Description of series:
This correspondence series mainly relates to Joseph Aloysius Lyons' first term as Prime Minister (1932-34). The correspondence includes representations from members of the public, political and personal associates and community organisations on a very wide range of matters affecting individual concerns, government business and policy. Lyons' replies are attached, often with correspondence from his Ministers or government organisations approached in a particular case. The series also includes some subject files relating to honours, the 1937 Imperial Conference, The Lodge, Queensland Country Women's Association, Lyons' tour of Queensland in 1933 and a small number of more personal correspondence files of both Lyons and his wife, Mrs Enid Lyons. 

CP30/3 is closely related to another set of Lyons' correspondence (CP103/19). The papers are arranged alphabetically by correspondent within annual files, with the name of the correspondent pencilled onto the top left hand corner. There may be one or more files for each letter of the alphabet, eg Correspondence 'E' for 1932 comprises one file, but Correspondence 'K' for the same year is in two files. Pamphlets, programs, promotional literature and other printed material may be found in some items.

History Prior/Subsequent to Transfer:
This correspondence was transferred to archival custody by the Prime Minister's Department on 2 April 1947 (job number RW2/1/36), and was housed in the Kingston Store then used by the National Library's Archives Division. It comprised 9 bundles containing 69 folders. Between this date and 1953, when the records were moved to the Library's Parkes Annexe, the correspondence was given the accession number CP30 (ref. RWC2/8/2). The accession was re-arranged into three sets, of which this is set 3, in August 1956. At that time, some additional folders found in the Library's Eastlake Hut during the move from Kingston to Parkes were added to the set (ref. Accession form 17). In the 1970s, some files were copied and the original records returned to Dame Enid Lyons. They are now held with her papers in the National Library (ref. NAA A1974/347). In March 2002, as part of the Prime Ministers Papers' Project, CP30/3 was substantially re-ordered and the folders re-numbered. This followed the division of several oversize folders into smaller files, and corrections to the alphabetical order of the papers in them, to facilitate more detailed item-level description as to the content of the records.


 

Person controlling unregistered

1939-1981 : Dame Enid Lyons
1981-3000 : Estate of Dame Enid Lyons