How to lodge a complaint

To lodge a complaint about NSW State Archives and Records, you can initially contact our Strategy and Governance team at SARA-Coord@records.nsw.gov.au and try to resolve the matter. Please include a contact phone number in your email. Often the most effective and timely approach for resolving customer service matters is to talk to us.

What information should you provide?

When making a complaint you should provide as much detail as possible to assist us to respond appropriately to your complaint. The information you should try to include is:

• your name and contact details
• a detailed description of the matter being reported
• the names of people involved, or who could otherwise assist us to resolve your complaint
• details of any documents, records, witnesses etc, that may assist in the resolution of your complaint
• what you expect NSW State Archives and Records to do about your concern
• any other information you consider relevant.

What to expect from us

Once you have lodged a written complaint you can expect NSW State Archives and Records to:

• protect your confidentiality
• advise you of the receipt of your complaint and how we intend to manage it
• keep you advised of the progress of our management of your complaint
• consult with you on the action we intend to take as a result of the complaint, if practicable
• advise you of the action taken as a result of the complaint
• obtain advice from you on whether you are satisfied with the action taken in response to your complaint.

Reporting Fraud and Corruption

Our corporate values include integrity, trust, service and accountability and these underpin the work we do to prevent fraud and corruption.

NSW State Archives and Records staff are considered public officials. We have a responsibility under the (NSW) Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) Act 1998 to contribute to a culture that does not tolerate corrupt conduct whilst actively supporting a fair and equitable process to prevent, report and investigate acts of corrupt conduct. Allegations or complaints of corrupt conduct against public officials may be reported to ICAC.

NSW State Archives and Records’ fraud or corruption complaint allegations are dealt with under the Department of Planning and Environment’s Code of Ethics and Conduct, Fraud and Corruption Control policy and the Public Service Commission’s Code of Ethics and Conduct for NSW Government Sector Employees

Public Interest Discosures Act 1994 (PID) 

Every staff member of NSW State Archives and Records has an ethical responsibility to report suspected unlawful, corrupt, negligent or improper conduct, maladministration or serious and substantial waste of public money. The Public Interest Disclosures Act 1994 (PID Act) sets in place a system to encourage public official to report serious wrongdoing.

NSW State Archives and Records’ cluster agency DPE has a guide to making a Public Interest Disclosure and a Fraud and Corruption Control Policy which establishes the commitment and framework to support and protect staff who report wrongdoing.

A public interest disclosure is designed to deal with disclosures about serious matters concerning public administration, in particular:

• Corruption – the dishonest or partial exercise of official functions by a public official. Fraud is generally recognised as a form of corrupt conduct. The conduct of a person who is not a public official, when it adversely affects the impartial or honest exercise of official functions by a public official, is also corrupt conduct.
• Corrupt conduct - the dishonest or partial exercise of official functions by a public official. Fraud is generally recognised as a form of corrupt conduct. The conduct of a person who is not a public official, when it adversely affects the impartial or honest exercise of official functions by a public official, is also corrupt conduct.
• Maladministration - conduct that involves action or inaction of a serious nature that is: contrary to law; unreasonable, unjust, oppressive or improperly discriminatory; or based wholly or partly on improper motives.
• Serious and substantial waste of public money - the uneconomical, inefficient or ineffective use of resources, authorised or unauthorised, which results in a loss/wastage of public funds/resources.
• Government information contravention - conduct of a kind that constitutes a failure to exercise functions in accordance with any provision of the Government Information (Public Access) Act 2009. 

Resources

The Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) has definitions and more information on corruption and maladministration.

Audit Office of NSW has guides on managing public money and fraud control.

Further Information

If you are concerned about corrupt conduct or potential corrupt conduct, you can report it to:

The Executive Director’s office
EDO@records.nsw.gov.au or by mail PO Box 516, Kingswood NSW 2747