Recordkeeping for public office employees

Learn the key requirements for managing work-related records under the State Records Act 1998 for public office employees and explore essential resources for effective state records management and good recordkeeping practices.

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Your responsibilities

Your responsibilities include creating accurate records, securing them, and disposing of them legally.

Requirements

The State Records Act also sets the requirements for how we manage work-related records, information and data in NSW public offices. 

Briefly these are:

  • make full and accurate records of all your work-related activities as part of your daily routine
  • secure and protect records
  • dispose of records legally and appropriately.

Public offices

Public offices are public sector bodies such as NSW Government agencies, local councils, local health districts, state owned corporations and universities.

Examples of records

Records are any information you make or receive in the course of your official duties, in any format, on any media and from any source including:  

  • digital and physical documents
  • briefing notes, reports, presentations and working papers or drafts
  • emails and other correspondences
  • messages sent via SMS, mobile apps or collaboration platforms
  • data in business systems.

‘Each public office must make and keep full and accurate records of the activities of the office’.

State Records Act 1998

Create and capture

Make full and accurate records

You are required to make full and accurate records of all your work-related activities. 

Many business processes and systems automatically create and manage records. In other situations, such as capturing discussions in an online meeting, you need to make records.   

When making records, include:

  • a short description
  • date and time
  • decisions or recommendations made
  • advice or instructions given
  • information or documentation considered to support a decision or action
  • people, teams, or organisations involved.

Save your records in your organisation’s official systems – which may include:

  • electronic document and records management systems such as Micro Focus Content Manager 
  • online applications and repositories such as business operation systems or Microsoft SharePoint.

Useful resources

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Secure and protect records

You are required to secure and protect records from unauthorised access, alteration or disposal.

You can do this by storing records, information and data:

  • in your official records and document management system
  • in your organisation’s official business systems
  • in mandated electronic storage with appropriate levels of security and protection.
Information Classification, Labelling and Handling Guidelines

Dispose records legally and appropriately

Some records can be disposed of or deleted once they've been used, but others must be kept for longer, or even permanently as state archives.

In some cases, you can dispose of records under normal administrative practice.  

For more information read Schedule 2 Guidelines on what constitutes normal administrative practice.

Importantly, you should not destroy any records without authorisation. Check with your records and information management team that such authorisation exists before you destroy or delete any information.  

Recordkeeping responsiblities

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Chief executives

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Records and information managers

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Senior responsible officers

For changes to your organisations chief executive, senior responsible officer or records and information management

Please email govrec@staterecords.nsw.gov.au with the following information:

  • name
  • email address
  • telephone number
  • role: chief executive, senior responsible officer or records and information management contact
  • name of the public office.
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