List of New South Wales government agencies
The executive branch of the Government of New South Wales, Australia, is made up of a number of departments, state-owned corporations and other agencies. These are identified in the Government Sector Employment Act 2013 and other legislation. In 2009, most State government agencies – which at the time numbered more than 100 – were restructured into 13 'super agencies' or clusters.[1] This number was subsequently reduced to ten clusters in 2013;[2] and in July 2019 following the 2019 state election, it was further reduced to eight clusters.[3] A new cluster for Regional NSW was created in April 2020, increasing to nine clusters;[4][5] and a further cluster, Enterprise, Investment and Trade, established on 21 December 2021, in the second Perrottet ministry.[6]

Agency types
The Government is made up of:
- departments, which are the lead agencies in each cluster
- executive agencies, which are agencies related to departments
- separate agencies, which operate independently of departments but can still be within clusters
- statutory authorities, which are established under legislation but sit outside clusters
- state-owned corporations
- subsidiaries of the NSW Government established under the Corporations Act
- councils under the Local Government Act
- universities.
There are also a number of advisory boards and committees, though these are not agencies in their own right.[7]
Clusters
The NSW Public Sector employs more than 348,000 people (full-time equivalent), almost all of whom work within one of the ten clusters.[8][9] A restructure into eight clusters took effect on 1 July 2019; and a new cluster was added in April 2020;[10][11] with a further cluster added on 21 December 2021.[6]
List of agencies
Departments
Agency | Type | Cluster | Employees | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
Department of Premier and Cabinet | Department | Premier and Cabinet | 834 | [6] |
Department of Regional NSW | Department | Regional NSW | 3,067 | |
Department of Enterprise, Investment and Trade | Department | Enterprise, Investment and Trade | ||
Treasury | Department | Treasury | 784 | |
Ministry of Health | Department | Health | 127,156 | |
Department of Education | Department | Education | 99,702 | |
Department of Communities and Justice | Department | Stronger Communities | 22,903 | |
Department of Transport | Department | Transport | 11,875 | |
Department of Customer Service | Department | Customer Service | 5,345 | |
Department of Planning and Environment | Department | Planning and Environment | ||
Executive agencies
This is a list of executive agencies of the NSW Government, as listed in Schedule 4 of the Administrative Arrangements (Second Perrottet Ministry—Transitional) Order 2021, containing Amendment No. 40 to the Government Sector Employment Act 2013:[6][16]
Agency | Cluster | Employees | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Art Gallery of New South Wales Trust | Premier and Cabinet | 266 | [6] |
Australian Museum Trust | Premier and Cabinet | 346 | |
Create NSW | Enterprise, Investment and Trade | ||
Crown Solicitor's Office | Stronger Communities | 443 | |
Destination NSW | Enterprise, Investment and Trade | 199 | |
Fire & Rescue NSW | Stronger Communities | 15,589 | |
Greater Sydney Commission | Transport | 82 | |
Health Professional Councils Authority | Health | 186 | |
Infrastructure NSW | Transport | 158 | |
Investment NSW | Enterprise, Investment and Trade | ||
Library Council of New South Wales | Premier and Cabinet | 297 | |
Local Land Services | Regional NSW | 956 | |
Mental Health Commission | Health | 303 | |
Multicultural NSW | Stronger Communities | 67 | |
Natural Resources Commission | Planning and Environment | 33 | |
NSW Institute of Sport | Enterprise, Investment and Trade | 90 | |
NSW Rural Fire Service | Stronger Communities | 936 | |
NSW State Emergency Service | Stronger Communities | 365 | |
Office of Sport | Enterprise, Investment and Trade | 368 | |
Parliamentary Counsel's Office | Premier and Cabinet | 74 | |
Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences | Premier and Cabinet | 281 | |
Resilience NSW | Stronger Communities | 105 | |
SAS Trustee Corporation | Treasury | 32 | |
Service NSW | Customer Service | 3433 | |
State Archives and Records Authority | Premier and Cabinet | ||
Sydney Opera House Trust | Premier and Cabinet | 499 | |
Venues NSW | Enterprise, Investment and Trade | ||
Western Parkland City Authority | Enterprise, Investment and Trade | 29 |
Separate agencies
This is a list of separate agencies of the NSW Government, as listed in Schedule 1 of the Government Sector Employment Act 2013:[6][16]
Agency | Cluster | Employees | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Environment Protection Authority | Planning and Environment | 586 | |
Greyhound Welfare and Integrity Commission | Planning and Environment | 84 | |
Health Care Complaints Commission | Health | 125 | |
Independent Liquor and Gaming Authority | Enterprise, Investment and Trade | ||
Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal | Premier and Cabinet | ||
Information and Privacy Commission | Customer Service | 34 | |
Inspector of the Law Enforcement Conduct Commission | Premier and Cabinet | 1 | |
Law Enforcement Conduct Commission | Stronger Communities | 2 | |
Legal Aid Commission of New South Wales | Stronger Communities | 1440 | |
New South Wales Crime Commission | Stronger Communities | 121 | |
New South Wales Electoral Commission | Premier and Cabinet | 165 | |
NSW Education Standards Authority | Education | 437 | |
Office of the Children's Guardian | Stronger Communities | 219 | |
Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions | Stronger Communities | 141 | |
Office of the Independent Planning Commission | Planning and Environment | 15 | |
Ombudsman | Premier and Cabinet | 122 | |
Public Service Commission | Premier and Cabinet | 144 | |
Technical & Further Education Commission | Education | 10,599 |
Statutory State-owned corporations
This is a list of statutory State-owned corporations of the NSW Government, as listed in Schedule 5 of the State Owned Corporations Act 1989:[17]
Agency | Cluster | Employees | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Essential Energy | Planning and Environment | 3,044 | |
Forestry Corporation | Regional NSW | 549 | |
Hunter Water Corporation | Planning and Environment | 485 | |
Landcom | Planning and Environment | ||
Port Authority of New South Wales | Transport | 361 | |
Sydney Water | Planning and Environment | 2,939 | |
Transport Asset Holding Entity | Transport | ||
WaterNSW | Planning and Environment | 958 |
Other agencies
Agency | Type | Cluster | Employees | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
Audit Office of NSW | Entity external to government | n/a | 284 | |
Health Service | Service | Health | 127,156 | |
Independent Commission Against Corruption | Entity external to government | n/a | 118 | |
Judicial Commission | Entity external to government | n/a | 32 | |
Parliament of New South Wales | Entity external to government | n/a | 51 | |
NSW Police Force | Service | Stronger Communities | 21,879 | |
Teaching Service | Service | Education | 99,702 | |
Transport Service | Service | Transport | 13,645 |
Universities
Agency | Type | Employees | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Charles Sturt University | University | 2,190 | |
Macquarie University | 3,737 | ||
University of New England | 1,408 | ||
University of New South Wales | 7,230 | ||
University of Newcastle | 2,859 | ||
Southern Cross University | 914 | ||
University of Sydney | 8,531 | ||
University of Technology, Sydney | 3,888 | ||
Western Sydney University | 3,510 | ||
University of Wollongong | 2,971 |
References
- Clennell, Andrew (21 July 2009). "Super idea – a pity about the red tape". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 6 September 2018.
- "Government Sector Employment Act 2013, Schedule 1". New South Wales Legislation. 2013. Retrieved 6 September 2018.
- "Administrative Arrangements (Administrative Changes—Public Service Agencies) Order 2019 [NSW] (159)" (PDF). Government Gazette of the State of New South Wales. 2 April 2019. p. 7-8. Retrieved 4 April 2019.
- "Administrative Arrangements (Administrative Changes—Regional NSW and Independent Planning Commission) Order 2020". Legislation NSW. 2020. Retrieved 13 July 2020.
- "Department of Regional NSW to take on urgent needs of the bush". NSW Government. 2 April 2020. Retrieved 13 July 2020.
- "Parliament, Ministerial, Courts and Police (662)" (PDF). Government Gazette of the State of New South Wales. 21 December 2021.
- "Improving NSW Government Branding". Department of Premier & Cabinet. 2017.
- "2020 Workforce Profile Report". Public Service Commission.
- "Departments and agencies". NSW Department of Premier and Cabinet. Retrieved 24 January 2022.
- "Machinery of Government". NSW Department of Premier and Cabinet. Archived from the original on 14 June 2019. Retrieved 26 June 2019.
- "Governance arrangements chart" (PDF). New South Wales Department of Premier & Cabinet. 1 May 2020. Archived (PDF) from the original on 13 July 2020. Retrieved 13 July 2020.
- "Administrative Arrangements (Second Perrottet Ministry—Allocation of Acts and Agencies) Order 2021". 21 December 2021. Retrieved 24 January 2022.
- "Administrative Arrangements (Administrative Changes—Ministers and Public Service Agencies) Order (No 5) 2021". 23 December 2021. Retrieved 24 January 2022.
- "Workforce Profile Report 2020". Public Service Commission. Table 2.3: Composition of the public sector by cluster, census period FTE, 2019–2020: Public Service Commission. February 2021. Retrieved 20 December 2021.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: location (link) - "Government Notices (30)" (PDF). Government Gazette of the State of New South Wales. 2 April 2019. p. 1088-1090. Retrieved 3 April 2019.
- "Government Sector Employment Act 2013 No 40 - Schedule 1". NSW Legislation. Retrieved 13 July 2020.
- "State Owned Corporations Act 1989 No 134 - Schedule 5". NSW Legislation. Retrieved 7 July 2020.