Members of Parliament and Records

• Policy for Collection of Parliamentary Records
• Information for Parliamentary Records Custodians

State Records of South Australia is the principal repository of State and Local Government records. These records reflect the operation of Government in South Australia dating back to 1836.

To complement these records, State Records is compiling a more personal account of the workings of the Government of the day, particularly at the higher echelons of Government, by widening our Collection to include the acquisition of parliamentarian records.

State Records holdings in this area complement and enhance the wider collecting arena of National Archives of Australia and the State Library of South Australia.

The sheer volume of material produced by Parliamentarians makes it too costly for State Records alone to attempt to collect and preserve everything.

Therefore, State Records concentrates on collecting records that are relevant to an understanding of the history and development of South Australia and, in the wider context, Australia as a nation.

State Records has developed a short and long term strategy to address the collection of selected records of South Australian Parliamentarians - both past and present.

This describes strategy to collect records generated by members of the South Australian parliament. The intent is to gather appropriate records that reflect on the ongoing history of South Australia. A Strategy for Collection of Parliamentary Records (96 KB PDF File)

Policy for Collection of Parliamentary Records

This collection policy defines the scope and nature of the collecting of South Australian parliamentarian records within State Records with a view to providing:

• a practical interpretation of its legal obligations under the State Records Act, 1997
• a public statement on State Records current collecting policies for South Australian records
• a guide for other Australian archival institutions to enable a greater degree of collaboration and cooperation in the development of collections in the State and national interest.

This policy brings the following attributes to the collection of parliamentarian records:

• clarity
• openness
• balance of collection themes.

In developing its own collections, State Records endeavours to take into account the collecting activities of other archival institutions interested in South Australian records.

Following consultation with the State Library, it has been agreed that State Records of South Australia should be the first point of contact for the acquisition of records created by Parliamentarians as part of their elected role.

For ephemera, publications and personal papers that are not working papers, however, enquiries should be directed to the State Library of South Australia.

The following guideline details the policy covering the Collection of Records of South Australian Members of Parliament.

This describes the policy to collect records generated by members of the South Australian parliament. Policy for Collection of Parliamentary Records (144 KB PDF File)

Information for Parliamentary Records Custodians

State Records' Information kit includes guidelines to assist custodians of parliamentary records in deciding whether they have records of significance. The kit also outlines the processes that relate to records of significance.

The guidelines relate to records belonging to past and present members of the Parliament of South Australia, both residents and expatriates of Australia. It deals with the documentation, conservation and care, storage and security, and de-accession and disposal of parliamentarian records transferred to the custody of State Records.

This guideline describes processes related to the collect records generated by members of the South Australian parliament. Information for Parliamentary Records Custodians (244 KB PDF File)