Summary heading

  Descriptive Note   

Function and purpose

This series consists of Cabinet Submissions received in Cabinet Office during the terms of the Second, Third, Fourth and Fifth Fraser Ministries – that is, between 23 December 1975 and 4 February 1983

Following the Coalition’s election victory on 13 December 1975, the caretaker government that had been appointed on 11 November 1975 (the First Fraser Ministry) was dissolved and a new ministry (the Second Fraser Ministry) was sworn in on 22 December 1975

In the Cabinet Office, the sequence of Cabinet Submission numbers which had controlled submissions received during the term of the caretaker government, was terminated and the first submission received the day after the new ministry was formed was registered as Submission No 1

This new sequence of control numbers for submissions was continued throughout the term of all the succeeding Fraser ministries ending only with the defeat of the Fraser government in the election of 5 March 1983.  The last submission received in Cabinet Office in this time was no 5974 received and registered on 4 February 1983 

Ministry                        Date range                      Reason for end                            Range of submissions

 of ministry                    of ministry                                 received during the ministry

Second Fraser:                22/12/75 – 20/12/77        Election on 10 Dec 1977               1 – 1848

Third Fraser                   20/12/77 – 3/11/80          Election on 18 Oct 1980               1849 – 4403

Fourth Fraser                  3/11/80 – 7/5/82             Cabinet re-shuffle                         4404 – 5479

                                                                        7 May 1982

Fifth Fraser                     7 /5/82 – 11/3/83            Election on 5 Mar 1983                5480 - 5974

One  copy of each submission received throughout these years was filed in a sequence of folders, which constitute this series. (The department was required to provide 60 copies of each submission.)   The series ultimately consisted of 270 folders -  a large accumulation.  One of the themes running through the Cabinet Office’s correspondence on the operation of the system itself is the concern at the great increase in the volume of Cabinet business that occurred in the early years of the Fraser government – by 1979 it was assessed as a three-fold expansion on the business of the previous Coalition government. (See Note for series A10756)

During the term of the Second Fraser ministry the various instructions relating to the preparation, control and management of submissions was codified and published as a guide – titled the Cabinet Handbook – which was first issued in February 1976. (Note 1)  The Cabinet Handbook provides guidance on what matters should be submitted to Cabinet and on the drafting and form of the Submission. The range of matters which might be submitted included:

• Major policy issues
• Proposals involving large expenditure
• Proposals requiring new legislation or amendment of existing legislation
• Senior appointments

Consequently the Submissions in this series document the information, opinion and advice on which the government based major decisions in the national governance at this time.

The development of policy and procedures regarding Submissions is documented in file LC179 parts 1 to 3

Submissions were rarely received in Cabinet Office unheralded.  Because of the difficulty in programming meetings to ensure ministers attendance (in competition with their other duties), a practice was developed of forecasting submissions.  Each minister was required to supply a monthly summary of pending matters in relation to which a submission was likely to be made – initially looking six months ahead – later three months ahead.  The Cabinet Office developed a program of meetings – and Business Lists for each meeting [Note 2] - and circulated these to Ministers well in advance in anticipation of the scheduled Submissions being received.  (The file in the LC series was created when the matter appeared in the forecasts – so the actual receipt and circulation of the submission might be closer to the end point than the starting point of the activities documented on the file.

When the Submission was received in Cabinet Office it was checked for compliance with the Handbook.  (Checklists documenting this process are on file LC1057 Part 1-10)   One of the requirements that received close attention was that where a submission involved the interests of more than one department (very often the case) then the appropriate consultation must have taken place during the formulation of the submission – the submission must not contain any disputation of fact.  The Minster’s signature on the submission was held to be a certification that the required consultation had occurred – and also that the Minister endorsed the substance of the submission.  (As the submission was developed in the department, there was a view that it reflected Departmental opinion which might not entirely coincide with the personal opinion of the Minister.)  The outcome of the consultation was expressed in the recommendation – an essential element of the Submission – which should be couched in terms that anticipated the wording of the Decision.

The Handbook required that the Submission must be received in Cabinet Office not later than 10 days ahead of the scheduled meeting at which it was to be considered.  There was much pressure to get submissions in on time which allowed circulation to all Ministers so that they were in a position to debate the issue if necessary – and to obtain input from their department if required.  (Submissions were not circulated to Departments – it was at the discretion of the Minister to acquaint his departmental head of the matter if he chose.)

