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- 1926-07-16 - 1992-09-11 (Creation)
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Administrative history
In 1886 the Public Health Act established the Central Board of Health, which was responsible for the Local Boards of Health and all public health matters. It was referred to from about 1904 as the Public Health Department.
The Public Health Department and the Medical Department (which was mainly concerned with hospitals) amalgamated on 1 October 1906 under the Principal Medical Officer, Dr Lovegrove, who also became President of the Central Board of Health.
The Public Health Act of 1911 created the Department of Public Health under a Commissioner of Public Health responsible to a Minister of the Crown. The title of Principal Medical Officer was also retained. The Public Service Lists show the Department as being amalgamated until 1955. From 1956-1979 Medical and Public Health are shown as separate departments. In 1979 they were again amalgamated and on 30 April 1981 they split into the Public Health Department and the Department of Hospital and Allied Services. On 1 May 1984, the Public Health Department, the Department of Hospital and Allied Services, and the Mental Health Services amalgamated once again as the Health Department of Western Australia.
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Plans lodged with the Health Department in accordance with the Health Act 1911 (Section 174 : Notice of intention to build or open public building).
According to Section 173 of the Health Act 1911-1987, a 'public building' means "benevolent or other asylum, or theatre, opera house, concert room, music or assembly hall, whether forming part of or appurtenant to a licensed victuallers premises or not, or school chapel or meeting house, and includes other building structure or gallery, enclosure or platform whatsoever in or on which numbers of persons are usually or occasionally assembled, but does not include hospital".
The statutory requirement for the Executive Director of Public Health to approve the opening of any public building has been devolved to local authorities (ref: Health Amendment Act 1991, Part 4 - Amendments Relating to Public Buildings). Consequently the Environmental Health Branch of the Health Department (which formerly administered sections 173-180 of the Act) ceased in 1992 to collect building plans.
The entries in the Plan Register (Record Series 1359; Consignment 5093) comprise an item listing for this series.
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Archivist's note
Copies: Local government authorities may also hold copies of these plans.