Closed access

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