This article needs to be updated. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information.(December 2023)
Government in South Australia is delivered by a number of agencies, grouped under areas of portfolio responsibility. Each portfolio is led by a government minister who is a member of the Parliament of South Australia, appointed by the Governor as the representative of the Crown.
The agencies are principally grouped around departments, each led by a secretary, director-general or similarly title executive officer and comprising a number of portfolios covering specific policy areas across the department and allocated statutory authorities, trading enterprises, boards, councils and other public bodies.
Agencies have varying levels of operational autonomy, and deliver one or more of frontline public services, administrative functions and law enforcement. Some are structured as for-profit corporations. Where there are multiple portfolios within a department, directors-general may be accountable to a number of ministers.
All agencies are identifiable by their corporate logo, which features in agency advertising, publications and correspondence, pictured right.
A list of articles on South Australian government agencies sorted alphabetically is available at Government agencies of South Australia. The South Australian government maintains a list of agencies and their contact details at its website.[1]
The South Australian Attorney-General's Department (AGD) brings together a diverse group of functions across justice, rights protection and public safety on behalf of the community. Agencies include:[2]
Office of the Chief Executive
Finance, People and Performance
Fines Enforcement and Recovery Unit
Legal, Legislative and Rights Protection Services (LLRPS) Division
Legal Services
The Crown Solicitor's Office
The Solicitor-General
The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions
The Office of the Parliamentary Counsel
Legislative Services
Library
Rights Protection and Social Justice
The Office of the Public Advocate
The Office of the Commissioner for Equal Opportunity
The Office of the Commissioner for Victims’ Rights
The Office of the Public Trustee
The Office of the Ombudsman
The Office of the Police Ombudsman (OPO)
South Australian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (SACAT)
The Auditor-General's Department provides the Parliament and public sector entities with independent professional opinions on matters related to financial management, compliance with legislative requirements.
The Department for Human Services (DHS) (previously the Department for Communities and Social Inclusion (DCSI)) brings together a range of services, funding and policy responsibilities which together support safety, equality, opportunity and justice across South Australia.[5] The Department includes:
The Legal Services Commission is a statutory authority, independent of government, "funded by both the South Australian and the Commonwealth Governments to provide legal assistance to South Australians".[1]
The Department for Infrastructure and Transport (renamed from Department of Planning, Transport and Infrastructure in August 2020) has responsibilities in relation to guiding and administering the South Australian planning and development assessment system,[10] and for transport system and services.[11] The department also works regularly with police in regards to motor vehicle registration, enforcement of speed limits and other road matters.[12]
The Department of the Premier and Cabinet (DPC) provides central agency leadership on matters that affect South Australia's prosperity. It provides economic and policy advice to support the government's strategic priorities, the state's international relationships and the management of ICT Strategy, innovation and investment. DPC publishes and advances South Australia's Strategic Plan and has expressed commitments to community engagement, excellence in service delivery and good business practice.[13]
Department of Treasury and Finance, in the portfolio of the Treasurer of South Australia, provides economic, policy and financial advice to the Government, manages the whole of Government financial management processes, including preparation of the state budget, and provides finance-related services across Government.
As of 2020[update], the Urban Renewal Authority, trading as Renewal SA, is within the Treasurer's portfolio.[22]
The Department for Trade and Investment (DTI) exists in order to foster economic growth in the state, by attracting new foreign investment as well as increasing exports in appropriate sectors. It uses the branding "South Australia" and "I choose SA" to promote investment.[23]
The Planning and Land Use Services (PLUS) division, also known as PlanSA, lies within this department,[24] and the Office for Design and Architecture SA (ODASA) within that. The ODASA team is led by the South Australian Government Architect and has expertise in architecture, heritage, landscape architecture, urban design and urban planning. The Government Architect role in South Australia:[25]
oversees the state's Design Review program
provides independent design advice on large-scale development proposals
supports current planning reforms and the State Planning Commission
provides independent design advice to Cabinet
supports infrastructure, planning delivery across government
The South Australian Fire and Emergency Services Commission (SAFECOM) oversees volunteers and employees within the fire and emergency services sector.[26]
^"About us". Department of Planning, Transport and Infrastructure. 14 July 2020. Archived from the original on 7 August 2020. Retrieved 17 December 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
^"Home". Department for Trade and Investment. 17 January 2023. Retrieved 18 January 2023.
^"About". PlanSA. 28 July 2020. Retrieved 19 April 2024.
^"About". The Office for Design and Architecture SA. Retrieved 18 January 2023. Text has been copied from this source, which is available under a Attribution 3.0 Australia (CC BY 3.0 AU) licence.
^ abc"About Us". SAFECOM. Retrieved 5 July 2022. This article incorporates text available under the CC BY 4.0 license.