Jane Prentice (Ryan, Liberal Party, Assistant Minister for Social Services and Disability Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It is with great pleasure that this year I place again on record my appreciation to the coalition and the House of Representatives for giving me the privilege of serving as their representative on the National Archives of Australia Advisory Council. My continued tenure on the council allows me to pursue my contribution in ensuring the essential records of government are secure and remain accessible for future generations.

The National Archives of Australia can be best described as the memory of our nation. In this era of fake news, it has never been so important to preserve and collect government records which reflect our Australian history and our identity. With a collection tracing the events and decisions that have shaped the nation and the lives of Australians, the Archives also play a key role in helping to ensure the Australian government and its departments are effective and accountable to the people. I congratulate Mr David Fricker on another successful year as Director-General of the Archives. David has provided leadership and direction to ensure that the National Archives of Australia remain successful in their vital operations. In fact, it was only on Tuesday this week that I was pleased to attend the Archives' release of the 1994 and 1995 cabinet documents, with special guest the Hon. Kim Beazley.

This past year has been significant for Archives, with the official opening of the National Archives Preservation Facility. This will provide storage for approximately 25 per cent of the extensive collection. Housing more than 104 kilometres of paper records and more than nine kilometres of audiovisual records, the facility ensures the preservation of irreplaceable collections. Fifteen million records were successfully relocated to the facility.

The Archives continue to remain in significant standing in the international community. Reaching agreement with the National Archives of Japan, we returned many thousands of company trading records that were seized during World War II—3,300 boxes of documents, created by Japanese companies in Australia between 1899 and 1941, that provide an insight into the personal and business lives of Japanese living in Australia at the time. This is the largest donation of its kind accepted by the National Archives of Japan, a symbol of the valued and ongoing friendship and collaboration between our two countries.

Efforts to grow public interaction with the collection will continue, with significant enhancements to the Archives' web presence along with programs and services that are increasingly delivered online. The ever-important digitisation of archival records continues to be an ongoing challenge. I sincerely thank all those involved in the National Archives of Australia and particularly acknowledge the contribution made by the members of the advisory council, chaired by Dr Denver Beanland. The National Archives of Australia is of paramount importance in ensuring Australia's history is retained for future generations.