Historic archival records from the State Government Cabinet of 1989 have been released for public access from the State Records Office of Western Australia.
Minister for Culture and the Arts, David Templeman said all Cabinet records in the Archives are opened to the public after 30 years to reveal the official decisions that have shaped Western Australia.
“The 1989 State Cabinet records are held by the State Records Office of Western Australia, the authority responsible for identifying, managing, preserving, and providing the community with an information service about the State’s archives,” Mr Templeman said.
“The State Records Office has created a guide to the 1989 records that describes the papers, key issues and historical context for decisions at the time.”
According to the Archives, key issues considered by State Cabinet in 1989 included the phasing down of activity in Wittenoom due to asbestos contamination; an amendment to the Criminal Code (Incitement to Racial Hatred) Bill; and the establishment of a private Catholic university (the University of Notre Dame).
Also discussed was the suitability of daylight saving in Western Australia, and the need for laws regulating the use of artificial reproductive technology, such as in-vitro fertilisation.
The papers can be viewed by appointment at the J.S. Battye Library for West Australian History at the State Library and State Archives in the Perth Cultural Centre.
