Overview
Under the Australian Archives Act 1983 most Commonwealth records are opened to public scrutiny after twenty years (this was reduced from thirty years in 2010). But the Act also defines ‘exempt’ records that can be withheld from the public for a variety of reasons, including the defence of national security, and the protection of individual privacy. Access under the Act is not an inevitable destination, but a process that may result in records with the access status of ‘closed’.
Here you can explore these closed files. Why can't we look at them? How old are they? What are we really being protected against?
14370
closed files
on 1 January 2016
28
reasons
why these files have been closed
58
years
is the average age of these files
based on their date of their earliest content
1128
series
contain closed files
BE WARNED! This is a work in progress. It's part of an ongoing research project by Tim Sherratt (@wragge). As a result, this interface is likely to change. That said, pretty much everything should work, so feel free to poke around and see what you can find. Have fun!
Here's some examples…
Series |
Control Symbol |
Title |
Contents dates |
D363 |
H40263 PART 3 |
MONTEITH, Hugh Orwin - Service Number - 5886 |
1989 - 1993 |
A7919 |
C100059 |
Irrera, Giuseppe (Merchant Navy) PWIM 12059 - Born: 13 March 1894, Pace Messina Italy - Captured: 11 June 1940, Ship REMO (Fremantle) Western Australia - Previously interned: Not known - Arrived Australia: Not known - Interned: Myrtleford Victoria - Departed: Not known |
1940 - 1945 |
A12812 |
92 |
Inquiry into Wallgrove animal quarantine station - Originating papers, correspondence, unnumbered submissions, briefing papers, draft report, tabling details, approval of work |
16 Feb 1977 - 01 Aug 1980 |
A2487 |
1919/12090 |
[Application for assistance - Widow of S J Bennett] |
1919 - 1919 |
B741 |
V/1389 |
Arthur Llewellyn Thomas - Inquiry from Aust House |
1925 - 1926 |
K47 |
W1979/11625 |
LETIZIA Gaetano & Francesca - naturalisation file |
1979 - 1979 |
B503 |
D22 |
Truesdale, Albert Edward. Sern DX131 [Prisoners of War Trust Fund application] |
1977 - 1977 |
AWM239 |
48 |
RAN Medical Officers' Journal: CERBERUS (1 January 1933 - 31 December 1935) |
1933 - 1935 |
A6119 |
797 |
Frances Ada GLUCK (aka Garrett, aka Bernie) nee Scott, Volume 4 [255 pages - 154 of these contain exemptions] |
1950 - 1959 |
A3963 |
S/35 |
Australian Bureau of Stebstes |
1974 - 1976 |
A1209 |
1981/409 |
Information from Australian security and intelligence organisation [ASIO] on missions of middle Eastern countries in Australia |
1981 - 1981 |
B503 |
N5065 |
Thompson, Frederick Gordon NX54324 [Prisoners of War Trust Fund application] |
1974 - 1974 |
PP870/1 |
MKM38251 |
DIMMACK Francis William - Service Number 40950 |
1950 - 1962 |
A6180 |
24/8/72/4 |
Aboriginal people and torres strait islander peoples - Archaeology - Ancient Aboriginal Burial ground |
1972 - 1972 |
A1838 |
3107/38/27 PART 2 |
China - Relations with Australia policy paper 1979 |
1980 - 1983 |
K26 |
RX27856 VOL 1 |
BREARLEY Richard Sharp WX19554 |
1942 - 1967 |
B26 |
MX126199 PART 1 |
OWEN, Harold Clayton |
1943 - 1973 |
A1838 |
277/1/1/14 PART 3 |
South Pacific - Australian interests - 11th South Pacific Forum - Tarawa 1980 |
1980 - 1980 |
D363 |
HB26462 PART 3 |
SIMUNSEN, Hylda Winifred beneficiary of SIMUNSEN, Carl - Service Number - 3470 |
1990 - 1994 |
F1 |
1952/1108 |
State Children's Council for Northern Territory Hart Martha |
1952 - 1957 |