Recordkeeping and committees
Learn about the recordkeeping responsibilities and requirements for public offices when your organisation is part of a committee.
Every public office is involved with a range of committees. Committees coordinate and facilitate a variety of functions undertaken by the organisation.
It is important that recordkeeping procedures are established for each committee that your organisation is involved with, so that records are appropriately created and managed, and disposal is undertaken in an accountable way.
Good recordkeeping procedures allow committee members to have a clear understanding of what they need to do with records of the committee and how to manage duplicate copies of agendas, minutes, and meeting papers. The procedures may differ depending on whether the committee is an internal or external committee. Recordkeeping rules are broadly the same for either type of committee.
Recordkeeping rules
Recordkeeping rules for committees include:
- making and keeping minutes of meetings
- managing the master set of minutes, agendas and business papers of the committee
- managing the disposal of committee records.
These rules should be incorporated into recordkeeping procedures for internal and external committees.
Recordkeeping procedures for external committees
Committee members should determine who will be the secretariat for the committee so that there is a clear understanding about responsibilities for:
- recording the minutes of each meeting of the committee
- managing the master set of minutes, agendas and business papers of the committee
- registering the records into the organisation's recordkeeping system
- disposing of the master set of minutes, agendas and business papers.
| Role of your organisation | Actions |
|---|---|
| Committee secretariat | Establish file titling conventions to distinguish between the different types of records created. For example:
|
| Committee representative | You only need to establish files to hold your organisation's copy of meeting agendas, minutes and other committee papers. |
Role of your organisation Committee secretariat Actions Establish file titling conventions to distinguish between the different types of records created. For example:
|
Role of your organisation Committee representative Actions You only need to establish files to hold your organisation's copy of meeting agendas, minutes and other committee papers. |
By confirming who will be the secretariat for the committee, it is possible to determine who will be responsible for the master set of minutes, agendas and business papers of the committee.
| Role of your organisation | Actions |
|---|---|
| not the secretariat (but provides input into the setting of agendas) | Records will need to be retained within your organisation's recordkeeping system covering such actions and initiatives, administration and correspondence. |
Role of your organisation not the secretariat (but provides input into the setting of agendas) Actions Records will need to be retained within your organisation's recordkeeping system covering such actions and initiatives, administration and correspondence. |
It is important that all records pertaining to committees are registered or captured into the organisation's official recordkeeping system. This ensures that records are:
- accessible to all who require them, subject to any restrictions that may apply
- controlled and managed in accordance with policy and procedures
- secured against tampering, unauthorised access or unlawful deletion
- disposed of promptly in accordance with authorised retention and disposal authorities.
| Role of your organisation | Actions |
|---|---|
| Committee secretariat | Ensure that all records are registered into the recordkeeping system in a timely manner. |
| Committee representative | Ensure that the organisation's representative/s are aware that they are required to register records of their involvement with the committee into the recordkeeping system. |
Role of your organisation Committee secretariat Actions Ensure that all records are registered into the recordkeeping system in a timely manner. |
Role of your organisation Committee representative Actions Ensure that the organisation's representative/s are aware that they are required to register records of their involvement with the committee into the recordkeeping system. |
The disposal of records should be managed within the organisation's disposal program and in accordance with the relevant retention and disposal authorities. Most committee records are covered in the General retention and disposal authority: Administrative records (GA28) under Committees.
You will need to determine the type of committee, for example whether it is an advisory committee, an inter-agency committee, or national committee, in order to determine the appropriate retention period for the records. Please contact State Records NSW for the management and disposal of records of inter-governmental organisations.
Recordkeeping procedures for internal committees
Committee secretary
The secretary is responsible for:
- recording the minutes of each meeting of the committee
- managing the master set of minutes, agendas and business papers of the committee
- registering the records into the organisation's recordkeeping system
- managing the disposal of the master set of minutes, agendas and business papers.
The secretary of the committee should manage the master set of minutes, agendas and business papers of the committee. All other members of the committee should only have duplicate copies of the agendas, minutes, and business papers. Duplicate copies can usually be disposed of under the normal administrative practice provisions of the State Records Regulation 2024, unless there is an operational need to retain them.
The master copy of committee records should be identified as the master set in the organisation's recordkeeping system. It is the responsibility of the secretary of the committee to register all committee records into the recordkeeping system. This ensures that records are:
- accessible to all who require them, subject to any restrictions that may apply
- controlled and managed in accordance with policy and procedures
- secured against tampering, unauthorised access or unlawful deletion
- disposed of promptly in accordance with authorised retention and disposal authorities.