Summary heading

  Descriptive Note

Function and purpose

This series consists of  four folders containing Summaries of Submissions, arranged by the Submission Number.  There are two numeric sequences – one covering Submission Numbers 1501 to 1699 (which represents a time span of Submission lodged December 1974 to 9 May 1975) and the other  1019 to 1703 (time span 11 June 1974 to 12 May 1975)

[are the summaries that are common to both sequences actually identical – ie copies of the same summary?  Check this]

Each Summary is  on one page, approximately 15 x 20 cm (ie about half an A4 page)   Most are typed originals - some appear to be copies, some on thermal paper.   

The format is standardised: ‘Summary of submission’ is typed at the top of the page with the Submission number to the right of this  and below that are entries under the labels: title of the submission, the Minister’s name, an explanation of the purpose of the submission, any related legislation, the coast and timing of the submission.

Many are classified Confidential – as with generality of Cabinet records

The first item is a black folder labelled “Summaries of submissions – Mr B Johns”,

It contains summaries of  submission numbers 1501 to 1699 only. The first three summaries are handwritten and have different content to the standard format. There are spaces for the submission number, date examined, decision number, publicity associated with the submission, notes on state relations, comments and action taken.  The others, beyond the first three, are in the standard format described above.

The other three items  were originally tied together in one bundle, in submission number order ranging from submission numbers 1019 to 1703 .  For preservation reasons they have been separated into three folders by NAA as follows:

Item two: Submission 1019 to 1229

Item three: Submission 1230 to 1466

Item four: Submission 1467 to 1703

It is unclear in what process and for what purpose these summaries were created.  They merely précis the content of each submission – and are not evaluative.  The Government Directory for 1975 shows that Mr B Johns was a consultant attached to the department at that time – there is no clear indication that he was in the Cabinet Office and it is possible that these records are not records of the Cabinet office itself but were created in another branch and were  subsequently transferred to the custody of the Cabinet Office (like items in A12105) because they described Cabinet Submissions.  On balance it seems most likely that these records were created for facilitative purposes in the course of an analytical exercise that covered this time frame only (mid 1974 to mid 1975) and they are not a surviving remnant of a routine process that embraced the whole range of Submissions during the period of the Whitlam government.

Related legislation

Using the series

Language of material

Physical characteristics

System of arrangement and control

  The series now consists of four items controlled in an imposed numerical sequence.  The contents are arranged by Submission number.  There are two sequences – the first contained in Item 1, the other running through items 2 to 4.

Relationships with other records

Finding aids

Access conditions

Series history

Provenance

Immediate source of acquisition

Custodial history

  The records in this series were transferred to the custody of the National Archives in 2001 with Cabinet records of the Whitlam government period.

Quantity in agency custody

Disposal history

Publication note

Additional information

End notes

Sources