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
F1 1969/4237 State children - arrangements for supervision within the NT 1965 - 1969
A1838 3107/38 PART 21 China - Relations with Australia 1976 - 1977
A13410 ABC 32 Submission 49 Part 5 01 Jan 1991 - 01 Jun 1994
A518 BU118/7 Nauru - Miscellaneous - "Timber for table in House of Commons" 1950 - 1950
M2186 49 [Personal Papers of Prime Minister Fraser] [Miscellaneous material relating to the Commonwealth Group of Eminent Persons, includes Department of Foreign Affairs research paper 'A Survey of Proposals for the Constitutional Development of South Africa' (Sep 1980), cables, briefing notes] Sep 1980 - 12 Jun 1986
A1838 169/11/87 PART 17 India - Relations with China. 1962 - 1962
K26 MX37699 Herbert James Panting [Medical file] 1942 - 1986
A12812 157 Inquiry into Adelaide Airport: Upgrading for International Services - Submissions, exhibit, correspondence 08 Mar 1982 - 30 Mar 1982
MP298/1 NN Programme & presentation reports 1948 01 Jan 1800 - 01 Jan 1800
A2487 1922/17561 [James Albert Pearson - Treatment for war disability - Medical report] 1922 - 1922
M1827 92 [Sir Harry Gibbs (Chief Justice, High Court of Australia)] Correspondence with Gibbs, Chief Justice (miscellaneous) (to end December 1985) [File 1] 04 Jan 1972 - 27 Nov 1985
A4474 WHOLE SERIES Name index cards for personal benefit case files and correspondence files with alphabetical prefixes (A-G) Ministerial Representations from Senators. 1951 - 1974
B420 846/20/2 Expansion and Mobilization Seminar 13 to 14 March 1982 [7.00 cms] 1982 - 1982
F1 1958/66 State Childrens Council Leonard Braedon 1957 - 1958
B73 H119590 OWENS, Roy Stanley - Service Number - 3690 1978 - 1979
A703 564/7/74 Air defence control and reporting systems - No 1 CRU monthly operational reports 1973 - 1974
PP911/1 HX36799 Maxwell George CORDIN 1954 - 1964
A6122 850 Communist Party of Australia - South Australia - Waterfront Branch 1949 - 1957
A2090 22 Box of personal index cards titled between Hamilton and Hartkopf 1916 - 1950
A1838 3000/2/9/1 PART 9 Australian policy towards Indo Chinese refugees 1978 - 1978