The State Records Act 1998 came into effect in 1999, replacing the Archives Act 1960.
Key records management provisions of the Act require public offices to:
- make and keep records that fully and accurately document their operations and administration
- establish and maintain a records management program in conformity with standards and codes of best practice approved by State Records
- ensure that records are stored in conditions appropriate to their format and preservation requirements
- ensure that records held in digital or other technology dependent formats are accessible for as long as they required.
Other key parts of the Act include provisions governing the disposal of records, a statutory basis for a right of public access to records more than thirty years old, and the transfer of records required as State archives to the custody and control of State Records.