National Archives of Australia
Have your say
Each year, the Cabinet considers issues and makes decisions which shape our nation. Few Commonwealth records cover such a broad sweep of Australian history or touch the lives of so many Australians as those of the Cabinet. For example, Cabinet decisions include:
- Australia's involvement in war
- Migration and Indigenous affairs
- Sports funding
- Environmental issues, such as whaling, national parks and building dams
On 1 January each year, the National Archives releases historic Cabinet records. As a result of changes in 2010 to the Archives Act 1983, the open access period when records are released will progressively reduce to 20 years instead of the previous 30 years. In 2012, records created in 1982 and 1983 enter the open access period. This includes the last records of the Fraser government and the first of the Hawke government.
Many Cabinet records of previous years have already been digitised and you can see these on our website. The Cabinet records from 1982 to 1985 are currently being prepared for access and we are asking the public to help us select records from these years to copy and make available online.
Let us know
Let us know the topics covered by the Cabinet records that are of most interest to you. We will use this information to help identify those of greatest significance to the Australian community and to make them available online.
Are there any events or activities from that time that you would like to know more about? To have your say, simply tick the boxes below to show the topics you are interested in:
