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 |
A2487 |
1921/11712 |
[Benefit for A W Bragg] |
1917 - 1921 |
A1838 |
3038/10/10/2 PART 2 |
Portuguese Timor - Visits to Australia of Govenors, officials and citizens |
1975 - 1984 |
PP926/1 |
MX41229 |
Keith George King |
1940 - 1974 |
PP946/1 |
MKM39153 VOLUME 1 |
NEWELL, Bernard John - Service Number - 27632 |
1939 - 1962 |
D2952 |
PL65/1980 |
Cummins - Application from Australian Barley Board to relocate Classification facilities to Station Yard - also Edillilie [Sketch of Cummins Yard, Drawing number A.80.6007/1 - Classification Office 6.0m x 3.0m - Scale 1:50, Drawing number A.P.C.6030 - Perimeter Chassis - Scale 1:50, Drawing number A.C.D.004 - Typical Atlas section for council purposes, Atlas Housing Group] |
1980 - 1980 |
A5897 |
237/4 PT3 |
Planning and Policy - Australian Defence Policy. |
1976 - 1980 |
A1838 |
3034/2/1/2 PART 1 |
Indonesia - Political - Situation Reports |
1957 - 1964 |
CP548/1 |
D255 |
Sugar - Federation of Retail Grocer's Associations |
1946 - 1946 |
AWM54 |
244/2/15 |
[Demolitions - Schemes:] Demolition Plans: Brisbane Fortress Area, Belt "K" |
1939 - 1945 |
A4359 |
221/5/5 PART 2 |
[Jakarta] - Indonesian relations with China |
1963 - 1968 |
A1838 |
656/1/2/2 PART 3 |
Information and intelligence - Regional South East Asia Indonesia |
1954 - 1954 |
A1838 |
1500/1/3/53 |
Diplomatic representatives in Australia - USSR [Union of Soviet Socialist Republics] - Pravda correspondent |
1962 - 1982 |
A1838 |
694/2/3 PART 2 |
Exchange of intelligence material with the United States of America |
1956 - 1958 |
C138 |
H138045 |
CAMPBELL [aka HARRIS], Arthur C - Service Number - N/A |
1990 - 1990 |
A2090 |
39 |
Box of personal index cards titled between Moorehouse and Murname |
1916 - 1950 |
A13147 |
NSR 345 |
National Security Act Regulations & Ordinances - Statutory Rules 1942, No's 135-147, 149-157, 160-177, 188-189, 195-201, 206-208, 213-230 |
18 Mar 1942 - 14 May 1942 |
D1915 |
SA1260 |
KLESSIG Robert Oswin |
1925 - 1943 |
A452 |
1972/4080 |
NIC [National Intelligence Committee] paper 36(72) - Basic factors affecting internal security and stability in Papua New Guinea [2cm] |
1972 - 1972 |
A3962 |
T1/6 |
T.A.B.S. Refinery Study |
1974 - 1974 |
C4076 |
HN16103 PART B |
West Kempsey Post Office |
1978 - 1978 |