Summary heading

Series descriptive note for CRS A11116

Function and purpose

For reasons related to the conventions regarding access to records of a previous administration, it is the practice in Cabinet Office when a new government accedes to office to close off the current main correspondence file series documenting Cbinet business and begin a new series for the business of the incoming government.  This series is the main series of correspondence files raised and maintained in the Cabinet Office for the administration of Cabinet business for the period of the Hawke Government, from 11 March 1983 to 20 December 1991.

A typical file in this series will contain copies of Cabinet Submissions or Cabinet Memoranda and occasionally associated reports, departmental briefs and copies of Cabinet/Cabinet committee Minutes (ie Decisions).  Files may also contain associated correspondence including Ministerial, departmental and internal correspondence.  Security classifications range from Cabinet-in-confidence to Top Secret.

Note that while this series does contain some files of a ‘housekeeping’ nature such as the files regarding procedures and record keeping, in general, files on such standard housekeeping activities as recruitment, establishment review, preparation of forward estimates, acquisition of stores, equipment, vehicles, in relation to the Cabinet Office, are raised in the department’s main correspondence file series A463 (for non-classified matters) and A1209 (for classified matters).  For example, files on the publication of the Cabinet Handbook will be found in A1209.

This series covers the full range of Cabinet-related activities including procedural matters relating to the operation of the Cabinet system itself.  A new file was raised in this series when a new matter was referred to Cabinet Office which could potentially be developed into a submission to Cabinet.  A new file number in a simple number sequence was allocated from a register.  To distinguish from previous series, the file numbers have a constant alpha prefix.  In this case, a ‘CA’ prefix.

The file title is normally the subject matter.  For example, 'Accession to the Gatt Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade' or ‘Savings Options for the 1990-1991 Budget’.  In some cases, the matter might eventually be resolved through other channels outside Cabinet but in most cases, a Cabinet Submission is developed by the Department or Minister concerned, and a copy of the Submission will be placed on the file in due course.  A copy of the relevant Decision or Minute is also placed on the file after the meeting.  The correspondence on the file documents the process of development of the submission, its circulation to ministers, its presentation to a meeting, the decision made and the distribution of the Decision to appropriate areas.  The ‘CA’ file in this series will therefore provide a considerable amount of background information to the Submission document itself (see CRS A13977 or A14039 - First and Second to Fourth Hawke Ministries, respectively).

The CA files also cover the activities of the various Cabinet Committees, including Submissions referred to Committees and Decisions taken at Committee meetings.  There are no separate series of files for the Committees.

A file is also raised in this series in cases where a matter is introduced at a Cabinet (or Committee) meeting by a Minister (with the prior consent of the Prime Minister) where no formal Submission has been made and a Decision is made Without Submission.  The minister may produce some documents to support his or her proposal or inform the discussion generally.  Such submissions are controlled as Cabinet Memoranda (see CRS A13978 and CRS A14039)

Where the subject matter is an ongoing one there may be a succession of Submissions and Decisions (or Minutes) on the one file, or multiple Decisions made at different meetings in  consequence of a single Submission, or a Submission with subsequent Memoranda.

The series was closed following the defeat of the Hawke government in the election of 20 December 1991 and the accession of the Keating government.

Related legislation

Using the series

Language of material

Physical characteristics

File covers in the Hawke series are blue with black printing and binding.  There may be more than one part to a file.  The front cover is labelled 'CABINET FILE' in black printing with 'CABINET-IN-CONFIDENCE' in white print.  The file number and part number is located in the top, right-hand corner of the file cover.

System of arrangement and control

The records in this series are arranged in a simple number sequence with a 'CA' prefix.  It is not known if the letters in the prefix are initial letters of particular words or expressions but it is assumed that the letters simply separate the correspondence records in this series from similar records generated by other administrations.  The corresponding Fraser and Keating record control symbols are prefixed by 'LC' and 'KCA', respectively.  Occasional gaps in the sequence of item numbers can be observed in the series.  Where the subject matter is of long duration there may be multiple parts to a file.  The same file number is used for a new part, with the addition of the Part number.  By late 1991, the latest file registration was number CA4706.

Some items in the series have been copied in order to ensure the Submissions, Memorands and Minutes series are as complete as possible - see Relationships with other records.

Relationships with other recordsThe connection between file number and Submission or Memorandum number is recorded in the Register of Submissions (CRS A13982), the Register of Memoranda (CRS A13981) and in CRS 14044, in which a listing of memoranda and an incomplete listing of submissions can be found.  Series CRS A14040 is an index linking CA file number to Decision (or, Minute, as it came to be known during the Hawke administration) number.

The subject index CRS A14041 identifies files in the correspondence file series on a particular subject, using a primary and a secondary keyword system of control for the years 1983 until June 1985, during the Second Hawke Ministry.

The digital files in CRS A14044 include a listing of CA files with corresponding Minute (Decision) numbers.

Submissions, Memoranda and Minutes that were missing from CRS A13977, CRS A13978, CRS A13977 and CRS A14039 were recreated, where possible, using copies found on the CA files in CRS A11116.  These copy items were incorporated into the main series, as listed, together with the sheet of paper used by the Cabinet Office to signify which CA file a copy of the missing material could be found.

Finding aids

All item in the series have been entered onto RecordSearch.  For the researcher, series, item and keyword searches in RecordSearch can be used.  Some items are linked to Submissions, Memoranda and Minutes as material missing from these series has been copied to enhance the records in the series.

Access conditions

Series history

Provenance

The records in this series were created in Cabinet Office between March 1983 and December 1991.  Contents may have been added for some months after that date.

Immediate source of acquisition

Custodial history

All the items of this series were transferred to the custody of NAA by the Cabinet Office in three transfers between July and December 2011.

Quantity in agency custody

Disposal history

Publication note

Additional information

End notes

Sources

CRS A10756 series descriptive note.

Controlling series unregistered

Records management system - 'CABNET' [Cabinet Network]