For the Record - March 2025

This issue:

• eLearning update - distributed SCORM files now available
• Expressions of Interest for PSAC
• Amendments to GA28
• Guidance for councils to implement FA450
• Issue of standards and renewal of Code of Best Practice
• Register for Records Managers Hybrid Forum 18 March 2025
• Public office satisfaction survey
• How are you finding our new website?
• Transfer plans

eLearning update - distributed SCORM files now available

An updated suite of eLearning modules has been available to all public office staff through the State Records NSW training web pages since September 2024.

Since then, we have been testing the distribution of the modules to public offices for embedding in their own Learning Management Systems (LMSs).

Following successful completion of testing, our distributed Sharable Content Object Reference Model (SCORM) files are now available for all public offices.

Detailed instructions and support materials on how to access and use the distributed SCORM files are available at https://www.nsw.gov.au/nsw-government/recordkeeping/training.

The distributed SCORM files:

• Improve accessibility - provide public offices with flexible and readily deployable training content
• Enhance efficiency - streamline the delivery and tracking of training programs
• Ensure consistency - maintain standardised learning experiences across different platforms.

We would like to thank the public offices involved in testing SCORM file compatibility in their local LMSs.

Expressions of Interest for PSAC

We currently have a vacancy for a representative of State-owned corporations to join the Public Sector Advisory Committee (PSAC).

Input from PSAC helps to ensure that both State Records NSW and MHNSW are informed of current issues and the needs of NSW public offices and the advice from PSAC helps us to tailor our advice and services.

PSAC meets up to three times a year, with meetings usually held online via Teams.

If you would like to express your interest in being considered for this role, or would like a copy of the Terms of Reference, please contact  govrec@staterecords.nsw.gov.au.

We encourage you to take advantage of this opportunity to represent the view of public offices (specifically State-owned corporations), as well as to network and collaborate with fellow records and information management professionals.

Amendments to GA28

The Board of State Records NSW recently approved the following changes to General retention and disposal authority: administrative records (GA28):

• Removal of the 1940 date limiter. Previously there was no approval to destroy records created prior to 1940. This has been removed so that any records that are not required as State archives that were created prior to 1940 can be destroyed using the appropriate entry in GA28
• Additional entries for grants distributed by some public offices
• Additional entry for expressions of interest to serve on panels.

An updated version of GA28 will be made available at Administrative records (GA28) from 6 March 2025.

Guidance for councils to implement FA450

As advised in the February edition of For the Record, State Records NSW issued the Functional authority for local government records (FA450) on 14 February.

FA450 replaces the General retention and disposal authority: local government records (GA39) which has been in place since 2011.

PDF, Excel and HTML versions of FA450 are available for download.

We have developed guidance for councils to implement FA450. The guidance includes:

• Mapping tables from GA39 to FA450
• Other disposal authorities that local government can use
• Implementation version (FA450 combined with other relevant disposal authorities)
• Frequently asked questions (FAQs) covering BCS and resentencing.

View the implementation guidance here.

Issue of standards and renewal of Code of Best Practice

Standards and codes of best practice approved by State Records NSW set the requirements for the records management program that every public office must establish and maintain under the State Records Act 1998.

The revised Standard on the physical storage of State records (Standard No. 14) and the revised Standard on records management (Standard No. 15) have been issued to all public offices. AS/ISO 15489:217 has also been renewed as the Code of Best Practice.

Please note that the Standard on the physical storage of State records (Standard No. 13, issued 2019) and the Standard on records management (Standard No. 12, amended 2018) are no longer a requirement under section 13 of the Act . These older standards should no longer be used as benchmarks for records management.

Further information on both standards and implementing the standards in your organisation, as well as the Code of Best Practice, is available at https://www.nsw.gov.au/nsw-government/recordkeeping/policies-and-standards.

If you have any queries about implementing the new standards, please contact us at  govrec@staterecords.nsw.gov.au.

Remember to register for Records Managers Hybrid Forum

Don't miss out on the Records Managers Hybrid Forum March 2025 happening on Tuesday, 18 March at 2:00pm.

Join your public office recordkeeping peers to hear the latest updates from State Records NSW and Museums of History NSW.

Registration for In-person attendance has closed but you can still register to attend this hybrid event online.

Click on the link for more details and to get tickets for the Records Managers Hybrid Forum March 2025 (Online).

• Attend online

Your chance to let us know how we are doing - public office satisfaction survey

State Records NSW and Museums of History NSW (MHNSW) invite all public offices to participate in a joint public office satisfaction survey during March.

This survey offers an opportunity to give feedback on how State Records NSW and MHNSW has provided advice and support throughout the year and ways we can improve.

Click here - Public office satisfaction survey - to complete the survey. It should only take about 10 minutes.

We invite you to circulate the link to staff in your organisation who may be interested in providing feedback.

The survey aims to determine the level of satisfaction with the services both our organisations provide your public office.

This includes your satisfaction with:

• State Records NSW webpages (which recently transitioned to the nsw.gov.au platform) and our enquiry service
• the MHNSW webpages and enquiry service for public offices
• the process of transferring and retrieving records to and from the MHNSW State Archives Collection and making access directions.

The survey will also allow you to suggest topics of interest for the future.

We will use the survey findings to look at how we can improve and provide you with better support in the future.

The survey will be open from Wednesday 5 March to Monday 31 March 2025.

If you have any queries about the joint customer satisfaction survey, please contact  govrec@staterecords.nsw.gov.au.

How are you finding our new website?

Following the transition from the former State Records NSW site we now have two locations on nsw.gov.au.  

The corporate pages - https://www.nsw.gov.au/departments-and-agencies/dciths/state-records-nsw - focus on the role of State Records NSW in providing records management advice, standards, policies, and tools. This includes assisting public offices to meet the policy objectives and compliance requirements of the State Records Act.

The Recordkeeping in government pages - https://www.nsw.gov.au/nsw-government/recordkeeping - are where the bulk of our resources to aid better recordkeeping and compliance are located.

See the screenshots and links below to familiarise yourself with the new structure.

Corporate	State Records NSW
Resources and Guidance	Recordkeeping in government

We hope you have been enjoying our new web pages, and we look forward to hearing your survey results, along with any suggestions for further enhancing your user experience.

Museums of History NSW

Transfer plans

Thank you to all public offices who have submitted a transfer plan. We are pleased to report that we received plans from 76% of the jurisdiction. We are now assessing the information received in the transfer plans. We may be in contact with a public office if we have any follow-up questions about the information provided.

For any public offices who have not yet submitted a transfer plan, you can still do so. Please don’t hesitate to contact the Agency Services team if you need assistance. We can be contacted via transfer@mhnsw.au.