Commonwealth banking policy

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Since Federation many agencies have performed the Commonwealth's 'banking' function, the most important being the Department of the Treasury. Significant records of the Treasury and of other key government departments are listed in this fact sheet. Unless otherwise indicated the records are held by the National Archives in Canberra.

Department of the Treasury records

Most files relating to the Commonwealth's banking policy are found in Treasury series A571. This was the department's general correspondence file series from 1901 to 1976. It is an annual single number series which means that items (files) were sequentially numbered each year. For example, 1919/25 is the 25th file created in 1919. The series can be searched using RecordSearch or by using the indexes and registers listed below.

Indexes to the main Treasury series
Title or description of record Date range Series number
Indexes to registers 1901–18 A573
Register of subjects, annual single number series 1901–10 A574
Correspondence registers with indexes 1901–18 A572
Name and subject index cards 1919–59 A2466
Nominal index cards for classified files 1940–63 A7309
Subject index cards 1954–65 A3288
Nominal index cards 1959–66 A3298
Subject index cards for classified files 1964–86 A7310
Nominal index cards for classified files 1964–86 A7311
Subject index cards 1965–76 A3716
Nominal index cards 1966–76 A3714

Other relevant Treasury records
Title or description of record Date range Series number
Commerce and Industry Branch – papers on banking legislation 1938–63 AA1967/482
Agenda, minutes and papers of banking establishments 1959–65 AA1967/480
Files of the Secretary to the Treasury 1916–52 A11857
Papers of Rt Hon RG Casey as Treasurer 1930–36 CP503/1
Papers of Rt Hon RG Casey as Treasurer 1935–41 CP4/5

Other departments' records relating to banking policy

Royal Commission on Monetary and Banking Systems, CA 1332
Title or description of record Date range Series number
Minute book 1936–37 A1920, whole series
Personal Papers of Mr WT Harris relating to banking and monetary policy affecting national economy (held in Melbourne) 1935–45 MP578/1

Attorney-General's Department, CA 5
Title or description of record Date range Series number
Bill files – contains draft of Acts of the Commonwealth – Banking Act 1959 (Act No. 6 of 1959) and Reserve Bank Act 1959 (Act No. 4 of 1959) 1901– A2863
Special correspondence files 1905–51 A467
Correspondence files 1929– A432
Correspondence files, W (War) 1939–49 A472

Prime Ministers Department, CA 12
Title or description of record Date range Series number
Correspondence files 1904–20 A2
Correspondence files, Class 5 – Royal Commissions (items A5/56–I5/56: Monetary and Banking Systems) 1921–50 A460
Correspondence files, multiple number series (class 230/– financial) 1923–34 A458
Correspondence files, multiple number series (class 344/– financial) 1934–50 A461

Other sources

Many changes, including deregulation, took place in the banking industry during the 1980s. Some Parliamentary Papers referring to banking policy include the Campbell (1978) and Martin (1981) reports. These reports discuss the banking industry and its deregulation in the light of the changing domestic and international financial environments.