A late paper is any Cabinet paper which needs to be lodged after 10.00am the Thursday before the meeting is due to take place.
If a Minister needs to submit a late paper to Cabinet or a Cabinet committee after the Thursday 10:00am deadline, then the Minister’s office must email Cabinet Office seeking approval to do so. Approval to send a late paper request must first be obtained from the responsible Minister (or Ministers if the paper is being submitted in the name of more than one) before the request is made.
Papers may only be lodged after the Thursday 10:00am deadline if there is a need for urgent consideration and approval has been given by the Prime Minister's office. If papers are not urgent (i.e. have a specific timing issue that mean they need to be considered at that particular meeting), then they should be lodged as normal for the next relevant meeting.
To request late lodgement of a Cabinet paper, copy the form below into an email, fill it out, and send it to [email protected]. Please complete all relevant sections of the form (especially the reason why the paper needs to be lodged late, i.e. due to ongoing Ministerial consultation and the paper being particularly urgent for a specific reason).
The Cabinet Office will advise the Minister’s office if late lodgement is approved.