environment, Sport and Territories was established on 24 March 1993 pursuant to Executive Council Minute 
No 5 of that date (Commonwealth of Australia Gazette, No S91, 24 March 1993).
 
The Department inherited all matters and legislation from the abolished Department of the Arts, Sport, the Environment and Territories (CA 7132), except for the arts and information co-ordination matters which were gained by the new Department of the Arts and Administrative Services (CA 7663).
 
In the Administrative Arrangements Order of 24 March 1993 (Commonwealth of Australia Gazette, No S91, 24 March 1993) the Matters dealt with by the Department were listed as:
 
 Sport and recreation
 Environment and conservation
 Meteorology
 Administration of the Australian Capital Territory
 Administration of the Jervis Bay Territory, the Territory of Cocos
  (Keeling) Islands, the Territory of Christmas Island, the Coral Sea
  Islands Territory, the Territory of Ashmore and Cartier Islands,
  the Australian Antarctic Territory, and the Territory of Heard
  Island and McDonald Islands, and of Commonwealth responsibilities
  on Norfolk Island
 Constitutional development of the Northern Territory of Australia.  
 
Legislation administered by the Minister was listed as:
 
 ACT Self-Government (Consequential Provisions) Act 1988
 Antarctic Marine Living Resources Conservation Act 1981
 Antarctic Mining Prohibition Act 1991
 Antarctic Treaty Act 1960
 Antarctic Treaty (Environment Protection) Act 1980
 Antarctic (Environment Protection) Legislation Amendment Act 1992
 Ashmore and Cartier Islands Acceptance Act 1933
 Australian Antarctic Territory Acceptance Act 1933
 Australian Antarctic Territory Act 1954
 Australian Capital Territory (Electoral) Act 1988
 Australian Capital Territory (Self-Government) Act 1988
 Australian Capital Territory Stamp Duty Act 1969
 Australian Capital Territory Tax (Cheques) Act 1969
 Australian Capital Territory Tax (Hire Purchase Business) Act 1969 
 Australian Capital Territory Tax (Insurance Business) Act 1969 
 Australian Capital Territory Tax (Life Insurance Business) Act 1981
 Australian Capital Territory Tax (Purchases of Marketabl Securities
  Act 1969
 Australian Capital Territory Tax (Sales of Marketable Securities)
  Act 1969
 Australian Capital Territory Tax (Transfers of Marketable
  Securities) Act 1986
 Australian Capital Territory Tax (Vehicle Registration) Act 1981 
 Australian Capital Territory Taxation (Administration) Act 1969    
 Australian Heritage Commission Act 1975
 Australian Sports Commission Act 1989
 Australian Sports Drug Agency Act 1990
 Canberra Water Supply (Googong Dam) Act 1974
 Captains Flat (Abatement of Pollution) Agreement Act 1975
 Christmas Island Act 1958
 Christmas Island Agreement Acts
 Cocos (Keeling) Islands Act 1955
 Coral Sea Islands Act 1969
 Endangered Species Protection Act 1992
 Environment (Financial Assistance) Act 1977
 Environment Protection (Alligator Rivers Region) Act 1978
 Environment Protection (Impact of Proposals) Act 1974
 Environment Protection (Nuclear Codes) Act 1978
 Environment Protection (Sea Dumping) Act 1981
 Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Act 1975
 Hazardous Waste (Regulation of Exports and Imports) Act 1989     
 Heard Island and Mc Donald Islands Act 1953
 Jervis Bay Territory Acceptance Act 1915
 Koongarra Project Area Act 1981
 Meteorology Act 1955
 National Fitness Act 1941
 National Parks and Wildlife Conservation Act 1975
 Norfolk Island Act 1979
 Northern Territory Acceptance Act 1910
 Northern Territory (Self-Government) Act 1978, except sections   
  69 and 70
 Ozone Protection Act 1989
 Ozone Protection (Licence Fees-Imports) Act 1989
 Ozone Protection (Licence Fees-Manufacture) Act 1989
 Parliament Act 1974
 Pay-roll Tax (Territories) Act 1971
 Pay-roll Tax (Territories) Assessment Act 1971
 Removal of Prisoners (Territories) Act 1923, insofar as it relates 
  to the Northern Territory of Australia (except to the extent   
  administered by the Attorney-General) and to Norfolk Island, the   
  Territory of Cocos (Keeling) Islands, the Territory of Christmas   
  Island, the Coral Sea Islands Territory, the Territory of Ashmore 
  and Cartier Islands, the Territory of Heard Island and McDonald   
  Islands and the Australian Antarctic Territory
 Sea Installations Act 1987
 Sea Installations Levy Act 1987
 Seat of Government Acceptance Acts
 Seat of Government Act 1908
 Seat of Government (Administration) Acts
 States Grants (Nature Conservation) Act 1974
 Territories Law Reform Act 1992
 Urban and Regional Development (Financial Assistance) Act 1974,   
  insofar as it relates to national estate grants
 Whale Protection Act 1980
 Wildlife Protection (Regulation of Exports and Imports) Act 1982   
 World Heritage Properties Conservation Act 1983.
 
