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
A7324 73 Submissions - Television Equalisation - Channel 7 Sydney Mar 1987 - Mar 1987
A1838 816/2/3 PART 3 USSR - Reports on Economic Development - Food & Raw Materials 1964 - 1965
A1946 1968/851 Possible cease fire arrangements Vietnam file no 2 1968 - 1968
C138 HB33987 PART 2 BRAND, Ivy beneficiary of BRAND, Leonard - Service Number - 1362 1991 - 1992
A12987 S8 Senate Select Committee on Medical and Hospital Costs - Submissions No 1 of 3 Bundles, Part A - Australian Cancer Society Jul 1968 - Oct 1968
A1838 316/2/1/1 PART 14 Fiji - External relations - Relations with Australia - General 1980 - 1980
B503 N355 Bertram, Donald Fletcher NX30345 [Prisoners of War Trust Fund application] 1977 - 1977
A703 564/1/166 Reconnaissance force requirements. 1900 - 1990
A13147 NSR 306 National Security Act Regulations & Ordinances - National Security (General) Regulations. Reg 54 (FG.1-65) 02 Nov 1943 - 26 Nov 1943
A12812 148 Inquiry into Construction of new Air Traffic Services Centre & Control Tower at Perth Airport, WA - Briefing papers, supplementary submissions, draft report, tabling details, correspondence 28 Jul 1982 - 11 Mar 1983
C139 MX23609 Joseph O'Brien (Repatriation medical case file) [Box 1478] 1943 - 1948
A1928 1181/47/3/10 War. MECC (Medical Equipment Control Committee) & CMCC (Central Medical Coordination Committee) Staff. Dr. C.H. Down (Part Time) 1943 - 1947
F1 1956/1348 State Childrens Council Account for Payment 1956 - 1960
A13147 NSR 137 National Security Act Regulations & Ordinances - National Security (General) Regulations. Control of Jams, Jellies and Marmalade Order. Regulation 59 20 Jan 1943 - 20 Jan 1943
A8603 89 Personnel Files, Single Number Series - Gary FOLEY 1988 - 1989
B4069 VB/2/4 PART 1 Board rulings - Board meetings - Agenda summaries [1 pp] 1973 - 1973
D1915 SA10617 PAL Andrew William - application for naturalization 1943 - 1945
A518 K800/1/4 Norfolk Island - Administration - Defalcation in accounts - Stephenson, E 1934 - 1945
AWM224 MSS422 No 2 Australian Stationary Hospital: Synopsis of clinical notes, 1 Sep - 30 Nov 1918 1918 - 1918
A10497 2 Registers of citizenship by descent - birth registers (Cairo) 1950 - 1994