[5] Up until its 2019 abolition, the department was the lead agency in the Industry cluster, led by the secretary, at the time, Simon Draper.
[6] All ministers were ultimately responsible to the Parliament of New South Wales.
The department had four operational areas delivering to the citizens of NSW and a single central division—Corporate Service Partners—providing departmental services and coordination across operational and strategic functions.
The four operational divisions were: Also, the NSW chief scientist and engineer, the NSW small business commissioner, the land & water commissioner, and the chief audit executive reported directly to the secretary.
[8] It articulated the department's vision, purpose and values, and was driven by seven strategic priorities: The department's corporate plan underpinned the delivery of the NSW State Priorities.