The Portfolio was established through the Administrative Arrangements Order issued on 3 December 2007 with additional functions transferring through a further Administrative Arrangements Order issued on 25 January 2008. The portfolio comprises:
- The Department of Resources, Energy and Tourism
- Geoscience Australia (a prescribed agency under the Financial Management and Accountability Act 1997 (FMA Act))
- The National Offshore Petroleum Safety Authority (a statutory agency established under the provisions of the Petroleum (Submerged Lands) Act 1967 and for the purposes of governance arrangements, a prescribed agency under the FMA Act)
- Tourism Australia (a statutory agency established under the Tourism Australia Act 2004 and subject to the provisions of the Commonwealth Authorities and Companies Act 1997 (CAC Act))
View the Portfolio chart
[PDF, 50KB].
The Department of Resources, Energy and Tourism was established through the Administrative Arrangements Order issued on 3 December 2007 and 25 January 2008. Functions transferred from the former departments of Industry, Tourism and Resources; Education, Science and Training; and Environment and Water Resources. Geoscience Australia, the National Offshore Petroleum Safety Authority and Tourism Australia transferred from the former Industry, Tourism and Resources Portfolio.
The Department plays an important role in assisting the government to achieve its objectives by providing high quality advice and services to achieve improved competitiveness and sustainability of the resources, energy and tourism industries.
Departmental priorities are based on the importance of enhancing Australia's economic prosperity to ensure that Australia maintains its international competitiveness and responds to the increasing globalisation and technology developments of the resources, energy and tourism industries. At the same time the Department is working to encourage small to medium players into these sectors and shared access to the benefits of economic growth. The Department liaises closely with the private sector, including major corporations and business associations.
Geoscience Australia is financially independent of the Department and exists within the portfolio structure as a prescribed agency. Geoscience Australia is Australia's national geoscience research and geospatial information agency. Geoscience Australia is a world leader in providing first class geoscientific information and knowledge that enables the Australian Government and community to make informed decisions about the exploitation of resources, the management of the environment, the safety of critical infrastructure and the resultant wellbeing of all Australians. Geoscience Australia also encompasses the Office of Spatial Data Management which coordinates the implementation of the Australian Government's policy on spatial data access and pricing.
The National Offshore Petroleum Safety Authority (NOPSA) is responsible for the delivery of world class health and safety regulation for the Australian offshore petroleum industry. In addition, NOPSA is responsible for the promotion of occupational health and safety of persons engaged in offshore petroleum operations in Australian Government, state and territory coastal waters. The primary objectives for NOPSA include:
- improving safety outcomes across the Australian offshore petroleum industry;
- ensuring health and safety regulation of the offshore petroleum industry is provided to standards that are equal to the best in the world
- reducing the regulatory burden on the offshore petroleum industry, which operates across multiple jurisdictions, by delivering a consistent and comprehensive health and safety regime
Tourism Australia is the Australian Government agency responsible for international and domestic tourism marketing, as well as the delivery of research and forecasts for the tourism sector. The main objectives of Tourism Australia is to:
- influence people to travel to Australia, including for events
- influence people travelling to Australia to also travel throughout Australia
- influence Australians to travel throughout Australia, including for events
- help foster a sustainable tourism industry in Australia; and help increase the economic benefits to Australia from tourism
More comprehensive information on activities undertaken by the Resources, Energy and Tourism portfolio is available from the following web sites: