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About cabinet records

Cabinet records are created, controlled and circulated under the Cabinet Office's direction and supervision to authorised recipients only (mainly Ministers and their immediate divisions).

Cabinet records include:

  • Cabinet agendas
  • Cabinet minutes
  • Cabinet committee agendas and minutes
  • Cabinet committee reports
  • memoranda to the Cabinet
  • draft bills
  • records of Cabinet decisions, and advice, legal and other, relating to Cabinet matters
  • Cabinet Notebooks
  • Cabinet Office files (containing original submissions, briefing papers and decisions).

 

Departmental Cabinet-in-Confidence records

Departmental Cabinet-in-Confidence (CiC) records are created and maintained by departments or agencies within the Minister's portfolio and forwarded to the Minister. Departmental CiC records include submissions, memos and correspondence, which have been passed to the Minister from an agency.

Some original departmental CiC records are classified as having permanent value and are required as State Archives. 

See PROS 07/01 Common Administrative Functions RDA for information about cabinet record classes and retention periods.

 

Managing Departmental CiC records

Departments are required to create, manage and transfer their CiC records digitally. See IM-STD-06 Cabinet in Confidence and Caretaker Period Digital Information Management for further information.

Please also refer to Cabinet Office for general advice regarding the management of CiC records.

 

Annual and Caretaker CiC records transfers

Departments are responsible for regularly transferring permanent Cabinet-in-Confidence (CiC) records to PROV, including those created by affiliated portfolio agencies, entities and statutory bodies.

Permanent CiC records must be converted into VERS Encapsulated Objects (VEOs) and transferred to PROV annually and via the Cabinet Office during Caretaker.

The below diagram provides an overview of the processes for undertaking Departmental CiC annual and Caretaker records transfers.

 

Key Messages 

Cabinet-in-Confidence (CiC) records must be managed digitally and transferred to PROV annually and during Caretaker in accordance with IM-STD-06 Cabinet in Confidence and Caretaker Period Digital Information Management

CiC records and associated metadata must be identified by departments as permanent or temporary in accordance with PROS 07/01 RDA for Common Administrative Functions and managed in a way that supports the separation of permanent from temporary.  

Permanent records and associated metadata must be converted into VERS Encapsulated Objects (VEOs) by departments prior to transfer to PROV. 

In addition to transferring their own CiC records, departments are responsible for transferring CiC records from any affiliated portfolio agencies, entities and statutory bodies.  

Temporary records must not be transferred to PROV.  

 

PROV Resources 

Please refer to the following advice regarding transferring CiC records PROV: 

 

Additional Information

Please also refer to: 
•    Department of Premier and Cabinet’s Advice to 'Cabinet, Liaison and Legislation Officers— Management of Cabinet in Confidence material during Caretaker' when transferring records during Caretaker. 
•    'IM-STD-06 Cabinet in Confidence and Caretaker Period Digital Information Management' which outlines the requirements for departments to manage CiC records digitally and undertake regular transfers.

If you have a question on PROV specific matters, please contact us via our online enquiry form.

 

Material in the Public Record Office Victoria archival collection contains words and descriptions that reflect attitudes and government policies at different times which may be insensitive and upsetting

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples should be aware the collection and website may contain images, voices and names of deceased persons.

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