The State Records Council of South Australia is established under the State Records Act, 1997.

To contact the State Records Council email the Executive Officer at srsaexecutive@sa.gov.au

The State Records Council consists of nine members who broadly represent:

  • State and Local Government
  • the judiciary
  • business
  • professional records managers and archivists
  • public historical community and
  • Aboriginal peoples.

The Council has two major functions:

  • approve disposal determinations for official records
  • provide advice to the Minister responsible for the State Records Act or the Director of State Records with respect to policies relating to records management or access to official records.

The current State Records Council has been appointed until 28 January 2026.

State Records Council Meetings

The State Records Council meets at least every three months and at any other time required by the Minister.

Calendar of State Records Council meetings

Members of the State Records Council

Nominated by the Commissioner for Public Employment, or a delegate of the chief executive.

Keith started working in the South Australian Government as a Records Officer in 1985 for the Attorney-General's Department covering a number of roles including correspondence officer and senior administration officer.

Appointed a Justice of the Peace in 1992.

In 1995 was seconded to the Premiers office as correspondence officer for the Premier, where he also worked with the Information Technology area on the W2K solutions.

From 2001 to 2010 worked in a number of records management, business administration and ministerial support roles for the Department for Water Resources and Department for Water, land and Biodiversity Conservation.

In 2010 following machinery of government changes was transferred to Department of Environment and Natural Resources as Corporate Records Team Leader.

From 2011 to 2015 lead the project to transition the department from a myriad of Records Systems into a whole of Department EDRMS.

Keith has been a member of the State Records Council since 2014.

He has a passion for utilising innovation and new technologies to evolve the way Information Management preserves our history and builds on the decisions now and the past to make us a better future.

Kerry Hazel has over 25 years of information management experience across a variety of industries both locally and abroad.

Kerry is a Director of KKiT consultancy and an active Certified Information Professional (CIP) and Archives, Records and Information Management Professional (ARIM).

Kerry holds a Bachelor of Information Studies – Records and Archives Management and has a passion for travel, history and the arts.

Judith O’Connor
BA, LLB, DipEd, GradDipLibraryStudies

Nominated by the Chief Justice of South Australia.

Judith has extensive experience in managing the development and delivery of legal information services.

In her current role as Library Manager at the Courts Administration Authority, she is responsible for the development and delivery of information services to support the judiciary and the administration of justice in South Australia.  A key focus is developing digital access to research resources and providing training to support the transition to the digital environment.

Judith also has experience as a knowledge manager in a financial services organisation where she was responsible for developing the strategic framework for implementing knowledge management including document management and retention guidelines to ensure compliance with regulatory requirements.

She gained practical experience in preserving material relating to the history of South Australia for future research purposes while working at the Mortlock Library of South Australiana.  In her current role at the courts, she manages the Supreme Court Historical Collection which preserves objects, records and publications relating to the history of the court and development of the law in South Australia.

Deborah Horton is a passionate local government governance, risk and information management practitioner, representing the local government sector.

With legal qualifications and 25 years' experience in local government, Deborah understands the fundamental importance of information as an asset that demonstrates integrity and accountability in decision making. This is particularly critical in local government when ensuring legislative responsibilities are met whilst delivering numerous services and programs that directly impact individuals and communities.

Newly appointed to the State Records Council, Deborah is an advocate of information management as a valuable skill set, the application of good governance principles and practical public policy that ensures information is authentic, complete and reliable, as this facilitates and builds trust in government.

Dr Herbert Stock is a member of the public who makes use of official records in the custody of State Records for research purposes.

Dr Herbert Stock B.Sc. (Hons), M.Sc. (UNE), M.Pol.Admin., Ph.D. (Flinders), MPHA, M.Inst.P., is a retired Federal and State Public Servant who serves on the State Records Council as the voice of members of the public who use official records for research purposes.

Dr Stock’s current interests include the history of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) in South Australia, and of the German settlement of the Barossa Valley and the Adelaide Hills.

Jenny began her career in archives in 1997 when she joined State Records as an archivist before transferring to the State Library in 2000 to take up the position of Pictorial Curator. She retired from the State Library in 2019 after working in a variety of roles principally associated with photographic archives.

During her career in archives Jenny participated in the creation and delivery of archival training for tertiary students and public servants and delivered papers across a range of archival and South Australian history topics but most commonly photographic archives and the provision of digital access at professional and community conferences in Australia, New Zealand and the Solomon Islands.

Jenny has been an accredited professional member of the Australian Society of Archivists since 1999. In 2017 she was named on the South Australian Women’s Honour Roll and in 2022 she was awarded the Bernadette Bean SA Records Management Service Excellence Award.

Nominated by the Executive Director of the Aboriginal Affairs and Reconciliation Division, Department of the Premier and Cabinet.

Deanne Hanchant-Nichols is a Ngarrindjeri/Barkindji woman with many years’ experience in Government as well as the not for profit and higher education sector.

Deanne worked as an Archivist with a particular interest in Ancestral remains and repatriation and continues to work as a consultant in that area.

Deanne is currently working as an Aboriginal Employment Consultant and also facilitates Aboriginal Cultural Awareness workshops for higher education sector staff.

Deanne is a member of the Aboriginal Reference Group. This group works with the State Library of South Australia and State Records of South Australia to improve the availability of archival materials and services relating to Aboriginal people and culture.

Her particular research interests are Repatriation, Identity, Genealogy and she has a new found interest in DNA/Genomics and how this relates to Identity.

Karen has experience in strategic information and records management frameworks, risk and business governance and performance indicators, ICT, digital and data strategies and roadmaps, implementation of enterprise lifecycle transformation programmes and senior management leadership, human resource and team development.

She has also had experience and involvement of the development of a Knowledge Sharing Model for Local Government and delivery of and participation in local and international workshops, seminars and conferences.

Karen is passionate about assisting the next generation of leaders to understand the information that surrounds them and to be informed and knowledgeable in this world of immediate access to everything.

Karen has rediscovered her appreciation for hobby ceramics and enjoys creating individual and personalised items for friends and family.

Bio on Mandy Paul coming  soon.

Page last updated: 21 July 2023