A range of policies govern the National Archives' operations and projects:

• Archival Control Model
  
  In 2019 the National Archives undertook a review of the CRS system resulting in an updated Archival Control Model that allows for more flexibility in managing Australian Government records in all forms. We are in the process of transitioning to this new model under the CRS system.
• Conservation policy
  
  The National Archives' functions include the conservation and preservation of the existing and future archival resources of the Commonwealth. It ultimately aims to keep Commonwealth records accessible forever.
• The CRS System – the Basis for Descriptive Work in the National Archives
  
  The Commonwealth Record Series (CRS) system is the archival control system the National Archives has used since the early 1960s to classify and control Commonwealth records.
• National Description Policy
  
  The National Archives lists and describes its holdings so they are controlled in order to facilitate their care, management, storage, retrieval and use by government agencies and researchers.
• Digital Preservation Policy
  
  We ensure the long-term preservation and accessibility of Commonwealth records created or managed in a digital format.
• National Disaster Preparedness and Recovery Strategy for Archival Records
  
  This strategy comprises plans which assist staff prepare for, respond to and recover from incidents that affect archival records we hold. It seeks to prevent damage to records held by the National Archives and lessen the impact of damage if an incident occurs.
• Policy for Review of Commonwealth Records in the National Archives of Australia's Custody
  
  The National Archives reviews its holdings to identify and remove from its custody Commonwealth records no longer assessed as having archival value and other non-archival value records in our care.
• Policy for Transfer of Commonwealth Records into the National Archives of Australia's Custody
• Preservation Digitisation Standards
  
  Digitisation is an effective tool to preserve records at risk of being lost if they are held on unstable media or subject to technological obsolescence. The Preservation Digitisation Standards set out the National Archives standards for digitisation of physical records of archival value in all formats.
• What we keep: Principles for selecting the Australian Government's national archives
  
  This statement outlines the selection principles and associated considerations that underpin the National Archives’ decisions for selecting Australian Government information for inclusion in the national archival collection.
• Distributed Custody Policy
  
  This policy sets out the conditions and arrangements under which records which are identified as archival resources of the Commonwealth may be held by institutions other than the National Archives.
• Disposal of records in National Archives' custody following digitisation policy
  
  This policy outlines the framework for the disposal of records in National Archives' custody following digitisation. It specifies the categories of records which may be disposed of' and the requirements which must be met in order to ensure the proper care of the archival resources of the Commonwealth.

We accept into custody only Commonwealth records and other material of archival value and enduring national significance.