Before the Act which established the Institute on a statutory basis was assented to (2 June 1964) the Commonwealth Government appointed an Interim Council which was given the twofold task of advising the Government on the nature and scope of an Institute of Aboriginal Studies and of developing immediately a research programme to meet urgent needs in this field. Pre 1964 records of the Institute were created under auspices of the Interim Council of the Institute until a permanent Institute could be formed.
 
In presenting the second Reading of the Bill to establish the Institute (Hansard Senate, 7 May 1964, pp 1026-8), Senator J G Gorton emphasized that the Institute was to engage in scientific and anthropological work and will "not be concerned with current problems as they affect the Australian aborigine" (Parliamentary Debates Senate Vol S25, p 1027). The Institutes functions are, then, as follows:  

 (a) to sponsor and to foster research of a scientific nature on the 
     Australian Aborigines.
 
 (b) to treat as a matter of urgency those studies for which the 
     source materials are disappearing.
 
 (c) to establish and conduct a documentation centre on the
     Aborigines, and a library of books, manuscripts and other
     relevant material, both for the use of scholars and for public 
     education
 
 (d) to encourage co-operation with and between scholars in
     universities, museums, and other institutions engaged in
     studies of the Aborigines, and with appropriate private bodies  

 (e) to publish and to support the publication of the results of 
     research

 (f) to co-operate with appropriate bodies concerning the financing 
     of research, the preservation of sites, and the collection of 
     records
 
 (g) to promote as and when necessary the training of research 
     workers
 
 (h) to establish and maintain relations with relevant international 
     bodies
 
The following were the first members of the Council to the Institute (notified in Commonwealth of Australia Gazette No 91 A [of] 10 November 1964, p 4485 B):
 
 Professor A D Trendall (Chairman)
 Professor A A Abbie
 Professor J A Barnes
 Mr K Beazley, MP
 Professor R M Berndt
 Senator H G Cant
 Dr A Capell
 Senator M C Cormack
 Professor R M Crawford
 Mr A F Der
 Professor W R Geddes
 Mr H C Giese
 Mr Trevor A Jones
 Professor G Lawton
 Professor N W G Macintosh
 Professor M G Marwick
 Mr J McCusker
 Professor D W McElwain
 Mr D J Mulvaney
 Dr S A Wurm
 Mr W C Wentworth, MP
 
The former Australian Institute of Aboriginal Studies Act was repealed under the 1989 Act (Section 51).
Historical agency address
  1964-1976: 29 Lonsdale St, Braddon ACT 
by1976-1990: Acton House, Marcus Clarke St, Acton ACT
Legislation administered
Commonwealth of Australia Acts No. 56 of 1964 Australian Institute of Aboriginal Studies Act 1964