To mark the International Day for Universal Access to Information, State Cabinet records from 1990 are now available to access online through the State Records Office of WA.
State Cabinet records are historically significant documents that reveal key decisions made by the government of the day. A new online guide to the records describes the papers, key issues, and historical context for decisions at the time.
Some of the issue covered in the 1990 State Cabinet records include:
- Burt Commission Recommendations – Financial Administration and Audit Act
- Pre-School Drownings in Private Swimming Pools
- Home Detention as an Alternative to Remand in Custody
- State-wide Floods – January 1990
- International Literacy Year
- Breast Cancer Screening Program in WA
- Juvenile Justice Report
- Freedom of Information Legislation and Privacy Guidelines
- Bill to Establish Edith Cowan University
- University of Notre Dame Negotiations
- Aboriginal Deaths in Custody
- Human Reproductive Technology Bill
- Management of Apple Scab
- Strategy to Address Rising Unemployment
1990 also marked an historic change in WA politics, with the appointment of Dr Carmen Lawrence as Premier in February, making her the first female Premier in Australian history. The leader of the Opposition was Barry MacKinnon.
All WA State Cabinet records in the State archives are opened to the public after 30 years to reveal the official decisions that have shaped our State. The 1990 State Cabinet records are held by the State Records Office (SRO), the authority responsible for identifying, managing, preserving, and providing the community with an information service about the State’s archives.
All 1990 State Cabinet papers have been digitised and the SRO has created a Guide to the 1990 State Cabinet Records that describes the papers, key issues and historical context for decisions at the time. The guide and papers can be accessed online .
Original documents can also be viewed by appointment at the Battye Library for West Australian History in the State Library and State Archives, Perth Cultural Centre. Research support appointments can be booked online at https://www.wa.gov.au/organisation/state-records-office-of-western-australia/new-research-support-service .
