Government
Most records held by Queensland State Archives relate to the many activities of state and local Government. However, this page highlights records that are specific to the business of running the Government, including Cabinet and Executive council processes, Government buildings and employment of civil servants.
How do I find the records?
You can view our brief guides or search our records if you know the name of the person you are looking for. For more information on searching indexes, see Start your research.
Government records
- Cabinet minutes from October 1957 onwards. Access is restricted for 30 years.
- Read Brief guide to matters requiring formal approval for matters requiring formal approval by the Governor from 1859 onwards. Access is restricted for 30 years.
- Read Brief guide: Government building records—buildings owned, occupied or constructed by, or for, the Queensland government.
State electoral rolls
Correspondence
- Read Brief guide to the Colonial Secretary’s Office including its administrative procedures, a description of the series of records for correspondence, and how to find letter numbers.
- Search Indigence Cases 1899-1948—index to correspondence about indigence or extreme poverty cases. The files contain memos, police reports, correspondence and usually an application form or letter requesting assistance.
Gazettes
- Queensland State Archives does not hold Queensland Government Gazettes as these are publications of the Queensland Government. These publications are available at State Library of Queensland.
Civil servants
- Search Civil servants 1865-1867—index to government officials including name, position, date of birth, dates of appointment, and remuneration received by officers of the public service.
- Search Imperial pensions 1872-1915—index to registers of pensions paid through the Treasury to persons previously employed by the Imperial Government.
- Search Imperial pensions 1898-1912 (country accounts)—index to registers of personal accounts for pensions paid through the Treasury to persons who were previously employed by the Imperial Government who were living in places such as Rockhampton, Mackay, Charters Towers, Roma and Townsville.
Search the catalogue
ArchivesSearch provides access to QSA’s collection of records, including documents, letters, land orders, maps, plans and images. For help searching, read the ArchivesSearch help guide.
Why can’t I find what I’m looking for?
There are several reasons why you may not find a record at QSA.
- Some records are restricted for several years.
- The name may have been written in the record phonetically as the clerks wrote the names as they heard them. Think about how it could be spelt as it was heard. Also, spelling of all names was not as consistent as it is today.
- The name may have been incorrectly indexed as the handwriting is sometimes difficult to read or the ink has faded. The capital letters L, T, F and S are often confused as are lower case letters n, m, u and w. Taylor may be indexed as Laylor, or Brum may be indexed as Bruin. Also, the use of double ‘s’ (ss) often looks like fs, so Ross will be indexed as Ross but may appear in the record as Rofs.
Contact us
Contact us if you need further help.