How the National Archives works

The National Archives of Australia is an agency of the Australian Government, established under the Archives Act 1983. Our head office and exhibition spaces are in Canberra and there is an office and reading room in each state capital and Darwin.

Governance

Senator Faulkner with Margaret Chalker and Derina McLaughlin
Senator Faulkner with Margaret Chalker and Derina McLaughlin

The National Archives is an Executive Agency within the Prime Minister and Cabinet portfolio, reporting to the Cabinet Secretary. The National Archives of Australia Advisory Council provides advice to the Minister and to the Director-General of the Archives.

Our work

Director-General of the National Archives is Ross Gibbs.

James Barr is Deputy Director-General, and head of National Coordination, and we have an Assistant Director-General for each branch:

  • Anne Lyons, Access & Communication
  • Cheryl Watson, Corporate Services
  • Margaret Chalker, Government Information Management
  • Stephen Ellis, Operations & Preservation

Our Operations and Preservation people ensure that the national archival collection – in formats that include paper, audiovisual and digital – is controlled and described and that it remains stable and accessible over time. They also maintain the administrative history of the Australian Government so that records can be related to their original context. There are conservation laboratories in Canberra, Sydney and Melbourne.

Our Access people:

  • raise awareness of the collection through exhibitions, education programs, events and publications
  • encourage people to explore the collection in greater depth, through feature websites, digitisation and finding aids
  • provide a reference service to help researchers find relevant records

Our Government Information Management people provide records management standards and advice for government agencies.

For more detail about our branches and sections, see the organisation chart (PDF – 382kb). Our corporate publications will give you another perspective on our work.

You may also like to know – and help determine – which records we'll digitise next.

And of course, you are welcome to contact us.

Resourcing and Reporting

In this section you can also find information on:

  • resources available to the National Archives
  • reports we publish in accordance with legislative requirements