The 1983 Archives Act is no longer fit for purpose, with the huge volume of digital records growing exponentially. Experts say urgent steps must be taken to reduce the vast digital and paper records holdings and to update the legislation to meet the challenge.
Guests:
Anne Cornish is CEO of RIMPA, the Records and Information Management Practitioners Alliance.
David Fricker was Director General of the National Archives of Australia from 2012 to 2021, and President of the International Council on Archives from 2014-2022
Producer - Chris Bullock
Statement from a spokesperson for the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts
The Australian Government recognises the vital importance of proper record-keeping to ensure transparency and accountability in government.
The National Archives’ role is to collect, manage and make accessible the archival resources of the Commonwealth. It also plays a vital role in supporting information managers in all government agencies to follow best practices for managing and preserving government information and records. The National Cultural Policy Revive recognised the need for amendments to the Archives Act 1983 to enhance the National Archives’ ability to manage government records and information in the digital age. The department is developing amendments in consultation with Archives to achieve this outcome.
The Government’s record $535.3 million investment over four years in our National Collecting Institutions, announced in the 2023-24 Budget, included $36.5 million for the National Archives – recognising its integral role in preserving and safeguarding the important archival resources of the Commonwealth. This funding is in addition to $67.7 million over four years provided in the 2021-22 Budget to increase the capacity of the Archives to undertake the digitisation of records.
In this episode