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
J2006 G77/10 PART 10 Aboriginal and Islander Community Health Service - Sports development grant for K Blackman 1986 - 1986
MT1214/1 349/105/710 Parsons Eric J.A. O.N. 12535. Steward. Interim Medical Survey 1943 - 1943
MT1340/1 1962/427 COLLINS, Robert James - Police conviction [4 pages] 1962 - 1962
B4794 BARKER, ADA [Claim for Special Benefit - Ada Barker] 1954 - 1956
K60 MKM38372 LYONS, Mervyn Keith - Service Number - 36460 1949 - 1986
B73 M5760 MILNE, Hector - Service Number - 953 1914 - 1960
A13404 AR1 Reports on Annual Reports - July 1990 - August 1995 01 Jul 1990 - 01 Aug 1995
A7452 A127 PART 2 Royal Commission into Intelligence and Security [RCIS] - third report 1976 - 1977
A1928 1020/2 Staff permanent central & Victoria. H. Morrel. 1916 - 1947
A432 1949/90 Colin Edward Gates - Edward Lance Thorp - [portion of title exempt] 1949 - 1950
A1200 L8171 Aboriginal people and torres strait islander peoples - Implements and weapons - Painted skulls of ancestors in Eastern Arnhem Land 1946 - 1946
K26 CX11877 Malcolm Neate Miller 1960 - 1987
C139 RX17802 Percy MORTIMER [repatriation case file] [Box 1167] 1920 - 1964
M3212 148 Electric travelling portal jib [photographic image]: swl 10t at 13m / photographer, David Cumming Colour House. 1 photographic print (148 of 182 images), colour; 10 x 12.5 cm, mounted in photograph album 1991 - 1991
A3092 221/11/11/2 PART 5A Malaysia - (closer association of the Federation of Malaya, Singapore, Brunei, Sarawak and British North Borneo) 15 Jun 1963 - 22 Jul 1963
K60 M12064 John Alexander Pendreigh 1919 - 1921
A1928 651/22/9 SECTION 3 Medical examinations of employees in C/N Public Service and applications for Pensions. Federal Capital Territory. Section 3 1936 - 1938
P107 H9390 PART 6 MILLHOUSE, Leonard Eric Heath - Service Number - 7824 1989 - 1991
A6119 450 George Ernest Archer RUSSELL 1949 - 1960
K60 HKM33937 ROBERTS, Frederick Arthur - Service Number - 5/400199 1954 - 1983