Papers and Memoranda

During the term of the Fraser government two new categories of Cabinet documents were introduced which approximated Submissions.  It had been established practice for many years that Ministers might, with the prior consent of the Prime Minister, introduce at a meeting a meeter in relation to which no formal submission had been made.  These were termed ‘under the line’ matters and resulted n a Decision Without Submission.  (This practice had its uses – proposed senior appointments were always Without Submission – to side-step the mandatory pre-meeting circulation.)  However, Ministers frequently produced a variety of documents at the meeting to support an ‘under the line’ proposal or to provide general background information.  In September 1976 the Cabinet Office decided that as these documents influenced Decisions, they should be identified, controlled and copies retained.  This procedure was implemented on 23 September 1976 and the registered documents were called Cabinet Papers (see CRS A12933).  At the end of 19878, in the course of the Review of Cabinet Arrangements, an attempt was made to limit the volume of such material and from February 1979 Cabinet Papers were replaced by Cabinet Memoranda (see CRS A12930), the distinction being that Memoranda should be presented only at the request of Cabinet (expressed in  a Decision) – that is, they would supplement an earlier Submission.  Because Memoranda could be anticipated, like Submissions, the same requirements that applied to Submissions were gradually applied to Memoranda so that in time the distinction between an initial Submission and subsequent supporting Memoranda became less apparent.   The concepts of Papers and Memoranda were also applied in the business of the Cabinet Committees.

A Submission to Cabinet may be referred, at the discretion of the Prime Minister, to a Cabinet Committee for consideration rather than to the Cabinet itself.  There were no Cabinet Committees during the brief term of the First Fraser (Caretaker) Ministry however a range of Standing Committees was established in the Second Ministry in accordance with established practice. (Note 3) 

In some cases the Committee having discussed the matter may then refer a recommendation to a meeting of Cabinet for a Decision.  In other cases the Committee itself made the Decision.   The Decision number in respect of any submission, indicates where the Decision was made.  A Decision made by Cabinet has no alpha suffix to the Decision number.  A Decision made in a Cabinet Committee has an alpha suffix which indicates which committee.  Generally Decisions made in any Ad Hoc committee all have the same suffix (‘AD HOC”) except for Decisions of the Budget Committee which was, in effect, a recurring Ad Hoc committee – its Decisions have a ‘B” suffix (sometimes shown as ‘AHB’):

AD HOC – a generic abbreviation for any Ad Hoc Committee

B – Ad Hoc Committee on Budget

C – Coordination Committee (1979-1983)

EC – Economic committee  (1975-1983)

FAD – Foreign Affairs and Defence Committee (1975-1983)

GA – General Administrative Committee (1975-1979)

GP – General Policy Committee (1979-1983)

IP – Industry Policy Committee (1979-1983)

IS - Intelligence and Security Committee  (1977-1980)

LEG – Legislative Committee (1975-1983)

MOG – Machinery of Government committee (1975-1979)

MP – Monetary Policy Committee (1977-1983)

PC – Planning and Coordination Committee (1975-1979)

PIC – Public Information Committee  (1977-1983)

WP – Wages Policy committee (1977-1983)

SWP – Social Welfare Policy Committee (1977-1983)

The Whitlam government had adopted the practice of including the entire ministry in the Cabinet and this practice was effectively continued in the caretaker Fraser government. (The First Fraser ministry consisted of only 15 members, most holding multiple ministerial portfolios.)  However with the formation of the second ministry – which consisted initially of 27 members – the former practice, which had been in place since the 1950’s, was restored and the Second Fraser Cabinet consisted of only 12 ministers (13 ministries, PR Lynch being both Treasurer and Minister for Finance.)  Note that the Record of Attendance (A12575) shows what ministers attended each meeting – including co-opted ministers. (Note 4)

However the Fraser government revived the concept of Ministerial meetings where Decisions made were registered and controlled  in the sequence of Cabinet Decisions – and were distinguished by addition of an ‘M’ suffix (sometimes shown in the Decision register as ‘MIN’). The first Decisions of the Second Fraser government were Ministerial decisions (made at a meeting of the full ministry on 23 December 1975.)  Each subsequent ministry was normally inaugurated with a ministerial meeting of this kind and a short sequence of ministerial Decisions – hardly more than a re-iteration of the previous set of Ministerial Decisions..  These were all confined to housekeeping and procedural matters, mostly concerning specifically the operation of the Cabinet system, and procedures of the Cabinet office (control and circulation of  submissions etc.)   (Prominent among them was a statement that Cabinet meetings had absolute claim on a Minister’s time.)

