VPRS 8642 Correspondence Files (Plant Services Group 1976-1980; Industry-Extension-Education Program 1980-1983)

This series comprises the correspondence files created by the Plant Services Group (PSG) of the Department of Agriculture (VA 618) from 1976 to 1980 and by the Industry-Extension-Education Program of the Department from 1980 to 1983.The PSG was created in 1976 by an amalgamation of the previous Divisions of Agriculture and Horticulture. The Department introduced the "Group" structure in which divisions with related functions were grouped together under the direction of an Assistant Director General.The PSG was made up of three divisions.Plant Industries which was responsible for the improvement of technical and economic efficiency of agricultural and horticultural field crop production, and of irrigation and drainage practices. This division contained four branches (Field Crops; Row Crops; Fruit Crops; Irrigation) and a Garden Advisory Service.Plant Research which controlled four institutes, each of which had its own scope of research. They were the Horticultural Research Institute at Knoxfield; the Irrigation Research Institute at Tatura; the Plant Research Institute at Burnley Gardens; and the Victorian Wheat Research Institute at Horsham.Plant Standards which was divided into three branches - Plant Standards Control Branch; Plant Improvement Branch; and Market Information Branch.In 1980 the Department adopted a program based structure under which functions that had previously been the responsibility of separate groups were combined into single programs. Within each program separate units continued to administer separate functions.The Industry Extension Education program was created comprising several divisions which were previously parts of separate Groups. It included the Plant Industries and Plant Standards divisions from PSG; the Animal Industries Division from the Animal Services Group; and the Economics Branch and Agricultural Education Division from the Extension, Education and Economic Services Group. The Plant Research Division was removed from the Plant Services Group to the Regulation, Research and Development Program.The title "Industry-Extension-Education" may not have been used beyond 1980 but continued to describe the functions of the program. By 1981 the program's five divisions or branches were Agricultural Education, Animal Industries, Plant Industries, Economics and Marketing, and Media Services. These divisions and branches had responsibility for industry services, extension services, education, external communication, economics and marketing and plant standards.In 1983 a further restructuring of the Department of Agriculture occurred using a structure based on project budgeting principals. The Central Administration Registry assumed the registry responsibilities previously carried out by the PSG/Industry-Extension-Education program registry. The functions of the Industry-Extension-Education program appear to have been spread between three of the four new programs: Livestock Industry Services; Crop Industry Services; and Corporate Services.