Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (Australia)

Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet
Logo of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet

Office headquarters in Barton, Australian Capital Territory photographed in 2012
Agency overview
Formed12 March 1971[1]
Preceding agency
JurisdictionCommonwealth of Australia
Employees1,373 (2023–2024)[2]
Annual budget$442.4 million (2023–2024)[2]
Ministers responsible
Agency executive
Child agencies
Websitepmc.gov.au

The Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (PM&C) is a department of the Australian Government with broad-ranging responsibilities; notably, intergovernmental and whole of government policy coordination and assisting the prime minister of Australia in managing the Federal Cabinet. The PM&C was established in 1971 and traces its origins back to the Prime Minister's Department established in 1911.

The role of PM&C is to support the policy agenda of the prime minister and Cabinet through high-quality policy advice and the coordination of the implementation of key government programs, to manage Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander policy and programs and to promote reconciliation, to provide leadership for the Australian Public Service alongside the Australian Public Service Commission, to oversee the honours and symbols of the Commonwealth, to provide support to whole of government services, manage Australia's honours policies, and perform other functions.

The department is similar but not analogous to the United States Executive Office of the President, the United Kingdom Cabinet Office, the Canadian Privy Council Office, and the New Zealand Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. All Australian states except for New South Wales have their own departments of Premier and Cabinet. New South Wales has separate departments for Premier and Cabinet following a change by the newly elected Premier Chris Minns, effective July 2023.[4]

  1. ^ CA 1401: Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, National Archives of Australia, retrieved 27 December 2013
  2. ^ a b "Portfolio Budget Statements 2023-24 Budget Related Paper No.1.13 | Prime Minister And Cabinet Portfolio | Budget Initiatives and Explanations of Appropriations Specified by Outcomes and Programs by Entity" (PDF). Canberra ACT: The Australian Government, Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. 2023. p. 24. ISSN 2652-5410. Archived (PDF) from the original on 25 March 2024. Retrieved 25 March 2024.
  3. ^ Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (31 May 2023). "Ministry list as at 31 May 2023". © Commonwealth of Australia 2023. Prime Minister and Cabinet. Archived from the original on 25 March 2024. Retrieved 25 March 2024.
  4. ^ Rose, Tamsin (14 April 2023). "Chris Minns to axe department secretaries in sweeping changes to NSW public service". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 24 March 2024. Retrieved 24 March 2024. The existing Department of Premier and Cabinet will be dissolved on 1 July and replaced by the Cabinet Office and a new premier's department.