Cabinet records of the Cain-Kirner Government April 1982 – October 1992

These Cabinet records span the period of the government of Premier John Cain (8 April 1982 – 10 August 1990) and Victoria’s first female Premier, Joan Kirner (10 August 1990 – 6 October 1992). This government created the Cabinet Office to act as a secretariat to Cabinet and with that, the introduction of Cabinet recordkeeping in Victoria. 

The key records introduced were the Cabinet record, volumes that log the decisions made in each meeting, and submissions distributed for consideration at these meetings.

Detailed minutes of the actual discussion of matters within Cabinet and Cabinet committee meetings were not created. The best way to get a sense of what was likely discussed at each meeting is through the submissions that were distributed prior to a meeting, and the decisions made at each meeting.

There are three types of searches you can do depending on the type of records you want to explore. The first two options are designed to find:

• Decisions as recorded in the Cabinet record, and
• Submissions produced for consideration at Cabinet meetings.

The remaining records are listed below. You can click on the links for each of these and then browse each of their item lists:

• Agendas for meetings (VPRS 11951)
• Premier’s briefings for some of the matters to be discussed (VPRS 11952 with additional ones found within VPRS 11951)
• Records created by various Cabinet standing and ad hoc committees (VPRS 11936)
• The register of decisions published under the Freedom of Information Act (VPRS 11949) and an index to this register (VPRS 11950)
• Correspondence files of the Parliamentary Secretary of Cabinet to 1989 (VPRS 8377)
• A small quantity of departmental Cabinet-in-confidence working papers (VPRS 16607), and
• Copies of the Cabinet Handbook which set out various procedures including the creation and distribution of submissions (VPRS 11953).

Notes on some of the above records

The register of decisions published under the Freedom of Information Act does not contain all decisions or complete wording of decisions as recorded in the Cabinet record. Details were included in the published register at the discretion of the Premier.

Departmental Cabinet-in-confidence working papers were largely retained by government agencies during this period and can be found within the inward correspondence files of the Department of Premier and Cabinet and other agencies.

Look for the icons below to see if records can be viewed online (hover over globe) or must be ordered online and viewed in our Reading Rooms (open book):