The Public Health Department was established in January 1904. Its purpose was to stop the outbreak of contagious diseases by taking control of sanitary works as well as preventing water pollution and the sale of contaminated food. The Public Health Department became the Department of Health Services in 1956.
The Public Health Department was established by the Public Health Act 1903 following an outbreak of smallpox in Launceston. It was located in the Chief Secretary’s Office until 1934 when it acquired its own government Minister and expanded rapidly.
The Mental Deficiency Board and State Psychological Clinic, established by the Mental Deficiency Act of 1920, were associated with the Department.
In 1945, the Public Health Administration Act, also of 1945, created four Divisions of the Department. These were Public Health, Hospital and Medical Services, Mental Hygiene, and Tuberculosis.
In 1949, the Public Health Department took over the management of the Mothercraft Home from the Child Welfare Association.
The Department also ran St John’s Park, and the Mental Diseases Hospital at New Norfolk, along with its successor, Lachlan Park Hospital.
From
1904
To
1956
Alternative Names
Department of Public Health
Previous
Subsequent