Particular issues
In addition to regular statements provided in accordance with the Archives Act, the Council is provided with regular reports by the Archives on its activities in managing archival records and its role in ensuring the preservation of essential current records of the Government.
Specific areas of focus for the Council during the year include the following.
Governance
At the request of the Minister the Council gave consideration to improved systems of governance within the Archives. As a result, the Council has been provided with six-monthly reports on the financial position of the Archives, and the Director-General has appointed an external independent member of the internal Audit Committee. In addition the Chairman and the Director-General now meet with the Minister at six-monthly intervals to discuss matters of significance to the good governance of the Archives.
Department of Veterans’ Affairs records
The Advisory Council was provided with a detailed report in February 2003 on the management of Department of Veterans’ Affairs individual case files.
Of particular concern to the Council were the magnitude, organisation, sensitivity and enduring value of the case files.
The Council established a subcommittee to give detailed consideration to the issue. The Council endorsed the subcommittee’s recommendations on issues relating to the management of veterans’ case files at its meeting in May 2003.
Publications program
The Council continued its interest in the National Archives’ publications program, focusing on print runs and sales figures for recent commercial publications. The Council also expressed an interest in targeting the promotion of the Archives’ publications to specific areas. During the reporting period the Council recommended that a review of the Archives’ publication policy be undertaken.
Exhibitions program
The Council continued its interest in the Archives’ exhibitions program, noting the number, variety and reach of exhibitions and considering several key questions about how best to identify and focus on the strengths of the collection.
Legislation
The Advisory Council has a keen interest in the operation of the Archives Act 1983 and has supported the strengthening of the legislation to provide for the recordkeeping role of the National Archives while at the same time ensuring that the current access provisions in the Act are not altered. Members were kept informed of the progress of the draft amendments and provided advice to the Minister recommending that the amendments be placed on the legislative agenda in a timely manner.