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Cabinet records created in the year 2004 became available to access on 1 January 2025.

These records offer an insight into John Howard's third term as prime minister.

Some of the big issues Cabinet discussed in 2004 were:

  • Iraq war
  • National security, terrorism and critical infrastructure protection
  • Indigenous policy
  • East Timor and New Zealand maritime boundaries negotiations
  • Migration and people trafficking
  • Defence procurement
  • Climate change and energy policy
  • National Water Initiative
  • Housing affordability
  • Superannuation
  • Sale of remaining government stake in Telstra and Future Fund
  • Legal reform (defamation, marriage, passports) 

Where can I find the 2004 Cabinet records?

The 2004 Cabinet records are in these series:

Find out about the difference between submissions, decisions and files.

Can I read all of the 2004 Cabinet records?

All of the Cabinet records from 2004 are now eligible for access under the Archives Act. Like all Commonwealth records, we need to examine Cabinet records before making them available to the public.

Many Cabinet records from 2004 have already been examined and digitised. Every year journalists and the guest Cabinet historian assist in the selection of records for proactive digitisation and release based on their significance to shaping Australian history. You can view copies of these digitised records in our RecordSearch database.

If the Cabinet record you want is not available online, you can usually still access it:

  • If the record has a status of 'open' or 'open with exception', you can order a digital copy or view the original record for free in our Canberra research centre.
  • If the record is 'not yet examined' or 'closed', you can apply to have the record examined for access. If we approve its release, the record's status changes to 'open' or 'open with exception' and it becomes available to view.

Background to these records

Associate Professor David Lee has provided an insight into the 2004 Cabinet papers.

Images from 2004

The images selected for the 2004 Cabinet Release were supplied by AUSPIC in the Department of Parliamentary Services. These photographs have been transferred into the national archival collection as part of series A14482 - AUSPIC Digital Image Archive Collection.

All images are © Commonwealth of Australia, 2004.

Prime Minister John Howard and his wife, Janette, flanked by crew members of HMAS Launceston, a patrol vessel tasked with border security operations, Darwin, January 2004. NAA: A14482, 040003DI-012. AUSPIC photographer: Michael Jones © Commonwealth of Australia, 2004
The inaugural freight train, decorated with the Larrakia artist Gullawun Daniel Roque Lee’s crocodile story, reaches its destination on the newly completed Adelaide to Darwin railway, January 2004. NAA: A14482, 040003DI-070. AUSPIC photographer: Michael Jones © Commonwealth of Australia, 2004
Prime Minister John Howard and General Richard Myers, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (left), meet to discuss US–Australian defence ties at Kirribilli House, Sydney, January 2004. NAA: A14482, 040002DI-001 © Commonwealth of Australia, 2004
Attorney-General Phillip Ruddock (left), Prime Minister John Howard (second from centre) and Deputy Prime Minister John Anderson (centre) and other members of the National Security Committee (NSC), Australia’s peak defence and foreign policy decision-making body, meet in the Cabinet Room at Australian Parliament House, Canberra, March 2004. NAA: A14482, 040124DI-00. AUSPIC photographer: David Foote © Commonwealth of Australia, 2004
Speaker of the House of Representatives, Neil Andrew, and President of the Senate, John Calvert, with a parliamentary delegation from Papua New Guinea, Australian Parliament House, Canberra, March 2004. NAA: A14482, 040154DI-008. AUSPIC photographer: Michael Jones © Commonwealth of Australia, 2004
Protestors gather on National Sorry Day in front of Old Parliament House in recognition of the mistreatment and removal of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people from their families, Canberra, May 2004. NAA: A14482, 040269DI-010. AUSPIC photographer: David Foote © Commonwealth of Australia, 2004
The Council of Australia Governments (COAG), comprising the prime minister, state and territory chief ministers, premiers, and the president of the Australian Local Government Association, gather for their 14th meeting, Canberra, June 2004. NAA: A14482, 040362DI-075 © Commonwealth of Australia, 2004
Prime Minister John Howard meets with US President George W Bush and senior members of his administration to discuss Australia–US defence and economic ties, Washington, DC, June 2004. NAA: A14482, 040270DI-072. AUSPIC photographer: Michael Jones © Commonwealth of Australia, 2004
Governor of California and former Hollywood action star Arnold Schwarzenegger meets with Prime Minister John Howard in Los Angeles to discuss gas partnership and Australians held in Guantanamo Bay detention camp, June 2004. NAA: A14482, 040270DI-030. AUSPIC photographer: Michael Jones © Commonwealth of Australia, 2004
British Prime Minister Tony Blair (right) and his wife, Cherie, show Prime Minister John Howard and his wife, Janette, around Chequers, the PM’s country residence, during a break in Iraq-related discussions, Buckinghamshire, UK, June 2004. NAA: A14482, 040270DI-199. AUSPIC photographer: Michael Jones © Commonwealth of Australia, 2004
Prime Minister John Howard with senior members of the Cabinet during the visit of Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, ahead of the signing of the Thailand–Australia Free Trade Agreement (TAFTA), Canberra, July 2004. NAA: A14482, 040369DI-049. AUSPIC photographers: Peter West and Howard Moffatt © Commonwealth of Australia, 2004
Donning a team scarf, Prime Minister John Howard and David Smorgon, Western Bulldogs football club president, celebrate the federal government’s $8-million funding pledge to save the club’s home ground, Whitten Oval, Footscray, Victoria, August 2004. NAA: A14482, 040483DI-0998. AUSPIC photographers: David Foote and Allan Porritt © Commonwealth of Australia, 2004
Foreign Minister Alexander Downer greets Hassan Rouhani, Iranian Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council (and future president of Iran), Australian Parliament House, Canberra, August 2004. NAA: A14482, 040442DI-001. AUSPIC photographer: David Foote © Commonwealth of Australia, 2004
Prime Minister John Howard and Opposition Leader Mark Latham face off in the only televised debate of the 2004 federal election campaign, Channel Nine, Sydney, September 2004. NAA: A14482, 040483DI-0373 © Commonwealth of Australia, 2004
Former Australian Conservation Foundation president turned ALP candidate Peter Garrett (right) meets with Opposition Leader Mark Latham (left) to announce the ALP’s $1-billion election commitment to the Murray–Darling Basin Plan, Mildura, Victoria, September 2004. NAA: A14482, 040484DI-0369. AUSPIC photographer: Howard Moffatt © Commonwealth of Australia, 2004
Survivors and victims of the Australian Embassy bombing look on as Prime Minister John Howard comforts a woman whose husband died in the attack, Jakarta, October 2004. NAA: A14482, 040535DI-036. AUSPIC photographer: Michael Jones © Commonwealth of Australia, 2004
Governor-General Michael Jeffery and Prime Minister John Howard pose with the female ministers and parliamentary secretaries after the new Howard ministry was sworn in, Government House, Canberra, October 2004. NAA: A14482, 040525B-10. AUSPIC photographer: David Foote © Commonwealth of Australia, 2004
Governor-General Michael Jeffery and Prime Minister John Howard pose with members of the Fourth Howard Cabinet after the swearing-in ceremony, Government House, Canberra, October 2004. NAA: A14482, 040525A-09. AUSPIC photographer: David Foote © Commonwealth of Australia, 2004

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