National Archives of Australia
 | |
| Agency overview | |
|---|---|
| Formed | March 1961 |
| Preceding agency | |
| Jurisdiction | Government of Australia |
| Employees | 437 (June 2007) |
| Annual budget | AU$86.98 million (2007-08) |
| Agency executive |
|
| Parent agency | Department of Regional Australia, Local Government, Arts and Sport |
| Website | www.NAA.gov.au |
The National Archives of Australia is an agency established by the Government of Australia. It is an archive, which collects and preserves government records. The national office is in Canberra. It has smaller offices in each state capital and Darwin.
The National Archives were established in 1961. Before this, the Federal Parliamentary Library (now the National Library of Australia) had been responsible for collecting government records since World War I. The Archives Act 1983 was a law passed to protect Commonwealth archives. Under this law, the National Archives are responsible for preserving government records.
The National Archives' collection is made up of records written about Federation, Governors-General, Prime Ministers, Cabinet and Ministries and most of the activities with which the government has been involved. The collection is not open to the public for browsing. Items can be requested for viewing in the reading rooms, and copies of records can be made. Most records over 30 years old are available to the public. Some are released with certain pieces of information deleted. This kind of information includes documents relating to defence and security, private information, and raw census data. Access to information that is culturally sensitivite to indigenous Australians may also be restricted.
Several collections have been made available online. These include all Australian military service records (records of those who served in the military) from the Second Boer War to the Vietnam War.[1] Immigration and naturalisation documents more than 30 years old were made available in 2005.[2]
References
[change | change source]- ↑ "Service records of Aussies who served in WWII go online". Sydney Morning Herald. 6 November 2002. Retrieved 7 August 2007.
- ↑ "National archives makes migration records available". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 9 February 2005. Retrieved 7 August 2007.
Other websites
[change | change source]
- National Archives of Australia
- History of the NAA Archived 2012-02-05 at the Wayback Machine
- Archives Act 1983, at ComLaw
- Documenting a Democracy