The Commonwealth Police Force was established under authority of the Commonwealth Police Act 1957 by the Parliament of the Commonwealth, and commenced to operate on 21 April, 1960. One of the primary reasons for establishment of the Commonwealth Police Force was to permit the integration into one service of the two Commonwealth law enforcement agencies, the Commonwealth Investigation Service and the Peace Officer Guard. The function of the Investigation Service was investigation of offences against the laws of the Commonwealth, while the Peace Officer Guard provided physical protection of Commonwealth premises and property.
In addition to providing protection of Commonwealth property, the Force carried out many investigations into offences against Commonwealth laws.
The Commonwealth Police Act 1957 by the Parliament of the Commonwealth was repealed by the Australian Parliament in 1979 and an Australian Federal Police agency was founded by the Australian Parliament in October 1979 and its jurisdiction covers all matters of national interests throughout Australia. These major changes of how the Commonwealth was policed came after the changes by the Labor Government in 1973 in its efforts to dismantle the Commonwealth.
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