AGENDUM No. 107/1940 [1]-WAR CABINET PROCEDURE

The Prime Minister [2] stated that he had made a careful review of
methods of procedure in order to ensure the vigorous prosecution
of Australia's war effort, that business is dealt with
expeditiously, and that excessive demands are not made on the time
of Ministers who carry heavy burdens of Departmental
administration, and are also required to attend Full Cabinet and,
in some cases, Economic Cabinet.

2. He pointed out that the War Cabinet business falls into the
following two main divisions:-

(a) Major and general questions which are of equal concern to all
Ministers;

(b) Other questions of a more specialised nature concerning
particularly Departments and groups of Departments.

3. The following rules were approved:-

(i) The Prime Minister will decide into which category of the
above division War Cabinet Agenda fall, and will direct the
Secretary to issue notices with the relevant Agenda to the
Ministers concerned.

(ii) As a general rule the Reviews of Chiefs of Staff, Reviews of
the International and Military Situation, questions of policy and
other major general matters will be dealt with by the full War
Cabinet.

(iii) As a general rule other questions of a more specialised
nature win be dealt with by groups of Ministers representing the
Departments primarily concerned.

The Prime Minister will decide in any of these cases whether the
recommendation of a group of Ministers should be submitted to War
Cabinet or Full Cabinet for final decision.

(iv) Summaries of decisions of groups of Ministers will be
circulated to all members of War Cabinet for information.

Summaries of decisions of War Cabinet and groups of Ministers will
similarly be circulated to Full Cabinet.

4. It was also decided that when Parliament is in recess, the
headquarters of the War Cabinet should be in Melbourne where
Ministers would be in attendance as required. The tentative weekly
procedure outlined by the Prime Minister is to be as follows:-

(i) Mondays: Prime Minister and Minister for [Defence] Co-
ordination confers with-
Ministers of Departments directly associated with the Department
of [Defence] Co-ordination;

Chiefs of Staff,
Business Board.

(ii) Tuesdays: Full War Cabinet meeting.

(iii) Wednesdays: Meetings of Groups of War Cabinet Ministers.