The Victorian Public Service has undergone another post-election Machinery of Government (MoG) change with a shuffling of responsibilities, new names and the establishment of one new Department.
The changes, which came into effect on 1 January, were announced by Premier Daniel Andrews last month and bring the total number of Victorian Government Departments to 10.
Under the MoG changes a new Department of Government Services is to take over a number of portfolios from the Departments of Premier and Cabinet and Treasury and Finance.
The new arrangements include the Government Services, Consumer Affairs, Small Business and Local Government portfolios.
In addition, the Department of Transport has been renamed the Department of Transport and Planning, taking over the Planning portfolio from what was the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (DELWP).
The new ‘DTP’ is also to have responsibility for Ports and Freight, Public Transport, Roads and Road Safety, Suburban Rail Loop, and Transport and Infrastructure portfolios.
DELWP has been recreated as the Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action (DEECA), supporting six portfolios, including the Energy and Resources and Agriculture portfolios from the former Department of Jobs, Precincts and Regions (DJPR).
DEECA is also to take on the new State-owned generator of renewable energy, the State Electricity Commission.
Also among the changes, DJPR has become the Department of Jobs, Skills, Industry and Regions (DJSIR), with responsibility for a total of 14 portfolios.
