Our Service Charter sets out the standards of service you can expect from us. We strive for service excellence.
Our website
The National Archives of Australia website will be available 99% of the time.
Applications for access
We are required under the Archives Act 1983 (the Act) to release information in the open access period unless it is exempt. We aim to respond to applications for access as quickly as possible. When you submit an application, we are required under the Act to notify you of an access decision within 90 business days of receiving your application.
If you have more than 25 current applications for access, we may extend the period within which the National Archives has to notify you of a decision. We will advise you of any extension to the due date.
Where we need advice from another agency about ongoing sensitivities in records, there may be delays in making a decision.
If we cannot give you access to all or part of a record, we will give you reasons for our decision and advise you of your appeal rights.
Where you have asked us to reconsider a decision to withhold records from public access, we are required to respond within 30 business days.
Digital copies
We aim to make digital copies of paper records (up to A3 in size) that have been released for public access available on RecordSearch within 30 business days of receiving your paid order.
Requests for digital copies of World War II service records may take up to 90 business days if they first need to be examined for public access. Once examined, copies will be made available via RecordSearch.
Visiting a research centre
Before visiting a research centre, please submit a request to view records. Please place your order for records at least five business days before you plan to visit.
If you have a large number of records you wish to view during your visit, please contact us prior to submitting your request to discuss.
We will confirm your visit date and whether the records are available. Preservation issues may delay access to some records.
Enquiries about the collection
We aim to respond to enquiries about the collection within 30 business days.
Archives staff can guide you to resources that answer your questions and can give you general information about accessing the collection.
If your enquiry is complex, or relates to records in non-standard formats, (such as audiovisual records), we will let you know if there are any delays and suggest search strategies or other resources.
Monitoring our service standards
Each year we report on our performance against these service standards in our Annual Report.
We review our Service Charter at least every 3 years or in response to significant or unforeseen circumstances.
Tell us how we are doing
We welcome your feedback and suggestions to help us improve our services. You can:
- complete our survey
- send us an email
- talk to a staff member at one of our research centres
- fill out the following form