State Records only accepts transfers of official records of enduring value (permanent) which are no longer required for current administrative use in accordance with the Transfer of Official Records Standard.

Items proposed for transfer must be identified as permanent in either a Records Disposal Schedule (RDS), covering agency-specific information assets, or in a General Disposal Schedule (GDS) covering common types of information assets.

State Records prioritises transfers of items which:

• are open to public access
• are at risk of loss or damage
• date from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.

Transfers will be postponed if the items are:

• in current administrative use (regardless of age)
• digital (until State Records has the capability to transfer digital information assets)
• hard copy information assets which have been scanned and may be destroyed under GDS 21.

Transfers may be postponed if the items are closed to public access in perpetuity.

The transfer of non-standard physical format records will be assessed on a case-by-case basis. If you have non-standard physical format items to transfer contact Archival Services for advice.

Exceptions to Transfer Standard

We will make exceptions to the Transfer Standard for:

• Cabinet submission files and notes (both from Ministers’ Offices and from departments)
• Minister’s Office files in the lead up to an election (unless there is a digital copy, in which case the digital copy will be deemed the official information asset) and
• information assets created by Royal Commissions.

We may consider other exceptions on a case-by-case basis. Contact Archival Services for advice.

Transfer guidance

What does no longer required for current administrative use mean?

The records are no longer being added to, used or accessed, including access through Freedom of Information. For the purposes of the standard, we will:

• review the access determination and assess whether the restriction period is likely to require the agency to loan items for access
• review past loans to identify whether similar items have been retrieved or accessed
• require agencies to certify that they no longer need to access the items (unless there are exceptional circumstances) when items are transferred.

Suggestions for agencies:

• Keep digital information assets so that records can be more easily accessed without requiring physical access
• Stop printing and saving records on physical files, reducing printing, labour and storage costs
• Dispose of hardcopy source information assets that are scanned and saved into systems in accordance with GDS 21 conditions
• Retain hardcopy files which are routinely accessed on site or in offsite storage, including with Approved Storage Providers (ASPs)
• Dispose of temporary records promptly to reduce storage costs, where there are no further reasons to retain the information assets such as a disposal freeze or legal matter.

Tips for agencies managing official records

1. Keep records digitally. Do not print information assets for filing, and ensure business systems have basic records management controls.
   Benefits of keeping records digitally include:
   a) reduces costs of printing, filing, storage and access,
   b) enables records to be easily accessed without requiring the physical object.
2. Organise records efficiently. File items relating to transactions or cases separately, rather than mixing items on the one file. Create separate files if the information has significantly different retention periods or access restrictions; and send information assets to offsite storage with accurate listings of file contents, date ranges, sentencing against RDS and GDS references and box items with similar destruction dates together.
   Benefits of efficient organisation of records include:
   a) temporary information assets of short term value can be destroyed promptly;
   b) access restrictions can be more easily managed;
   c) permanent records in offsite storage can be prepared for transfer more easily when they are no longer required for current administrative use.
3. Dispose of temporary records promptly. Destroy records once minimum retention periods have been reached, unless there is reason for retaining the records longer such as a legal matter, FOI or disposal freeze.
   Benefits of prompt disposal include:
   a) reduces costs of storage;
   b) avoids records having to be re-sentenced when disposal schedules are updated;
   c) ensures records are disposed of before a disposal schedule expires; removes obligation to search these information assets in response to access requests.
4. Transfer oldest permanent records first. Transfer the oldest permanent records first (as long as they are no longer required for current administrative use), especially nineteenth and early twentieth century records that are publicly accessible and without any access restrictions.