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
A7073 J209/110/36 Avoidance of tax - Sales of lost trusts 1979 - 1984
A1838 3107/40/147 PART 30 China - Relations with India 1971 - 1971
C4076 HN6165 Mannering Park Post Office 1985 - 1985
A13147 NSR 337 National Security Act Regulations & Ordinances - National Security (Man Power) Regulations. Declarations of Protected Undertakings. Regulation 5 17 Apr 1945 - 31 Jul 1945
D3609 NN Hawes GJ 1957 - 1960
C605 LA25 Headquarters Staff, AWLA [Australian Women's Land Army] - applicants Miss L G Davis 1942 - 1942
A13147 NSR 7 National Security Act Regulations & Ordinances - National Security (Emergency Supplies) Regulations. Emergency Supplies Rules of 1941 issued by State Governments 17 Apr 1941 - 09 Apr 1943
K60 MKM39271 RAYNER, Roy John - Service Number - R35684 1948 - 1985
J1800 11/12/1988 - 15/10/1989 Cape Byron - Navigational Aid Station Log Book [Federal - Department of Transport] 1988 - 1989
A703 667/2/82 PART 1 Evaluation of Air Defence and Air Traffic Control radars. 1971 - 1974
A6119 2954 Kathleen Mary RICHARDS - Miscellaneous papers 1960 - 1969
A2487 1919/4970 [Application for sustenance - Roy Wilson] 1919 - 1919
A2539 B1988/102 Brief for the Timor Gap Officials Talks in Jakarta - 3-4 September 1988 1988 - 1988
A13147 NSR 34 National Security Act Regulations & Ordinances - National Security (General) Regulations. Reg 4 (ES.1-2); Reg 54 (ES.3-98); Reg 55 (ES.99-100) 10 Jul 1943 - 13 Aug 1943
A106 G1924/3039 Increments to Permanent Professional Officers. 1918 - 1925
PP869/1 H12673 ROBINSON, Clem Alaric - Service Number - 2255A 1931 - 1956
B73 M55503 MORRIS, Trevor 17911 10th Field Ambulance [1.00 cms] 10 Mar 1919 - 02 Jul 1981
PP904/1 RX4758 EVANS Robert Edward WX1781 1940 - 2001
A6135 K17/1/74/4 Aboriginal people and torres strait islander peoples - Tribal - Children's corroboree, Oombulgurri, Western Australia 1974 - 1974
B73 H55503 Morris, Trevor 1976 - 1981