Officials attending the Cabinet and Cabinet Committee meetings
95. Attendance of officials (other than from Cabinet Division) at Cabinet Committee meetings is kept to a strict minimum in order to ensure the proper emphasis on the role of ministers in the peak decision‐making forum of the Government.
96. PM&C provides the official note takers and attendants to both Cabinet and Cabinet Committees (see Annex C – Conduct of Cabinet and Cabinet Committee meetings). No one attending Cabinet or Cabinet Committees, other than official note takers and the Cabinet Secretary, should take personal notes of the discussion.
Cabinet
97. With the exception of official note takers, officials and ministerial advisers do not attend meetings of the Cabinet. The Prime Minister or Cabinet Secretary may agree to the attendance of an individual to present an overview of a report, review or inquiry that they were commissioned to undertake, or to explain a highly technical proposal. The presenter withdraws before ministers begin their deliberations.
98. Note takers are not present for political discussions. Ministers may request that a comment or discussion, not relevant to policy consideration, not be recorded (see Annex C – Conduct of Cabinet and Cabinet Committee meetings).
Cabinet Committees
99. As Cabinet Committees are a forum for considering and developing outcomes for Cabinet consideration or for considering specialised issues, officials and ministerial staff may attend certain Cabinet Committee meetings. However, ministerial staff or officials cannot attend as their minister's representative.
100. Attendance is, however, generally limited to the most senior levels of the public service (secretaries and agency heads) and ministerial staff (chiefs of staff) with the approval of the Cabinet Secretary.
101. Officials attending Cabinet Committee meetings should familiarise themselves with the Australian Public Service Code of Conduct, in particular the need to maintain appropriate confidentiality about dealings that the employee has with any minister or minister’s member of staff.
102. Ministerial staff should also be aware of the Ministerial Staff Code of Conduct, particularly the requirement to acknowledge the role of ministers and public servants in making executive decisions, and of maintaining appropriate confidentiality of their dealings with ministers.
103. Visiting dignitaries and subject matter experts may occasionally be invited to meet with members of the Cabinet in the Cabinet room. Such invitations should not be issued until the Prime Minister's approval has been obtained and arrangements made with the Cabinet Division.
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