A senior officer of the Cabinet Office  attends the Cabinet meetings to take notes of the discussion and the decisions made.  Immediately after the conclusion of the meeting the formal Decisions (or ‘Minutes’ as they are referred to) are written up from these notes, typed up and  registered  in the Cabinet Office and distributed to Ministers and departments for action as required.    (The notebooks created by the Notetakers are described in RecordSearch as CRS A11099)  In the Fraser government an additional facilitative record was introduced from 1976 called ’Debrief sheets’ – see CRS A12937)

Related legislation

 

Using the series

As all submissions have been entered in RecordSearch database, a submission relating to any particular subject can be retrieved by keyword search in RecordSearch (limiting search by Series No 12908.)   An alternative is to peruse the Register of Submissions (CRS A12910)   A submission was normally, by direction of the Cabinet Office,  a fairly brief document (the stated maximum being 7 pages.) More background material may be found on the relevant file in the Cabinet Office’s LC series (CRS A10756)  The department which prepared the submission will also have files on the subject, including the drafting of the submission, in its general correspondence files series.  (The Cover Sheet on top of  each  submission indicates which Minister - and hence which department - is making the submission.)

The entry for the LC file in RecordSearch shows the relevant Submission number in the Title field.

Note that there is no correlation between a Submission number and the Decision number for that submission.  The sequence of Submission numbers reflects the chronology of the submissions’ being received in Cabinet Office.  The sequence of Decision numbers reflects the chronology of the submissions’ being presented to a cabinet meeting for consideration - and there are many variable factors that intervene to affect the latter.  In addition, the sequence of Decision numbers includes Decisions on matters for which no submission was made (known as ‘Decisions without Submissions’)  The Decision number is therefore normally well in advance (in numerical terms) of the Submission number.  In the course of the Second to Fifth Fraser ministries, there were 5974 Submission and 19675 Decisions.

The Register of Decisions (CRS A12911) shows the relevant LC file for each Decision (that is, including Decisions without Submissions)

Language of material

Physical characteristics

  The practice of the Cabinet Office is that a copy of each finalised submission received, together with a coy of the relevant subsequent Decision in each case, is filed in a sequence of visidex folders arranged by the Submission number.   When this series ended it consisted of 270 folders.

Since transfer to the custody of the National Archives, both for preservation reasons and to improve accessibility, the Submissions have been removed from the folders and individually re-packaged in acid free folders.  The Submission are controlled and described at this level in the RecordSearch database.

The Submissions are created by various Departments but to a standardised format as specified in the Cabinet Handbook.    The maximum is 7 pages and the top-most page is a Cover Sheet which shows the Submission Number and Copy Number, the title of the Submission, the Minster - or Ministers if it is a joint Submission, and summary information as follows:

Main purpose; Relation to existing policy; Timing/legislative priority; Announcement of decision, Tabling, etc; Action required before announcement; and Cost.

The Submission concludes with a Recommendation and is signed and dated by the responsible Minister or Ministers.

There may be attachments to the submission, such as reports, which can be quite large (though the Handbook required they should be limited in size.)

System of arrangement and control

  The items of this series are controlled by the Submission Number allocated from the Submission Register (CRS A12910) and therefore reflecting the chronology of the Submission’s being received in the Cabinet Office.   The Submission number sequence is a simple number sequence ranging from 1 to 5914.

Note that many numbers are missing from the Submissions that are now present in this series.  For example for Submission lodged in 1976 a total of 95 numbers are missing.   Reference to the Register will explain why a number is missing in each case – annotations in the register show ’Number not used’ or ‘withdrawn’ – sometimes with an indication that the Submission was replaced by a later Submission.

