Department of Education (Australia)
# Department of Education (Australia)

The Department of Education is a department of the Government of Australia formed on 1 July 2022.

## History

The department was formed by way of an Administrative Arrangements Order issued on 1 June 2022. It split the preceding Department of Education, Skills and Employment into the newly formed Department of Education and Department of Employment and Workplace Relations.

### Preceding departments

The Department of Education's predecessor departments have been:

* Department of Education and Science (13 December 1966 – 19 December 1972)
* Department of Education (19 December 1972 – 11 March 1983)
* Department of Education and Youth Affairs (11 March 1983 – 13 December 1984)
* Department of Education (13 December 1984 – 24 July 1987)
* Department of Employment, Education and Training (DEET) (24 July 1987 – 11 March 1996)
* Department of Employment, Education, Training and Youth Affairs (DEETYA) (11 March 1996 – 21 October 1998)
* Department of Education, Training and Youth Affairs (DETYA) (21 October 1998 – 26 November 2001)
* Department of Education, Science and Training (DEST) (26 November 2001 – 3 December 2007)
* Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (DEEWR) (3 December 2007 – 18 September 2013)
* Department of Education (18 September 2013 – 23 December 2014)
* Department of Education and Training (23 December 2014 – 29 May 2019)
* Department of Education (29 May 2019 – 1 February 2020)
* Department of Education, Skills and Employment (DESE) (1 February 2020 – 1 July 2022)

## Operational Activities

The functions of the department are broadly classified into the following matters:

* Schools education policy and programmes
* Education transitions policy and programmes
* Youth affairs and programmes, including youth transitions
* Pre-school education policy and programmes
* Higher education policy, regulation and programmes
* Policy, coordination and support for international education and research
* engagement
* Co-ordination of research policy in relation to universities
* Creation and development of research infrastructure
* Research grants and fellowships
* Early childhood education and care policy and programmes
* Co-ordination of early childhood development policy and responsibilities
