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
A657 DS1914/3882 Survey - Deviation of the Uriarra Road 1913 - 1914
B354 26 Lake Tyers outpatients record 1958 - 1959
A13147 NSR 83 National Security Act Regulations & Ordinances - Butter and Cheese Acquisition Regulations. Regulation 10, 10(b) and 13 17 Nov 1939 - 14 Feb 1941
MP508/1 4/703/556 Objection against internment-Guiseppe Cotto 1940 - 1940
K60 HB25594 COULTER, Olive Margaret beneficiary of COULTER, Alfred Edgar - Service Number - 2693 1989 - 1994
A1782 C53/C Inspector A. Richards Personal file 1924 - 1951
B741 V/42796 Nominal Roll - Local Internees. 1943 - 1947
A2487 1921/16360 [Inquiry regarding W J Connolly] 1920 - 1921
PP946/1 MKM39761 POWER, William Patrick - Service Number - WX39525, 4/4052, 3/400879 1942 - 1982
A4311 712/5 Brief for Visit by Minister for External Affairs (the Honorable Paul Hasluck, MP) to South-East Asia - June 1964 1964 - 1964
C162 HKM90 PART 1 Donald Elliott KERR [Repatriation hospital case file] [box 17783] 1946 - 1970
D644 D1985/298 ABDJREMAN, L vs Department of Marine and Harbours 1985 - 1986
K26 MX3448 William George PRINGLE 1942 - 1988
A1838 1558/1/44 PART 51 International Court of Justice - Advisory opinions French Nuclear tests Australia vs France 1974 - 1974
A13141 FOC20 Senate Select Committee on Foreign Ownership and Control of Australian Resources - Transcript of Evidence - 13 Feb 74 Feb 1974 - Feb 1974
SP1745/1 NN Despina Acquaro 1974 - 1974
M1268 275 PART 4 [Personal Papers of Prime Minister Fraser] [Special investigation into the affairs of Sinclair Pastoral Company et al by M J Finnane (Inspector) - Annexures, correspondence, exhibits] 1978 - 21 Aug 1978
A13141 FOC1 Senate Select Committee on Foreign Ownership and Control of Australian Resources - Establishment of Committee Dec 1971 - Dec 1974
C3939 N1956/75117 Immigration - Assisted migration - request for confirmation of arrival of assisted migrants [2.0cm; box 71] 1971 - 1974
K376 MSS866 VOL 2 BOND Robert Allan - DVA File [WWII sern WX40431, W57242] - 2 of 3 volumes 1947 - 1985