Canberra, 16 May 1968
8270/4323. UNCLASSIFIED PRIORITY
Reference your memorandum LH1078 of the 11th May.1
1. I agree with your recommendations concerning the Administrator’s Executive Council. My comments on the other recommendations are:
Ministerial Members
2. I have no comment on the proposal that Education, Health, Labour, Posts and Telegraphs and Public Works should be represented by Ministerial Members. I wish to inform the Minister however on your views on the extent to which the departments of Agriculture, Stock and Fisheries and Trade and Industry can be adequately represented by Ministerial Members.
3. I appreciate that if these were not to become functions of Ministerial Members it would be necessary to find other functions to make up the total. Possibilities might be forests and either local government or corrective institutions.
Official Members
4. As you know I have had some misgivings as to the number of members of the Department of the District Administration apart from the Director that you propose should be appointed. This will have to be determined in the light of the adequacy of official representation of the other functions and a departmental message has already sought further details of this.2 I also note Mr Littler’s relative lack of senior status.
Assistant Ministerial Members
5. I have looked again at the position in relation to the appointment of an Assistant Ministerial Member for the police and armed services. I do not see that there is any prospect of this being accepted as it relates to the armed services, and I cannot agree it is compatible with policy in relation to the police. The answer to any criticism could be that the police are part of the Department of the Administrator. It will clearly be necessary for an Official Member to represent the Department of the Administrator including the police explicitly. And I would be glad to know whom you would propose.
6. Your LH965 (undated)3 apparently did not come through my office and I have seen it only today.
7. Appreciate comment today if at all possible so that can finalize this week.
[NAA: A452, 1970/4521]
1 Document 180.
2 See footnote 2, loc. cit.
3 Undated marginalia, apparently by Kirkpatrick, notes that this memorandum ‘suggested “interest” by A.M.M. in Police and Army matters’.