Jane Prentice (Ryan, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It is now ten months since I was honoured by the House of Representatives by their appointment of me to the National Archives of Australia Advisory Council. I have had big shoes to fill, as the previous representative, the member for Fairfax, served in this position for 14 years. Despite leadership changes in 2011, with both a new chairman and our previous director-general, Ross Gibbs, now taking on the position of state director in the Melbourne office, the acting director-general, Dr Stephen Ellis, and his team have overseen a very active and successful year. The highlight of course was the announcement that the National Archives had been awarded the very prestigious 2011 UNESCO/Jikji Memory of the World Prize for innovation in preserving digital records and heritage documents. The award recognises the National Archives' innovation in this area, their willingness to share research results and their professional leadership. The award also recognises the National Archives for its investigation into the conservation issues surrounding parchment documents written in iron gall ink, which are vulnerable to iron gall corrosion. The effects of this ink on paper have been widely researched but the effects on parchment only rarely investigated. Some of the most important records the National Archives holds are on parchment.

As I have commented before in this place, the National Archives has long been recognised internationally for its leading role in digitising records and in information management. Another impact on the operation of the National Archives was the amendments to the Archives Act 1983, approved by parliament in May 2010, which reduced the closed period for most Commonwealth records from 30 to 20 years, and for cabinet notebooks from 50 to 30 years. The examination of records was prioritised to support the accelerated release of cabinet records required by these amendments. One item of discussion and debate which will no doubt be of interest to my colleagues is the definition of a Commonwealth record and, given the multiple roles played by a minister, whether some records they receive or create will be official records or personal papers. We have also seen public discussion about the release of defence records, which has caused considerable privacy concerns among ex-servicemen and ex-servicewomen and their families.

There has been an ongoing program of co-locating state and territory offices since the policy was announced in February. The co-located Adelaide office commenced operation in April, Hobart commenced in October and Darwin has signed an MOU.

In addition to the normal demands on their time, the National Archives were delighted to receive a call from Yarralumla requesting an historic composite of the Queen's previous visits to Australia, which I understand was most appreciated and proved very popular.

The National Archives Advisory Council is well served by experienced and talented members who make a genuine contribution. There are many challenges confronting the National Archives in the years ahead, not the least of which is the huge increase in the volume of digital records being produced by Commonwealth agencies. The most recent surveys, conducted in 2008 and 2009, revealed over 1,000 kilometres of physical records still in agencies.

I particularly enjoyed my first visit to Darwin in July with the advisory council, which coincided with Constitution Day activities and the launch of the National Archives' publication Commonwealth Government Records about the Northern Territory.

Whilst the previous year has been incredibly active and no doubt challenging for the dedicated National Archives staff, 2012 is looking even more exciting. In August 2012, due in no small part to the leading role played by the National Archives, Australia will be hosting the International Council on Archives conference. I know that Aladin Rahemtula is looking forward to welcoming everyone to Brisbane for this major event.

Madam Deputy Speaker, I sometimes think the National Archives is one of our best kept secrets. Located in the original Canberra Post Office, it is a genuine treasure-trove and should be on the must-do list for anyone visiting Canberra. I strongly encourage any members who have not been there to make it a priority in the new year.

I wish to place on record my appreciation to Dr Stephen Ellis and fellow council members for the wonderful contribution they make.