Relationships with other records

  The submission numbers are allocated from the Submission register (CRS A12910)  which documents the receipt in Cabinet Office of all submissions made during the Second to Fifth Fraser ministries.  A copy of the relevant Decision or Decisions is filed with each Submission   The relevant file in the LC series (CRS A10756) documents the process of preparation of the submission for presentation to the cabinet.  The Decision register (CRS A 12911)  controls the allocation of Decision number to register all Decisions made in that ministry, including Decisions Without Submissions.  The Decisions themselves (normally one page for each Decision) are accumulated in A13075.  The Attendance Sheets (CRS A12575) record which ministers were present  at each meeting (as well as the type of meeting – whether cabinet or a committee – and also who the Notetakers were at each meeting.)

Finding aids

  This series and related series of the First Fraser Ministry are described in RecordSearch database both at Series level and item level.  For general information regarding the Cabinet office refer to registration for agency CA 1472 in RecordSearch.  The Cabinet Office procedures regarding preparation of  Submissions is described in detail in the Cabinet Handbook which was first printed during the term of the second Fraser Ministry (February in 1976.)  The Handbook also outlines the operation of the Cabinet system in broad terms.  The present edition (the fifth) can be seen at   www.pmc.gov.au/guidelines/index.cfm

Note that Cabinet Decisions are referred to in the Handbook, and in some other contexts, as Cabinet Minutes.  Matters that are raised in the Cabinet meeting for which no submission has been made (leading to a Decision without Submission) are referred to as ‘under–the-line’ matters.

Access conditions

 

Series history

 

Provenance

  The records that constitute this series were created in the various government departments and registered as record items of this series in Cabinet Office (CA1472) between December 1975 and March 1983.

Immediate source of acquisition

 

Custodial history

  The records that constitute this series were transferred from the Cabinet Office to the custody of the National Archives in May 2004

Quantity in agency custody

 

Disposal history

 

Publication note

 

Additional information

 

End notes

 Note 1.  Cabinet Handbook

There appears to be some difference of opinion on this point.  Most references to the 1976 Handbook are quite sure it was the first.   For example:

• the Cabinet Decision noting the implementation of the Handbook in 1976 states:
  Minster noted that a Cabinet Handbook, the first to be produced, is now being printed and would be distributed to Ministers early next week.  The guidelines, to be followed by all Ministers, should streamline the operation of the Cabinet system and be particularly helpful for new ministers.( Decision No 230 (M) 10 Feb 1976)

• and in his preamble to the Recommendations in his Report on the Review of Cabinet Arrangements (17 November 1978) Secretary Yeend includes ‘the publication of a Cabinet Handbook’ among the list of ‘recently introduced procedures’ contributing to ‘the most substantial changes in Cabinet procedures and support [in the last three years] than at any time since 1950’

However a minute by B V Cogan Assist Sec, Cabinet Branch dated 26 March 1979 refers to a 1972/73 version – as well as a much earlier precursor:

‘The Secretary called me in this morning and showed me a copy of a Cabinet Handbook which Mr Gullick had brought to his attention.  The Handbook was a 1950 version although I am not exactly sure as to the extent of any circulation then.  This was the first time that I had been aware that there had been a Cabinet Handbook prior to the version developed in 1972 and issued in 1973… The 1950 Handbook was a much simpler version that the current one.’  (File LC2198 Part 4)

Note 2: Business Lists

There is no discrete series of Business lists for the Fraser government.  File LC12 (parts 1 to 7) in A10756) contain Business Lists for meetings up to October 1976 (as well as correspondence about the preparation of the lists, note to PM regarding items listed, etc

Note 3:  Cabinet Committees during the Fraser government

No Cabinet Committees were created in the course of the first Fraser ministry.  At the first meeting of the second Fraser Ministry on 22 December 1975 the following Standing Cabinet committees were created (by Decision No 9)

• Policy and Planning Committee (PP)
• General Administrative Committee (GA)
• Legislative Committee (LEG)
• Economic Committee (EC)

·       Foreign Affairs and Defence Committee (FAD)

• Machinery of Government Committee (MOG)

The Policy and Planning Committee was re-named Planning and Coordination (PC) but by October 1976 it had never met and in late 1977 it was again commented that it had ‘hardly any use’ 

In February it was replaced by a  new committee initially proposed as a ‘Leadership’ committee but this name was changed to Coordination Committee (CC)

