Our purpose

We provide leadership in best practice management of the official record of the Commonwealth and ensure that Australian Government information of enduring significance is secured, preserved and available to government agencies, researchers and the community.

Our work strengthens trust in democracy and improves government transparency and accountability by connecting Australians to government decisions and activities.

Our activities

Enable

We enable best practice information management by Australian Government entities.

We are trusted advisers in information management requirements to Australian Government entities. We engage with agencies to support them to create and keep records of government activities and decisions. 

We:

• provide stewardship for the whole of government on information management policy, through implementing the Building trust in the public record policy
• lead and set government information management standards, ensuring that information management products, advice and standards are fit for purpose
• help Australian Government agencies in compliance with the Archives Act, and assess information management maturity across the Commonwealth through the annual Check-up survey to all agencies.

Secure

We secure and preserve nationally significant Australian Government information.

We preserve the most significant records of the Australian Government and authorise disposal of records with no ongoing value to government or community. 

We:

• work with Australian Government agencies to identify records, both physical and digital, of enduring national significance for transfer to National Archives
• identify and prioritise the digitisation of records that are at risk of loss or damage, in particular records of importance to First Nations peoples
• provide stewardship of the nation's archival collection.

Connect 

We connect Australians to the national archival collection.

We make the national archival collection accessible to the public, to enrich and inform Australians of who they are today and into the future. 

We:

• create innovative and audience-centric programs and services to engage the public and create awareness of the national archival collection
• prioritise and describe more of the national archival collection to ensure it is discoverable, accessible and usable
• connect First Nations peoples with the national archival collection in a safe and culturally appropriate way.