The 1972 Cabinet records consist of 364 submissions with related briefing notes and decisions, and 360 decisions without submission. A further 39 submissions were withdrawn before being considered by Cabinet, while decisions were not made on 17 submissions which were for the information of Cabinet only.

Cabinet submissions

Submissions normally consist of the departmental submission and briefing notes placed before the Cabinet by sponsoring ministers, as well as Cabinet’s decision on the submission. Each submission is filed in numerical sequence with its decision. Copies of withdrawn submissions are included in the submission series.

The first Whitlam ministry, which spanned the period 5 to 19 December 1972, did not consider formal submissions, but did announce approximately 40 decisions via press statements and Federal Executive Council minutes. Copies of many of the press statements are held in the item 'First Whitlam Ministry decisions and other administrative actions' (A5931, CL48). Copies of the Federal Executive Council minutes are held in series A1573.

Twenty-one press statements are held in the item ‘First Whitlam Ministry decisions and other administrative actions’ (A5931, CL48).

Copies are held in the folders of Whitlam Ministry submissions and decisions in the National Archives Canberra Reading Room. They have also been digitised as part of item A5931, CL48. Clicking on the link will take you to our RecordSearch database. You will then need to click on the ‘view digital copy’ icon to view the digital image of the item A5931, CL48. You will then need to browse through the digital image to find the press statement you are interested in.

Newspaper clippings relating to several decisions announced by the Whitlam government are also held in item A5931, CL48. These press clippings have not been included in the table below as they do not constitute a formal record of the decision. They can however be viewed by clicking on one of the links below then browsing the digital image of the item A5931, CL48.

Cabinet did not consider all submissions. A number were withdrawn before being considered by Cabinet. These are indicated in italics. Copies of all withdrawn submissions are included in the 1972 submission folders. A number of other submissions were only for Cabinet's information, and did not require a decision. The submission title notes where this is the case.

The McMahon ministry considered 419 submissions in 1972. These include 17 submissions on which a decision was not made in addition to 39 submissions which were withdrawn before a decision was taken. In some cases, this was due to the impending election in December. Others did not get listed for attention at a Cabinet meeting for some weeks or months due to the pressure of business and changing priorities.

The first Whitlam ministry did not consider any formal submissions in the 14 days it was in place in 1972. The second Whitlam ministry considered only one formal submission from its commencement on 19 December to the end of 1972.

Cabinet decisions

Although most Cabinet business was conducted through formal submissions, the Prime Minister could raise, or allow a colleague to raise, a matter without submission. The Cabinet decision itself is the only formal record of such deliberations and these decisions are termed ‘decisions without submission’.

Cabinet decisions were allocated a unique number and are recorded in the form of Cabinet minutes, usually with details of Cabinet’s discussion.

Copies of decisions are attached to the submission to which they relate. Copies of decisions without submission will be found in the folders of Cabinet decisions. The folders contain the full set of decisions of Cabinet for 1972 in numerical sequence.

The McMahon ministry made a total of 773 decisions in 1972, of which 355 were made without submission. The first Whitlam ministry did not make any Cabinet decisions. The second Whitlam ministry made five Cabinet decisions, four of which were made without submission.

Cabinet Office files

The Cabinet Office (‘CO’ and ‘CL’) files contain a copy of the submission, briefing papers and relevant decisions. They also contain departmental advice and exchanges between officials and ministers not included in the formal Cabinet papers. The ‘CO’ files (A5882) span the period February 1968 to October 1972 and were recorded by the Gorton and McMahon Cabinets, while the ‘CL’ files (A5931) span the period December 1972 to November 1975 and were recorded by the Whitlam Cabinet.

The main groups (series) of 1972 records are:

Viewing 1972 Cabinet records

A complete listing of the 1973 Cabinet records (submissions, decisions and Cabinet Office files) can be accessed through the National Archives' online collection database, RecordSearch. Digital copies of the submissions and decisions can also be viewed in RecordSearch.

Folders containing copies of 1972 submissions and decisions from these ministeries are available for public access in the National Archives' Canberra reading room.

The original records can be ordered and viewed in the National Archives' Canberra reading room.

First Whitlam Ministry

The first Whitlam ministry was an interim government which spanned the two-week period from 5 to 19 December 1972. This ministry did not consider any formal submissions or decisions. They did, however, announce approximately 40 decisions, mainly via press statements and Federal Executive Council minutes.

Press statements

Twenty-one press statements are held in the item 'First Whitlam Ministry decisions and other administrative actions' (A5931, CL48).

A copy of the press statements are held in the folders of Whitlam Ministry submissions and decisions in the National Archives' Canberra reading room. They have also been digitised as part of item A5931, CL48.  To view the digital copy, log on to RecordSearch and conduct a search entering A5931, CL48 into the Reference numbers field.  Click on the 'view digital copy' icon to view the digital images.  You will then need to browse through the digital copy to find the press statement you are interested in.

