Identity area
Reference code
Title
Date(s)
- 1920-01-01 - 1926-01-01 (Creation)
- 1916-01-01 - 1927-01-01 (Accumulation)
Level of description
Medium
Format
Status
Context area
Name of creator
Administrative history
The Colonial Secretary's Office was retitled the Chief Secretary's Department on 16 April 1924. The Chief Secretary's Department was responsible for a number of varied functions including Harbour and Lights, Gaols, Registrar General of Births, Deaths and Marriages, Astronomical Services and Racing.
By 1980, the Department's responsibilities were limited to Prisons, Astronomical Services, Registrar General of Births, Deaths and Marriages and the Correspondence Despatch Office.
The Department was abolished in 1983.
The Chief Secretaries for Western Australia were:
- John Michael Drew: 16 April 1924 - 23 April 1930
- Norbert Keenan, K.C.: 24 April 1930 - 21 september 1931
- Charles Farquharson Baxter: 14 October 1931 - 24 April 1933
- John Michael Drew: 24 April 1933 - 27 August 1936
- William Henry Kitson: 27 August 1946 - 1 April 1947
- Hubert Stanley Wyborn Parker: 1 April 1947 - 6 April 1950
- Victor Doney: 6 April 1950 - 23 February 1953
- Gilbert Fraser: 23 February 1953 - 1 November 1958
- Arthur McAlister Moir: 13 November 1958 - 2 April 1959
- Ross Hutchinson: 2 April 1959 - 16 March 1965
- James Frederick Craig: 16 march 1965 - 3 March 1971
- Robert Henry Claude Stubbs: 3 March 1971 - 8 April 1974
- Matthew Ernest Stephens: 8 April 1974 - 20 May 1975
- Neill McNeill: 5 June 1975 - 10 March 1977
- Sir Desmond Henry O'Neill: 10 March 1977 - 5 March 1980
- William Ralph Boucher Hassell: 5 March 1980 - 19 February 1983
- Joseph Max Berinson: 25 February - 22 April 1983
Repository
Archival history
Content and structure area
Scope and content
The files in this series were created by the central registry of the Colonial Secretary's Office/Chief Secretary's Department (even though much of the correspondence was sent to, and from, the Chief Protector of Aborigines or his deputy).
In many instances, the files provide cross-references to files of the Department of Fisheries, which along with the Department of the North-West had responsibilty for Aboriginal affairs in Western Australia. These latter files have often been amalgamated with the original Chief Secretary's Department files in this series.
It is worth noting however that this record series also includes files that contain file covers from the Crown Law Department, the Treasury Department, the Tender Board and various other departments, likely as a legacy of the files being created by an office with oversight over such functions.
The files in this series, along with the files from the Department of the North-West (Records Series No. 2029), comprise the main collection of files relating to Aboriginal matters between the period 1920 and 1926.
A number of "personal" files are also included. (The term "personal" file is a slight misnomer as these files invariably contain limited correspondence regarding the person stated. The Department for Communities holds a fuller series of personal files relating to Aboriginal people. These files were created by the various departments responsible for Aboriginal welfare and were transferred to the Department for Community Welfare in 1972).
(Files in this Record Series were previously listed at the State Records Office at reference: AN 1/6; Accession 1326).