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 530/1/8 PART 1 Hong Kong - Australian representation in 1957 - 1975
P130 R8813 Woods, Simon 1917 - 1948
PP18/1 R3238 POWELL, Stanley - Service Number - 1683 1918 - 1918
D363 HB9104 PART 1 STODART, Grace Evelyn beneficiary of STODART, Alan Ernest - Service Number - 300 1988 - 1993
K60 HKM38508 WILDING, Wilfred - Service Number - WX31959 1980 - 1985
A425 1939/363 Internal check. Amendment to booklet on Receipts, Refunds, Drawback (FILE cover only) 01 Jan 1800 - 01 Jan 1800
A432 1932/551 Australian Soldiers Repatriation Act 1920-29. Section 44/2 Crimes Act 1914-28 Section 21B: re Prosecution of Mrs E. White 1932 - 1932
PP707/1 MX71881 HOSKEN Donald Duncan RAAF 38714 1941 - 1979
D5063 NN Department of Business and Consumer Affairs - Administrative procedures 1978 - 1983
PP18/1 R2449 JOHNSON, Henry - Service Number - 91 1916 - 1920
A3970 N/N Index Cards of Exhibits 1975 - 1975
A11235 20-21 Senate Journals - 20th and 21st Sessions of Parliament - Volume containing (Session 20) Journal No. 1 (28 February 1923) to Journal No. 4 (15 March 1923); (Session 21) Journal No. 1 (13 June 1923) to Journal No. 95 (10 October 1923) 1923 - 1923
D4082 WB826 Judith Kay 1968 - 1969
A12933 122 Cabinet Paper No 122 : [title exempt] - File No LC1106 01 Aug 1977 - 01 Aug 1977
ST2228/1 BOX 13 Book 3 of 3 Gauges 1962 - 1963
A1838 720/4/9 PART 31 Australian atomic energy - Non proliferation aspects of uranium enrichment 1980 - 1980
C138 H72588 HILLER, Herbert Joseph - Service Number - 60323 1989 - 1992
K26 MX19661 Walter Alexander Fowles 1941 - 1985
A13154 ATS 67 Inquiry into 'The Environmental Conditions of Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders & the Preservation of their Sacred Sites' - Finke Incident (Miss M Bain and Mr J Moloney) 01 Feb 1975 - 31 Aug 1975
A1928 1020/15 Staff Permanent Central Miss K. Burrett 1922 - 1929