9. Request access examination

What to do next

Once you have received notification that the record has been opened, go to:

In some cases the record can’t be cleared for public access or access to certain parts will be withheld. If this is the case, you will be notified why. More details about access to records can be found in Fact Sheet 10.

Under the Archives Act 1983, Australian Government records must be made available for public access once they are 30 years old. For example, records created in 1976 are available from 1 January 2007 and so on. Only small amounts of sensitive information about personal affairs or information relating to defence, security or intelligence is not released.

Records are not automatically 'open' to the public once they are 30 years old, however. All records must first be cleared for public access by trained examiners. Because of the size of the National Archives collection, many records older than 30 years have still not been examined. Read Fact Sheet 10 – Access to records under the Archives Act for more information.

If the record you want is not open you need to apply for access by:

  • submitting a form available from our reading rooms
  • submitting an online reference inquiry
  • emailing ref@naa.gov.au

The item will be examined and you will be notified of the access decision within 90 days. If your research is related to areas with possible sensitivities (such as intelligence or defence) and you are travelling from overseas or interstate, it is advisable to check with us to confirm that the records will be available at the time of your visit.

In some cases, we refuse access to whole or parts of records. You can find out more about refusing access in:

Access to records less than 30 years old

The Archives Act does not provide a right of access to records that are less than 30 years old. To see records less than 30 years old, you should apply direct to the Australian Government agency concerned under the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act. Note, however, that you are only entitled to see records created since 1977 if they relate to yourself.

Fees and other charges can make broad-based research using the FOI Act quite expensive. Once records are 30 years old the FOI Act no longer applied and the National Archives gives access free of charge.

You can find out more in Fact Sheet 110 – When to use the Freedom of Information, Archives and Privacy Acts.