The Department of Public Health was created in 1916 when the Government Medical Officer was also appointed as the Acting Chief Health Officer. This appointment brought the medical department (responsible for Births, Deaths, and Marriage registration, and sometimes acting as Protector of Aborigines), and the Health Office (responsible for public health administration) together to form one department. In 1928 this department also took on responsibility for Aboriginal Affairs and therefore became known as the Health and Aborigines Branch.