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
A1838 3127/2/1 PART 15A Korea - Political - General 1965 - 1967
A7936 B/4/8 Relates to ASIS [imposed title, original item title exempt] 1955 - 1960
A1209 1978/1410 PART 1 Australia's involvement in the United Nations 1978 - 1982
AWM54 179/1/12 [Chemical Warfare - General:] Notes on Chemical Warfare for General Staff Officers, No 11 1943 - 1943
A4531 201/2/1 PART 19 Saigon - Vietnam - political general [re Republic of Vietnam also known as South Vietnam] 04 Nov 1974 - 07 Mar 1975
A9913 173 Quantitative Restrictions 1953 - 1955
A3963 S4/15/2 Govt. of New South Wales 1975 - 1975
B26 HX37179 PART 1 THOMPSON, Eric John Bernard 1953 - 1987
E72 D7029/6 [Portion of Title Expunged] P K Pearson - Mr and Mrs Coonan 1958 - 1958
A12812 58 Inquiry into administrative, laboratory and workshop complex for water resources branch, Berrimah, NT - Statement of evidence, originating papers, correspondence, rescission of resolution 06 Feb 1974 - 09 Oct 1975
A1209 1976/1768 Antarctic - Resources and Environment Policy 1975 - 1983
M438 47 Photographs of the Northern Territory, 1930's - 1941 - Initiation ceremony. Elcho Island. 1937 - ready for initiation 1937 - 1937
A1838 277/5 PART 2 South Pacific - French Pacific Interests - General 1967 - 1970
A5799 13/1958 The strategic basis of Australian Defence Policy 1958 - 1958
A518 852/1/750 New Guinea Staff - Hendrick, C [0.5cm] 1938 - 1954
C138 H66557 PART 3 GEOGHEGAN, Cyrus William - Service Number - 15550 1991 - 1991
PP530/1 1970/2847 Jandakot Airport [Department of Transport, Air; Civil Aviation] 1968 - 1972
AWM237 54 AMF Nominal Roll of Deaths 1939-47, Roll 6: South Australian enlistees (duplicate) 1969 - 1970
AWM255 18 PART 1 [Pathology and bacteriology] - Card index to collection of surgical and pathological specimens illustrating the effects of modern warfare collected by Australian War Records Section - Index to specimens alphabetical by surname a-y 1918 - 1920
K60 HKM38106 VOLUME 2 WIGLEY, Thomas Arthur - Service Number - A51056 1971 - 1978