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
A1946 1969/1931 Strength of forces in Papua New Guinea File 3 1967 - 1973
MP284/4 BUNDLE 8 Mr. J. Farnsworth Hall - Auditions 1945 - 1945
MP981/1 603/221/270 Grounding of HMAS PLATYPUS [Contains 1 drawing] 1927 - 1927
D363 MB4784 GILBERT, Vera Alice Lillian beneficiary of GILBERT, William Clarence - Service Number - 1166 1991 - 1993
B1535 736/27/88 Lt A A Thomas - 27th Battalion 1935 - 1936
A1838 720/5/7 PART 17 Atomic energy - Australia - Relations with India 1986 - 1986
CP71/4 WHOLE SERIES Parliamentary Joint Committee on Social Security. Papers relating to organisation and procedure. 1941 - 1944
D761 160/1/16 PART 2 Quarantine general administration release under surveillance [Immature cholera certificates, passengers vaccinated] 1968 - 1971
A7324 14A Submissions - Television Equalisation - Greater Northern Television Ltd Jan 1987 - Jan 1987
A1209 1977/1862 PART 5 Nuclear safeguards policy - France 1979 - 1980
A1209 1958/5249 PART 1 Antarctica - Policy - 1958 1958 - 1958
B26 HX4944 KIMPTON, Victor Alfred [7 pp] 1950 - 1950
PP911/1 MX41993 VOLUME 1 Brian Frederick Carlin 1944 - 1961
MP742/1 255/15/1317 P.W.I. 48380 Bognolo, Angelo 1943 - 1945
A1838 3107/8 PART 7 China - Human rights 1985 - 1986
A11960 1922/92 PART 3 Papers on several different construction jobs - East Sydney automatic telephone exchange - Randwick telephone exchange - Hospital at Canberra 1921 - 1922
A1838 3107/38/12/1 PART 3 China - Relations with Australia - Visits to China Individuals & Other Private Groups 1973 - 1975
A13883 204/7 PART 8 Singapore internal security 04 Jun 1968 - 30 Oct 1968
K26 MX69680 VOL 1 Brian KEIGHLEY-GERARDY 1946 - 1963
A463 1986/3137 New Parliament House - Historic quotations and documents project 1986 - 13 Nov 1986