The OIPC was formally established in July 2004 within the Department of Immigration and Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs (DIMIA), in the wake of the dissolution of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission (ATSIC).
It was formally dissolved in August 2011 when its functions were integrated within the divisions and branches of the Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs (FaHCSIA).
With the machinery of government changes in January 2006, the OIPC was transferred to the newly established Department of Families, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs (FaCSIA).
Throughout the existence of the OIPC within FaHCSIA, responsibilities for policy development, program management and service delivery were increasingly mainstreamed and integrated across distinct divisions and branches.
[2] The OIPC was formally disbanded in name and integrated into the Indigenous Policy and Engagement Division of FaHCSIA in August 2011.