By the end of 1977 the following committees had also been added

• Intelligence and Security (IS)
• Monetary Policy (MP)
• Wages Policy (WP)
• Social Welfare Policy (SWP)

In Feb 1979 the General Administration (GA) committee and the MOG committee were replaced and their functions re-distributed in two new committees called Industry Policy Committee and General Policy Committee

In late 1980 the IS committee was subsumed into FAD Committee

The Chronological Record of Meetings (CRS A12573) shows what Cabinet Committee Meetings occurred  The Attendance Sheets (CRS A12575) records what Ministers attended each meeting.  (The Attendance Sheets in the later period have pre-printed on the reverse of the form a list of the membership of each current committee.)

The committee system was intended to relieve pressure on the Prime Minister - The three most important committees were Planing and Coordination, Economic Committee and FAD – and these (inter alia)  were chaired by the Prime minister.  Others were chaired by Senior ministers. One of the uses of the committee system was to involve ministers who were not cabinet members in decisions of government and the cooperative/collective responsibility ethos.   [SMH article of 23 Jan 1976 (file LC2 part 1) makes the point that Cabinet Committees are more correctly called Ministerial Committees since they include Ministers who are not members of Cabinet.]

The expectation (as set out in Decision 9 of 22 Dec 1975) was that in general the Standing Committees will take final decision on matters referred to them.  In practice, partly because of the management style of the Prime Minister, Committees which he did not chair were less likely to make final decisions.

Ad Hoc committees were created from time to time to deal with particular non-ongoing issues.  For example at the end of 1978 the following AD Hoc committees were current:

Uranium Committee

Taxation Committee

Antarctic Policy Committee

New Parliament House Committee

Industrial Relations Committee

AD Hoc Committees normally did not make final Decisions unless it was clear that the matter had been referred to them for that purpose.

Supporting the Cabinet Committees was a further level of committees which were called ‘Officials Committees’ – name changed in February 1979 to ‘Permanent Heads Committees’  These were composed of departmental heads and were intended to facilitate consultation at departmental level.   The membership of any Permanent Heads committee did not necessarily reflect the Ministerial composition of the Cabinet Committee which it supported.  Permanent Heads Committees did not make Decisions.

The terms of reference of the Standing Committees as at 5 February 1979 were defined as follows:

Coordination Committee (CC) : To consider overall government strategy and to deal with matters refereed to it by the Prime Minister

Foreign Affairs and Defence (FAD)  : To consider matters concerned with international relations and defence

Intelligence and Security (IS) :  To set overall policy and oversee the work of the intelligence community

Monetary Policy  (MP) :  To deal with matters relating to interest rates, banking policy and currency exchange rates

Wages Policy  (WP) :  To settle the Governments Submission at the National Wage Case and deal with related matters referred to it by the Prime Minister or Cabinet.

Social Welfare Policy  (SWP) :  To oversee and consider plans and policies and review existing policies and programs in the broad field of health, welfare and education

Legislation (LEG) :  To examine draft bills, and ensure their compliance with the terms of Decision of Cabinet or Cabinet Committees.  To consider minor legislative proposals determine priority and authorise drafting.  To develop and monitor the legislation program for each Parliamentary sittings, including oversight of priorities for drafting and passage.  To oversee the Parliamentary proceedings and priorities.

General Policy  (GP) :  To consider matters broadly within existing policy guidelines, as referred by the Prime Minister.  To deal with organisational and administrative matters

Industry Policy  (IP)  :  To consider matters arising from reports of the Industries Assistance Commission and the Temporary Assistance Authority. To oversee Government Purchasing policy, including the acquisition of ADP capability.  To deal with matters affecting Australian industry generally

Note 4  Coopted Ministers

A minister who was not a Cabinet member might be coopted to a meeting if the subject matter impacted significantly on his portfolio.  That is, he/she was advised by Cabinet Office of the Submission and the forthcoming meeting and was required to attend.  (If the matter was Without Submission the minister could attend if he/she chose.)  As there was no set order in which matters listed were dealt with, a Co-opted minister normally attended the whole meeting and might be invited to comment on other matters apart from the one in relation to which he/she had been coopted.  The same arrangements applied to Cabinet Committee meetings.

Sources