The study presents a review of the establishment and operation of the Curriculum Consultancy Section of the ACT Schools Authority over the period of the first decade of its existence. It considers the move to establish a new and different education system; the important reports which gave impetus to that move; first the Currie Report (1967.), Report on an Independent Education Authority for the Australian Capital Territory and the three further reports which kept the spirit of the Currie Report alive, i.e. the Neal-Radford Report (1972.), the Campbell Report (1973.), and the Hughes Report (1973.). The study emphasises the haste with which the new system was finally established; that there was not time to develop a 'coherent, imaginative and suitable plan' (Currie, 1967, p.9.) and that staff resources were inadequate. As Beare (1978.) has noted, 'At no time in its first four years was the Schools Office given the manpower needed merely for maintenance functions let alone for development activities ... .' (p.80.) The curriculum issues that arose in planning this new system and the curriculum context within Australia are considered prior to a close examination of the development and operation of the section during the decade; the pressures which affected it and the changes which occurred This examination as the main body of the study falls easily into three periods; The First Years; The Middle Years of the First Decade; and the Final Years of the First Decade; each period coinciding with the period of tenure of one of the three principals the section has had in those ten years. Throughout this main body of the study the major recurring themes affecting the life of the section are closely followed, i.e. the conflict within the system, the diversity of demands and the difficulties of meeting those demands, the difficulty of defining role and function and the problems of leadership. In conclusion the study reflects on these recurring themes and examines the changes which have occurred over the decade, e.g. the changes in role and function, the shift in orientation to consultancy, the changes in selection and professional development of consultants, the concentration of consultants in priority areas and the developing cohesiveness of the consultancy section. Finally the study addresses the future; consideration is given to the stage in the life cycle of an organisation that the ACT Schools Authority is at currently and to the effect that this may possibly have upon the undoubtedly troubled future of the Curriculum Consultancy Section. The study draws on the documents available; on interviews with people who have worked in the area and also on the extensive body of literature which is available.