[2] The department at its formation was placed under the charge of Malcolm Shepherd,[3] who had been secretary to the Prime Minister for some years already.
[4] It had been speculated that the government would create such a department in media before its creation, including in May 1910.
[6] By 1970, it had become apparent there was considerable unhappiness about the way the Prime Minister's Department was run.
[8] The Prime Minister of the day, William McMahon, told media that the former system with separate departments for Cabinet and for the Prime Minister, that had been operating since 1968, was inefficient.
[9] Information about the department's functions and government funding allocation could be found in the Administrative Arrangements Orders, the annual Portfolio Budget Statements and in the department's annual reports.