AGY-1714 | Records Management Office

Full description

Increasing evidence of poor records management practices in the early 1970s led to the establishment in March 1975 of a Public Service Board Task Force to investigate records management in the New South Wales Public Sector. A Records Management Office (under the Public Service Board) was established in 1976, in accordance with the recommendations of the Task Force. In July 1977 the Public Service Board transferred the administration of the Kingswood Repository from the Archives Office to the Records Management Office. (1) In October 1978 an agreement was made with the Public Service Board whereby responsibility for the management of the Records Management Office of New South Wales was transferred from the Public Service Board to the Archives Authority. Late in 1978, the Records Management Office moved with the other branches of the Archives Authority to the new State Archives Building in The Rocks. The Records Management Office did not have formal statutory duties, but carried out a variety of tasks aimed at improving records management within the New South Wales Public Sector and beyond including consultancy services, issuing publications and conducting training courses. During the decade of the 1990's consultancy services ceased and emphasis was directed to the preparation of publications, particularly the drafting of standards for recordkeeping. These latter were to become a statutory obligation under the State Records Act, 1998. By the time of its re-establishment as Government Recordkeeping two standards - Full and Accurate Records and Managing a Records Management program had passed the exposure stage. The Records Management Office and Disposal Services were amalgamated on 4 May 1998 to form Government Recordkeeping. Endnotes
Archives Authority of NSW Annual Report for the year ended 31 December, 1977 p. 3