Newspaper clippings relating to several decisions announced by the Whitlam government are also held in item A5931, CL48. These press clippings are included in the digital copy on RecordSearch.

Federal Executive Council minutes

The first Whitlam ministry, together with the Governor-General, The Right Honourable Sir Paul Hasluck, also approved 18 recommendations at meetings of the Federal Executive Council between 5 and 19 December 1972.

Copies of the Federal Executive Council minutes are held in series A1573.  There are also copies of these minutes included in the folders of Whitlam Ministry submissions and decisions, which are held in the National Archives' Canberra reading room.

The minutes have not been digitised on the RecordSearch database.

Second Whitlam Ministry

Submissions

The second Whitlam ministry was formed on 19 December 1972. Between then and the end of the year, it considered one formal submission. This submission and related decision is held in series A5915. More information on this submission is contained in the Cabinet Office file A5931, CL14.

Submission number 1 has been digitised and can be viewed online in RecordSearch.

Decisions

The second Whitlam ministry made four decisions without submission in December 1972. A full set of decisions is held in series A5925. Submissions and related decisions are held in series A5915.

Each decision has been digitised and is viewable in RecordSearch. Enter A5925 into the Reference numbers field on the search screen and change the Search level to Series. Once the list of items in A5925 is displayed, you will need to click on the 'view digital copy' icon to view the digital image.

Cabinet notebooks

In 1972, the Secretary of the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet (Edward John Bunting), the Deputy Secretaries (Peter Lawler and Peter Bailey), the First Assistant Secretary (RJ Linford) or the Assistant Secretary, Cabinet (MJ Wilson) attended most Cabinet meetings. Their role included the recording of proceedings so that minutes accurately reflecting the decisions made or conclusions reached could be prepared. These records of proceedings are referred to as Cabinet notebooks. Under section 22A of the Archives Act 1983, Cabinet notebooks are not available to the public until 50 years have lapsed since their creation, unlike other Commonwealth records which are released after 30 years.

There were three ministries and Cabinets in 1972:

• the McMahon Ministry
• the first Whitlam ministry
• the second Whitlam ministry

Members of the three Cabinets are listed below. The roles and titles ascribed to them are those they held in 1972.

McMahon Cabinet

The McMahon ministry was in place from 10 March 1971 to 5 December 1972. There were a few reshuffles, most notable in August 1971, with Fraser joining Cabinet as Minister of Education and Science, Bowen taking over Foreign Affairs from Bury, and Fairbairn replacing Gorton as Minister for Defence.

Following the practice introduced by the Menzies Ministry in 1956, the McMahon Cabinet comprised some, but not all, members of the Ministry. This practice was discontinued with the resignation of the McMahon Cabinet on 5 December 1972.

First Whitlam Cabinet

On 5 December 1972, following the general elections on 2 December 1972, the Australian Labor Party (ALP) came into government for the first time in 23 years.

Pending conclusion of the counting of votes in closely contested marginal seats, an interim Ministry was formed with Edward Gough Whitlam, QC, MP (Parliamentary Leader of the Australian Labor Party) as Prime Minister and Lance Herbert Barnard, MP (Deputy Parliamentary Leader of the Australian Labor Party) as Deputy Prime Minister.

The two members of the first Whitlam ministry, Mr Whitlam and Mr Barnard, shared between them the administration of the various government departments until the full ministry was elected on 19 December 1972.

The allocation of portfolios during the first Whitlam ministry (5–19 December) is indicated below.

Decisions made by a committee are indicated by the addition of the committee abbreviation to the decision number.

There were no meetings of the Whitlam Ministry Cabinet committees in 1972.

Second Whitlam Cabinet

The Second Whitlam Ministry was elected at a meeting of the parliamentary caucus of the ALP on 19 December 1972 and remained in place until a general election on 18 May 1974. It was succeeded by the Third Whitlam Ministry which was dismissed by the Governor-General, Sir John Kerr, on 11 November 1975.

The Second Whitlam Ministry reverted to the original practice which existed before 1956 with all members of the Ministry sitting as members of Cabinet. The allocation of portfolios from 19 December 1972 is indicated below.

Cabinet committees

Cabinet committees were first formally established by Prime Minister Menzies in 1950. Their role was to assist Cabinet to make decisions more expeditiously and efficiently by:

• having a committee of ministers sift through the issues and the facts and present Cabinet with a clear recommendation for action;
• and relieving Cabinet of much business of lesser importance.

The 1972 committees of the McMahon Cabinet included:

Decisions made by a committee are indicated by the addition of the committee abbreviation to the decision number.

There were no meetings of the Whitlam Ministry Cabinet committees in 1972.

Some of the political figures in Australia in 1972 who are still active in the community are listed below. The roles and titles ascribed to them are those they held in 1972.

Government ministers

Government members of parliament

Opposition members of parliament

The following members of parliament were in Opposition until 5 December 1972. Where they acquired a portfolio with the change of government in December, this is noted below.

Senior public servants