 Ross Gibbs, PSM Director-General. photographer: Heide Smith |
Director-General’s review of 2007–08
The new Administrative Arrangement Orders following the November 2007 general election were highly significant for the National Archives of Australia. Initially, we were moved from the cultural agencies portfolio to become part of the Finance and Deregulation portfolio, but on 1 May 2008, new Administrative Arrangement Orders moved the Archives to the Prime Minister and Cabinet portfolio. Senator Faulkner, as Cabinet Secretary, was identified as the Minister with responsibility for the Archives.
The Archives joined other agencies under the Prime Minister and Cabinet portfolio in an Integrity Agencies Group, each sharing Senator Faulkner as Minister and all with common interests in accountability and integrity. The other members of the Group include the Australian Public Service Commission, the Australian National Audit Office, the Ombudsman and the Privacy Commissioner.
The advent of the Integrity Agencies Group model in Australia caused interest in the international archives community. It makes concrete the message I have been delivering in a number of international forums about the importance of archives
seeking out ‘natural allies’ to reinforce the importance of good records management in the public sector as an enabler of good governance.
Records management across public sector agencies was also in the spotlight in 2007–08 with the release of the Australian Government Management Advisory Committee’s Note for File: A Report on Recordkeeping in the Australian Public Service.
The Archives responded with a suite of new recordkeeping products, including a streamlined process for obtaining a Records Authority and the release of Check-up, an interactive recordkeeping self-assessment tool for Australian Government agencies. Check-up has proven popular with agencies and has been nominated for an Australian Society of Archivists’ Mander Jones Award and the Australian Government Information Management Office’s Excellence in e-Government Award. Check-up has also generated substantial interest among the international archives community.
The year saw further emphasis on the importance of managing and preserving digital records. The Archives received transfers of digital records for long-term preservation, including from several commissions of inquiry. As noted in previous annual reports, the Archives has developed a prototype digital archive that demonstrates the viability of our approach to preserving the electronic business records of government. The Archives is now focused on establishing a whole-of-government digital archive.
The Archives also achieved some significant landmarks in providing public access to its collection in 2007–08. This was the first full year of the National Digitisation Service. We now have more than 19.8 million individual pages from our collection available in a digital format on our online database, RecordSearch. We are also focusing on digitising our extensive holdings of immigration records as part of the Making Australia Home project. We anticipate that this project may be as popular with the Australian public as A Gift to the Nation, the 376,000 World War I service records that became accessible online in 2007.
In May 2008, the Archives released the first key records of the Royal Commission on Intelligence and Security at a media briefing similar to our annual release of Cabinet documents. Material from the unpublished reports and nearly 1000 records from the Commission were released. The release attracted substantial media coverage. Such releases are a culmination of hard work by many areas of the Archives as well as staff in relevant agencies.
Pleasingly, our new website was received positively by the public. Its design was commended for meeting usability and accessibility requirements. Underlying the new site is a content management system that brings consistency to the publishing process, improves efficiency, is more user-friendly and provides flexibility for creating special features.
A new feature of the website, Faces of Australia, invites Australians to identify themselves or family members who may have been captured on film by government photographers particularly from the Australian News and Information Bureau during the 1950s and 1960s.
The Archives continued to pursue the collection and preservation of records from the leaders of our nation, including former prime ministers, ministers, governors-general and the judiciary. These records provide a valuable insight into the work of our nation’s leaders and complement our collection of government records.
In early 2008, we commissioned a survey to gauge the level of public awareness of the Archives. The survey results revealed a high level of awareness nationally of our name and the annual release of Cabinet papers. This level of awareness may also be attributed to high-profile events, such as the launch of A Gift to the Nation in 2007, and the success of our Memory of a Nation exhibition.
Financial performance
In 2007–08, the Archives’ income was $75.086 million and expenses were $67.444 million, resulting in a net operating surplus of $7.642 million. The surplus primarily arose through transfers of records to the collection. In accordance with accounting standards, these are recognised as assets. The Archives received an unqualified audit opinion on its 2007–08 financial statements.
Budget pressures during the year in relation to rent and energy increases were managed successfully through rigorous financial planning and monitoring. One of the drivers of the end-of-year financial result was lower than expected employee and supplier expenses. Delays and difficulties in recruitment, particularly in the context of the tight labour market in the ACT, had an impact on activities in 2007–08. Nevertheless, most key performance indicators were achieved.
The year ahead
Over 2007–08, the Archives devoted considerable time and resources to evaluating the bids received in response to our major tender to design, construct and operate a new storage and preservation facility.The tendered prices were significantly higher than the approved budget due mainly to cost escalations in the construction industry. A number of options were considered to resolve this funding gap but none proved viable. Consequently, the best course available to the Archives was to terminate the tender process.
The need for a new storage and preservation facility remains as pressing as ever, and our top priority for the coming year will be to make the business case to the new government to secure support for the project.
The Archives is continuing to promote 9 July as Constitution Day. It was on this day in 1900 that Queen Victoria signed the Royal Commission of Assent and the Australian Constitution became law. The Archives is in a key strategic position to promote Constitution Day as the Commonwealth of Australia Constitution Act 1900 and Royal Commission of Assent are permanently displayed in our Federation Gallery.
On 9 July 2007 the Governor-General, Major General Michael Jeffery AC, CVO, launched the first Constitution Day, hosting a citizenship ceremony. The inaugural Constitution Founders Lecture was held in June 2008 at the Supreme Court Library of Queensland. Further efforts building on these initial successes are planned for 9 July 2008 (and later in the year) in order to take every opportunity to highlight the importance of our Constitution for all Australians.
The Archives Act 1983 will have been operating for 25 years later this year. Current thinking, requirements and expectations regarding records management and access to records are quite different from those prevailing in the early 1980s when the Act was drafted. The public sector environment has changed markedly over that period; managing electronic records is now a major issue facing Australian Government agencies and the Archives. Other countries and Australian states and territories have moved to reflect such developments in modernising their legislation. Our Minister has sought advice on the scope of necessary amendments to the Archives Act and this will be a priority for us in the coming year.
Ross Gibbs PSM
Director-General