Another world first.....
Australian standard for records management
Australian records managers and archivists have been in the forefront of records management and archival theory.
Australian Standard AS 4390 Records management
In December 1995, Australia became the first country in the world to develop a standard on records management - AS 4390 – 1996 Records Management.
AS ISO 15489
Following the approval and release of the Australian standard, the international records management community began work on the development of an International Standard using AS 4390 -1996 Records Management as its starting point. AS ISO 15489-2002 Information and Documentation - Records Management, replaces AS 4390-1996. The Standard represents recognised international best practice guidance on records management.
Legislation – Archival legal frameworks for the digital future
Danielle Wickman, Territory Records Office
A Product of its Time: The ACT Territory Records Act 2002
I know that everyone thinks they are special. Government archivists know that every agency we deal with will probably try some kind of special pleading about how different they are and how, because of their very special nature, they can’t provide access to that record, or comply with that legislative requirement, meet that compliance deadline or keep or destroy that group of records. We are all very special, in our own very special ways. I do happen to think, though, that the Australian Capital Territory’s Territory Records Act is a little bit special, in the context of Australian government recordkeeping regimes at least. The Act, and the office it establishes, operate quite differently to those of other jurisdictions, and these differences present us with both challenges and opportunities. I want to spend a short amount of time this morning describing for you the features of the Act, and to give you an overview of the history and context of its development. ............
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· In 1994 the National Archives announced its distributed custody policy as a practical response to the preservation of electronic records while it established longer-term approaches to the issue.2
· In 1996 the first national standard on records management, AS 4390, was released, codifying the DIRKS methodology that sites traditional archival tasks like appraisal in the creation of records and earlier.
· In 1996 and 1997 Frank Upward published his two-part exposition of the records continuum model in Archives and Manuscripts, contending that ‘records are both current and historical from the moment of their creation’.3
· In 1997 the Bringing Them Home Report was released, with substantial recommendations for all Australian governments relating to the management of and access to records, and providing a powerful example of the importance of archives to contemporary lives.
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The second purpose, to support the management and operation of Territory agencies, was added following the 2010 review of the Act. The argument for this change was made with direct reference to the international successor to AS 4390, quoting from the standard directly to emphasise the importance of recordkeeping systems in enabling organisations to conduct their businesses efficiently and effectively. The Act establishes a Director of Territory Records, but not an institution...........