Departments can access the current government’s transferred Cabinet-in-Confidence (CiC) records as read-only in their own systems. Access to CiC records of previous governments is by application to the Cabinet Office. This information is intended for use by departmental staff responsible for managing CiC records in their department and affiliated portfolio agencies, entities and statutory authorities.
Before you begin
Ensure you are familiar with the Cabinet records topic page and additional resources. The topic page gives an overview of the process for undertaking annual and Caretaker records transfers.
Public Access to CiC records
CiC records in PROV custody are closed to the public for a period of 30 years under section 10(1) of the Public Records Act 1973.
Accessing CiC records created by the current government
Departments may retain read-only copies of transferred digital records in their systems for access by staff for the life of the current government.
Transferred records must not be altered in any way. Records relating to ongoing submissions may be added to by creating a copy of the read-only record in the new calendar year as required.
Hardcopy CiC records created by the current government and transferred to PROV can be accessed and retrieved directly from PROV.
For further information on the physical records retrieval process, visit the Ordering and collecting for government users page.
Accessing CiC records created by previous governments
CiC records transferred to PROV which were created by a previous government are closed under section 10 of the Public Records Act 1973.
Departments must make a formal application to the Cabinet Office to access these records.
Please refer to advice from the Cabinet Office to gain access to these CiC records.
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.