VPRS 11942 Submissions to the Economics Committee of Cabinet, Cain/Kirner Government

This series comprises submissions to the Economics Committee of Cabinet from 1982 to 1986. An examination of the records in this series suggests that the Committee considered a wide range of issues and projects impacting upon the government's economic planning. The Committee operated until at least 1990. Subsequently Cabinet established an Economic Development and Expenditure Review Committee of Cabinet. Cabinet Recordkeeping prior to 1982 Although a system of Cabinet Government is thought to have operated in Victoria since the commencement of responsible government, very few records relating to Cabinet meetings prior to April 1982 were created. Submissions such as those in this series were not created. Most of the pre April 1982 cabinet records are held in VPRS 11935.  Cabinet and Cabinet Committee Recordkeeping from 1982 In April 1982 the Labor Government led by John Cain was elected. The new government established the process for the creation and distribution of Cabinet records. A Cabinet Office within the Department of the Premier and Cabinet to operate as a Secretariat.  This government also established a number of standing and ad hoc committees which examined and reported to Cabinet on particular issues. Cabinet Committees used submissions as a means of bringing matters to Committee in a similar manner to the full Cabinet. Submissions were lodged with the Cabinet Office and distributed to Committee members prior to the meeting. The Cabinet Office also assisted in preparing agendas for Committees and recording their decisions, although the exact practice varied between different Committees. In many instances the deliberations of a Cabinet Committee were written into the form of a submission to the full Cabinet. These submissions may be found in VPRS 11944.  Although the submissions in this series were created solely in the period the government was led by Premier John Cain, the series title is attributed to the government led by him and his successor, Joan Kirner. This was done to facilitate the identification of all Cabinet series created by this government. Subsequent Series In January 1987, as a result of the introduction of a computer system for registering Cabinet submissions, the practice of filing the submissions of each Committee separately was abandoned. Thereafter submissions to the Economics Committee and all other Committees were numbered and filed in the same sequence as submissions to the full Cabinet. They will therefore be found in VPRS 11944.