Departments are responsible for transferring permanent Cabinet-in-Confidence (CiC) records to PROV. This information is intended for use by departmental staff responsible for managing CiC records in their department and affiliated portfolio agencies, entities, and statutory bodies.
Before you begin
Ensure you are familiar with the Cabinet records topic page and additional resources. The topic page gives an overview of the process for undertaking annual and Caretaker records transfers.
When to transfer CiC records
Permanent CiC records are transferred to PROV based on year of creation.
Departments must transfer permanent CiC records at two points:
• annually at the beginning of each calendar year (e.g. records created during a non-election year are transferred early the following year)
• in an election year via the Cabinet Office during Caretaker (e.g. records created during an election year are transferred the same year).
An annual transfer is not required in the first year following an election. The first annual transfer occurring after an election year will include the records from the month of December post-election as well as those from the following calendar year (e.g. records from December 2022 and all of 2023 are to be transferred in early 2024 as one annual transfer).
Transfer format (VEOs)
CiC records must be managed digitally in accordance with IM-STD-06 Cabinet in Confidence and Caretaker Period Digital Information Management.
Departments must encapsulate permanent CiC records and associated metadata into a format known as a VEO (VERS Encapsulated Object) for transfer to PROV.
Visit the Coverting CiC records into VEOs page for further information.
Initiating a transfer
Once the department has identified their permanent CiC records for transfer, they should submit a PRO 21A Proposal to Transfer Records Form to PROV and upon request, advise PROV of the ministerial portfolios for which they have records.
Arranging records for transfer
CiC records must be arranged by ministerial portfolio in preparation for transfer to PROV. Digital records should be arranged by year to facilitate annual transfers, and to allow the records to be opened to the public after 30 years.
PROV recommends using metadata to ensure CiC records are easily identifiable by portfolio.
See our Metadata topic page for further information.
Locking down and deleting records
On December 31 in a non-election year, departments must switch CiC records in their systems to read-only to prevent editing in preparation for transfer.
On commencement of Caretaker in an election year, records must be locked down and restricted from access by any staff member.
Read-only copies of digital records transferred to PROV may remain in departmental systems for the life of the current government.
When the government changes, records must be forensically deleted from departmental systems. The Cabinet Office will advise departments when this can occur.
Editing records after a transfer
After an annual transfer, or post-election if the government is returned, transferred records must remain read-only in departmental systems to maintain their integrity. They must not be altered in any way.
Records relating to ongoing submissions may be added to by creating a copy of the read-only record in the new calendar year as required.
Delivering records to PROV
Records transferred during non-election years are delivered directly to PROV by each department on a secure hard drive.
Records transferred during Caretaker must be delivered on one hard drive to the Cabinet Office by each department.
Digitised CiC records
Hardcopy CiC records that have been digitised can be securely disposed of after quality assurance procedures have been completed.
See our Digitisation topic page for further information.
Security
Security arrangements for records retained in departmental systems during the Caretaker period and for the delivery of records to Cabinet Office will be advised by Cabinet Office.
Timeframes
Timeframes for completion of tasks relating to annual transfers will be advised by PROV.
Timeframes for completion of tasks relating to transfers during Caretaker will be advised by Cabinet Office.
Additional Information
Please also refer to:
• Department of Premier and Cabinet’s Advice to 'Cabinet, Liaison and Legislation Officers— Management of Cabinet in Confidence material during Caretaker' when transferring records during Caretaker.
• 'IM-STD-06 Cabinet in Confidence and Caretaker Period Digital Information Management' which outlines the requirements for departments to manage CiC records digitally and undertake regular transfers.
If you have a question on PROV specific matters, please contact us via our online enquiry form.