In the Administrative Arrangements Order of 25 March 1994 (Commonwealth of Australia Gazette, No. GN13, 6 April 1994) the Department lost responsibility for the following two pieces of legislation to the newly created Department of Housing and Regional Development (CA 7901).
  
 Canberra Water Supply (Googong Dam) Act 1974
 Parliament Act 1974.

In the Administrative Arrangements Order of 1 June 1994 (Commonwealth Gazette, No. S199, 6 June 1994), the matter referring to the Administration of the Australian Capital Territory was reworded to read the Constitutional development of the Australian Capital Territory.

In the same Administrative Arrangements Order responsibility for the
Environment Protection (Nuclear Codes) Act 1978 was transferred to the Department of Human Services and Health (CA 7853).

Following the Administrative Arrangement Order of 1 June 1994, a number of files from Commonwealth Record Series A5343, A3347, A3930, A8919 and A8924, were transferred to Human Services and Health (CA 7853) from the Department of the Environment, Sport and Territories (CA 7661) following transfer of functions. 

On the 16 September 1994, the Department of the Environment, Sport   and Territories (CA 7661) transferred custody of approximately 52    'water based' files to the Australian Sports Commission [II]. (Several staff members also transferred to the Australian Sports Commission at this time). The files are from two series, they are: 
     the 1990 and 1991 files from A8919, and 
     the 1992 through to 1994 files from A8924. 

In the Administration Arrangements Order of 11 March 1996           (Commonwealth of Australia Gazette, No. S93, 11 March 1996) the       Department gained responsibility for the following matters from the   now defunct Department of Housing and Regional Development (CA 7901):

  Matters relating to local government
  Planning and land management in the Australian Capital Territory.

It also regained from that Department, responsibility for the        following legislation:
  
    Canberra Water Supply (Googong Dam) Act 1974
    Parliament Act 1974

In the same administrative change, the Department gained responsibility for the following new legislation:

  Local Government (Financial Assistance) Act 1995
  National Environment Protection Council Act 1994
  Wet Tropics of Queensland World Heritage Area Conservation Act 1994

and it gained a portion of the Australian Capital Territory (Planning and Land Management) Act 1988, except to the extent administered by the Minister for Administrative Services.

The National Fitness Act 1941 was repealed, and the Seat of Government (Administration) Acts became known as the Seat of Government (Administration) Act 1910. The Antarctic (Environment Protection) Legislation Amendment Act 1992 is subject to further research. 

In the Amending Administrative Arrangements Order of 23 April 1996 the Department gained the following legislation:

  Great Barrier Reef Marine Park (Environmental Management
   Charge - Excise) Act 1993
  Great Barrier Reef Marine Park (Environmental Management
   Charge - General) Act 1993.

Also the Ozone Protection (Licence Fees-Imports) Act 1989 was replaced by the Ozone Protection (Licence Fees - Imports) Act 1995 and the Ozone Protection (Licence Fees-Manufacture) Act 1989 was replaced by the Ozone Protection (Licence Fees - Manufacture) Act 1995.

