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
K60 MKM39042 LARKIN, George Frederick - Service Number - NX466, 2/47 1934 - 1985
PP872/1 MKM32059 SIMS, M - Service Number - N/A 1918 - 1962
CP548/1 D290 Milk G.E. Willis - Apsley, N.S.W. 1947 - 1949
PP946/1 HKM34644 VOLUME 1 HUME, Malcolm Terry - Service Number - 2 4827 1954 - 1984
A1209 1974/6679 Visit of the Japanese Prime Minister - October and November 1974 - Briefing material 1974 - 1974
B73 M66560 Jobson, Christopher Henry 1915 - 1964
C138 HB61629 PART 4 ALDERTON, Grace Margaret beneficiary of ALDERTON, Alfred James - Service Number - 7193 1988 - 1991
A11235 6 Senate Journals - 6th Session of Parliament - Volume containing Journal No. 1 (20 February 1907) and No.2 (21 February 1907) and Votes and Proceedings of the House of Representatives 1907 - 1907
A12812 80 Inquiry into Australian government centre, Spring Street Melbourne - Correspondence 14 May 1975 - 20 May 1975
C4076 HN6169 Matcham Post Office 1985 - 1985
B73 M56198 MACNEIL, Alexander Rowan - Service Number - VX39150 1915 - 1953
AWM54 179/1/10 [Chemical Warfare - General:] Chemical Warfare Notes, SA L of C Area, No 6 (n.d.) 1939 - 1945
SP109/14 78/7/20 Supply of Films to Japanese Consulate General 1940 - 1940
A432 1929/493 Income Tax Assessment Act 1922/28: The Young Men's Christian Association. 1929 - 1929
D2952 PL56/1980 Buckleboo Line - Application for sleeve pipe under track account Messrs Harris and Enright [Licence number 1305] 1980 - 1981
J1331 J790/19 Checklist - Correspondence files 1990 - 1992
A6135 K24/8/72/14 Aboriginal people and torres strait islander peoples - Relics - Flood lit burial cave 1972 - 1972
C138 HB66303 WALKER, Lillian A beneficiary of WALKER, Alfred William - Service Number - 3287 1988 - 1988
A1928 1181/47/3/3 War. MECC (Medical Equipment Control Committee) & CMCC (Central Medical Coordination Committee) Staff. D.A. Butler. (Clegg) 1944 - 1946
J849 4/1/AIR/4 PART 6 Establishments 482 SQN 1979 - 1980