Department of National Development and Energy  The Department of National Development and Energy was an Australian government department that existed between December 1979 and March 1983. It replaced the Department of National Development and inherited domestic resources and energy matters from the Department of Trade and Resources. Information about the department's functions and/or government funding allocation could be found in the Administrative Arrangements Orders, the annual Portfolio Budget Statements and in the Department's annual reports. At its creation, the Department was responsible for the following:  The Department was a Commonwealth Public Service department, staffed by officials who were responsible to the Minister for National Development and Energy, John Carrick. The Secretary of the Department was A.J. Woods.