In the same administrative arrangements the Department lost responsibility for the following piece of legislation:

  Urban and Regional Development (Financial Assistance) Act
   1974, insofar as it relates to national estate grants.

This Act is now fully administered by the Department of Transport and Regional Development (CA 8248).

On 3 September 1996, the Minister for the Environment announced details of a restucture of the Environment portfolio.  These details were refined in a later press release dated 22 October 1996.  The proposed changes were considered to 'help prepare the portfolio for the delivery of programs under the $1 billion Natural Heritage Trust program, which will be funded through the sale of one third of Telstra'.

Key features of the restructure were as follows:

'Environment Australia' would be the title used by the environment groups of the Environment, Sport and Territories portfolio.  Environment Australia would consist of five major functional groups:

. Australian and World Heritage Group
. Environment Protection Group
. Biodiversity Group
. Portfolio Marine Group
. Environment Priorities and Coordination Group

An Environment Executive would replace the Environment Policy Coordination Committee.  The Executive would determine the environment portfolio for the portfolio as a whole, subject to the Minister's guidance on the Government's policies.

The restructure would not impact on the statutory functions and independance of statutory advice from two key authorities: the Australian National Parks and Wildlife Service (ANPWS) and the Australian Heritage Commission (AHC).  Environment policy work would be focused in the department, with these two authorities concentrating on their statutory wildlife, parks and heritage protection responsibilities.  

In the Administrative Arrangements Order of 9 October 1997 (Commonwealth of Australia Gazette, No GN 41, 15 October 1997) the Department was abolished and responsibility for the following matters were transferred to the newly created Department of the Environment (CA 8479):

  All functions (less those matters listed below)
  Administration of the Australian Antarctic Territory, the
   Territory of Heard Island and McDonald Islands

In the same Administrative Arrangements Order, the Department lost responsibility for the following matters to the Department of Transport and Regional Development (CA 8248):

  Matters relating to local government
  Planning and land management in the Australian Capital Territory
  Administration of the Jervis Bay Territory, the Territory of Cocos
   (Keeling) Islands, the Territory of Christmas Island, the Coral 
   Sea Islands Territory, the Territory of Ashmore and Cartier
   Islands, the Australian Antarctic Territory, and of Commonwealth
   responsibilities on Norfolk Island
  Constitutional development of the Australian Capital Territory
  Constitutional development of the Northern Territory of Australia

In the same Administrative Arrangements Order, responsibility for the function of sport and recreation was transferred to the Department of Industry, Science and Tourism (CA 8247).

Ministers of the Department have been:
 
24 Mar 1993 -  1 Mar 1994  : Hon. Ros Kelly (CP 529)
 1 Mar 1994 - 25 Mar 1994  : Senator the Hon. Graham Richardson 
                             (CP 427)
25 Mar 1994 - 11 Mar 1996* : Senator the Hon. John Faulkner (CP 661)

The Secretaries of the Department have been:
 
24 Mar 1993 - 11 Mar 1996  : S A Hamilton
11 Mar 1996 -  9 Oct 1997  : R Beale (CP 621)

*From 11 March 1996, the portfolio was re-arranged and two Ministers were appointed as follows:

Minister for the Environment:

11 Mar 1996 -  9 Oct 1997  : Senator the Hon. Robert Hill (CP 368)

Minister for Sport, Territories and Local Government:

11 Mar 1996 -  9 Oct 1997  : Hon. Warwick Smith (CP 602)


Sources
 
Commonwealth of Australia Gazette No. S91, 24 March 1993
Press Release by the Prime Minister, 24 March 1993
Commonwealth of Australia Gazette No. S84, 11 March 1994
Commonwealth of Australia Gazette No. S93, 11 March 1996
Amending Administrative Arrangements Order, 23 April 1996
Commonwealth of Australia Gazette No. GN 41, 15 October 1997

Tobruk House, Canberra, ACT

Creation: Executive Council Minute No. 5, 24 March 1993 (Commonwealth of Australia Gazette No S91, 24 March 1993)
Abolition: Administrative Arrangements Order 9 October 1997 (Commonwealth of Australia Gazette No GN 41, 15 October 1997)