Formerly the Department of Works & Buildings, the Public Works Department expanded greatly from the beginning of the century, becoming responsible for the construction of the Goldfields Water Supply and Fremantle harbour. The Public Works Department changed its name to the Building Management Authority on 1 January 1985.

The Building Management Authority succeeded the Public Works Department in 1985. Its function was to manage the design, procurement and construction of all Government buildings; to maintain and improve existing buildings and to provide advice to the Minister for Works and the Government on matters relating to the building industry.

The Building Management Authority changed its name to the Western Australian Building Management Authority in September 1995.

About the same time that the State received independent status, the functions of railways and public works were split into two separate departments, the Western Australian Government Railways [1] and the Department of Works & Buildings. The latter became the Public Works Department in 1901.

Following a name change on 11 September 1995, the Building Management Authority became known as the Western Australian Building Management Authority. WABMA managed the State's public building program.

On 1 July 1996 the Western Australian Building Management Authority and the Department of State Services merged to become the Department of Contract and Management Services. The new agency continued to manage the State's non-residential building program.

On 1 July 1996, the Western Australian Building Management Authority and the Department of State Services merged to form the Department of Contract and Management Services. The Department of Contract & Management Services (CAMS) became the central point of contact for agencies and suppliers on contracting. The Department was responsible for developing and awarding contracts and for managing contracts.

As the design and construction of government buildings became outsourced, the Department remained to provide advice to client agencies on procurement of buildings.

On 1 July 2001, the public works function of the Department was transferred to the newly formed Department of Housing and Works. The Westlink function of CAMS was transferred to the Department of Local Government and Regional Development on the same day.

The Department of Housing and Works was formed on 1 July 2001 as a merger between the Ministry of Housing and public works function of the Department of Contract and Management Services (the contract management function was transferred to the Department of Treasury and Finance in 2003).

The main functions of the Department covered;

• Homeswest (rental accomodation);

• Bond Assistance;

• Community Housing;

• Aboriginal Housing;

• Government Employees Housing Authority;

• Country Housing Authority;

• Keystart Home Loan Schemes;

• Landstart development and sales;

• The Office of Housing Policy;

• Asset Management Services; and

• Government Projects.

On 1 February 2009, the public works function of the Department was established as a separate business entity within the Department of Treausry and Finance, called Building Management and Works. The Department became the Department of Housing covering public and community housing, Aboriginal and regional housing, Keystart home loans and property sales.