21-33 Compliance with records management provisions and transfer of local government records to the State Archives Collection
| Circular Details | 21-33 / 21 October 2021 / A786297 |
| Who should read this | Councillors / General Managers / All council staff / Governance and records management staff |
| Contact | Council Governance Team / 02 44284100 / olg@olg.nsw.gov.au |
| Action required | Information |
| PDF Version | 21-33 Compliance with records management provisions and transfer of local government records to the State Archives Collection |
What’s new or changing
- The Department of Premier and Cabinet (DPC) has issued a circular, C2021-05 Managing Records in NSW Government, providing advice on the making, keeping, and safeguarding of records.
- To assist public offices, including councils, NSW State Archives and Records (SARA) has released the
- Records Management Assessment Tool (RMAT) for assessing records management performance and maturity and planning for improvements, and
- Transfer Tool to identify and forecast records required for transfer to the State Archives Collection.
What this will mean for your council
- Under section 12 of the State Records Act 1998 (SR Act), a council must make and keep full and accurate records of its activities and maintain a records management program that conforms with standards and codes of best practice.
- All staff, councillors and council officials should be made aware of their responsibilities to make and keep records.
- Councils should review their records management program and systems against DPC Circular C2021-05 and the RMAT for compliance with obligations under the SR Act, with particular consideration to the increasing use of records in digital format and digitally stored records.
- Under section 11 of the SR Act, councils must ensure that records are safely stored, protected and preserved.
- Councils should undertake disposal of their records. Those records required as State archives should be transferred to the State Archives Collection once they are no longer in active use.
- Using the Transfer Tool will help councils gain better visibility of records required as State archives and assist planning for the transfer of those to SARA as part of the State Archives Collection.
Key points
- Records are at the core of local government business and are valuable assets.
- Councils should review their records management program and systems against DPC Circular C2021-05 and the RMAT.
- Councils should transfer records required as State archives to SARA as part of the State Archives Collection.
Where to go for further information
- SARA has a range of guidance, including detailed information on transferring records, and other resources relating to all aspects of the DPC Circular on its website, as well as resources specific to local government.
- The RMAT and the Transfer Tool are available on SARA’s website.
- Contact SARA’s Agency Services team at transfer@records.nsw.gov.au for further advice on transfer and other records related queries.
William Power
Acting Coordinator General, Planning Delivery and Local Government