VPRS 17316 Cabinet Record III, Labor Government, Bracks-Brumby

This series comprises Cabinet decisions of the Labor Government, 1999 to 2010. The Cabinet Record for each meeting recorded :- Cabinet members present and absent- the meeting number and date- the agenda number and title of each matter considered- where relevant, the Cabinet Submission number- the number and details of each decision.In addition, each folio was numbered.From October 1999 the Cabinet process continued to be similar to that introduced by the Liberal Government in 1992 (see VPRS 12341, Cabinet Record II). This system was set out in detail in the 1989 and 1997 editions of the Cabinet Handbook (see VPRS 11953).Cabinet usually met weekly, usually at 10am on Mondays.Many matters requiring Cabinet's consideration were brought to Cabinet by a Cabinet Submission. Submissions were lodged with the Parliamentary Secretary of the Cabinet, ideally twelve days prior to the meeting at which they were to be considered (although often this deadline was not met) and were distributed to Cabinet members prior to the meeting.For each meeting an agenda was prepared by the Parliamentary Secretary in liaison with the Cabinet Office and distributed a few days prior to the meeting.Officers of the Department of the Premier and Cabinet provided a written briefing to the Premier on some matters to be considered by Cabinet. Briefing papers, agenda and submissions for the period covered by this series are in (VPRS 12643).Officials did not attend Cabinet meetings until October 1992. From October 1992 the Department of Premier and Cabinet was represented at Cabinet meetings by the Department Secretary or their representative. The Departmental Secretary's Cabinet Notebooks, containing notes taken at Cabinet meetings, comprise VPRS 12493 Secretary's Cabinet notebooks.The Parliamentary Secretary of the Cabinet took a record of the decisions of Cabinet and prepared a Cabinet Record of each meeting. Cabinet Records were not complete minutes of the meetings in that they did not record details of discussion but rather recorded decisions reached or, if no decision was required, matters noted. Each Cabinet Record was approved and signed by the Premier and certified copies were sent to all Cabinet members. The master was retained in the Office of the Parliamentary Secretary and ultimately bound into volumes.The Cabinet Record for each meeting followed a common format which corresponded to that of the agenda. Items usually included were:- the names of Cabinet members present and apologies- invitations received from various organisations for Ministers to attend functions- current political matters, including any issue requiring cabnet agreement- Bills in Principle (undrafted Bills proposed for inclusion in the government's legislative program)- Bills at Cabinet (Bills approved in principle by Cabinet, drafted by the Chief Parliamentary Counsel and yet to proceed to Parliament)- appointments to senior government and statutory positions- Committee Reports for Cabinet endorsement.