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 |
A1928 |
1181/35/10/2 WA |
War. Emergency Civil Medical Practitioners Services. Returns of Expenditure. Queries regarding accounts and fees Western Australia. |
1943 - 1943 |
B26 |
MX11669 PART 1 |
WHITEHEAD, Frank Ronald |
1943 - 1967 |
A10156 |
258 |
G J Coles and Company Limited versus Thalis Shipping Corporation; Ankan Shipping Company Limited; The China Ocean Shipping Company |
1971 - 1972 |
A1945 |
56/1/8 |
Australian Defence policy relating to Chemical and Biological warfare [459 pages available] |
1962 - 1964 |
A12922 |
AT 18 |
The Encouragement of Australian Productions for Television - ADDITIONAL SUBMISSIONS - R C Allsop. Australian Broadcasting Control Board: 'Audience measurement Survey'. Hector Crawford, 'Commercial Television Programmes in Australia'. Peter Whitchurch Australian Broadcasting Control Board: 'TV Programme Standards'. Department of Health, Maternal and Child Welfare Branch. Newspaper cuttings. Commonwealth Literary Fund. Morris West, Ray Allsop, Extract: 'Walkabout'. Australian High Commission, Canada. Australian Legation, Sweden. Australian Embassy, Brussels. External Affairs Representative, London. Australian Embassy, The Hague. Australian Embassy, Tokyo. [Anderson Analysis Pty Ltd, 'Sampling and Estimation Procedures'] ['Total Time Devoted to Programmes of Australian Origin Analysed by Categories'] ['Background and History of Television in Australia'][External Affairs, Wellington][List of Witnesses][The McNair Survey, submission][S D Forsey, 'Ratings & the P & A D Department'] |
Aug 1956 - Sep 1963 |
MP16/1 |
1918/2133 |
Ex Private G J J McPherson, 3rd Field Ambulance AIF |
1918 - 1919 |
MP171/5 |
17 |
Ships' registers - arrivals and departures, Melbourne |
16 May 1943 - 25 Nov 1946 |
AWM54 |
179/1/20 PART 9 |
[Chemical Warfare - General:] Allied Land Forces, South West Pacific Area: Technical Notes and Staff Notes - Chemical Warfare, Feb 1943 [Part 9 of 19] |
1943 - 1943 |
D455 |
NN |
Adams Quenton Marcus |
1963 - 1966 |
D2952 |
PL51/1980 |
Waddikee - Underground electric conduit across railway land account Australian Barley Board [Sketch showing position of proposed underground electric conduit] |
1980 - 1980 |
A7452 |
A93 |
Office of National Assessments - correspondence |
1977 - 1984 |
AWM54 |
179/1/19 PART 23 |
[Chemical Warfare - General:] Intelligence Summaries, May 1944 [Part 23 of 35] |
1944 - 1944 |
MP284/4 |
BUNDLE 8 |
Jenkins, Cyril |
1937 - 1942 |
B73 |
M4112 |
EDWARDS, Benjamin John [2 cm.] |
1914 - 1965 |
PP913/1 |
MX3580 |
GEORGE ELLIOTT |
1920 - 1961 |
K26 |
HX45758 |
Percy George FOXON |
1947 - 1953 |
PP902/1 |
MX62016 VOLUME 2 |
Frederick Francis ISAACS |
1950 - 1981 |
PP645/1 |
MKM33949 VOLUME 1 |
GEPP, Maxwell John - Service Number - 5/1723 |
1948 - 1965 |
A2090 |
45 |
Box of personal index cards titled between Pooley and Quirk |
1916 - 1950 |
B6601 |
174 |
An introduction to cryptography |
1989 - 1989 |