The National Archives of Australia has officially released its next whole-of-government information management policy, Building trust in the public record: managing information and data for government and community.

The Building trust in the public record policy identifies key requirements with supporting actions for continuous improvement in how the Australian Government (Cwth) manages its records, information and data.

David Fricker, Director-General of the National Archives, says, ‘As the lead government authority on records and information management, we have developed a policy that supports Commonwealth agencies to meet their obligations under the Archives Act 1983, and, most importantly, produce records that can be trusted and relied upon by current and future generations.

‘The policy maintains a strong emphasis on governance, fit-for-purpose information management systems and practices, and reducing information management inefficiency and risk. These objectives are critical to ensuring public resources are managed effectively, improving service delivery and customer service outcomes, and enabling evidentiary and accountability obligations to be met.’

The policy also supports other Australian Government agendas including digital transformation, Australian Public Service reform, and maximising the use of Australian Government data.

Building trust in the public record will come into effect on 1 January 2021 and will remain in place until 2025. It will replace and build on the achievements of the current information management policy, Digital Continuity 2020 which ends on 31 December 2020.

To assist agencies implement the policy, the National Archives will progressively release a range of practical tools and supporting advice throughout the policy period. Details are available on the National Archives’ website.

David Fricker: ‘Building trust in the public record will ensure that the Australian Government, and the people of Australia, continue to have a public record that can be trusted for all current and future uses.’

Available for interview

David Fricker, Director-General, National Archives of Australia