Marise Payne (NSW, Liberal Party, Minister for Human Services) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the senator very much for his question. It is very helpful to have his interest in the issues of the Department of Human Services in the chamber. What I would really like to do this afternoon is to set the record straight on this particular matter given what are disappointing and, frankly, completely irresponsible misrepresentations of the facts by those opposite.

In general, records management is changing with technology. That is hardly a revelation. Since July 2012, the department has kept all its new Centrelink records electronically. The number of paper files that we have and the workload that goes with that have decreased significantly. Because the need for traditional records management facilities in the department has been reducing we have been reviewing the way we manage our records. For example, if a lease comes up for renewal—and call me crazy!—the records management properties area in the department quite rightly considers the sustainability of that site. In some cases we have got record management centres which are merged—

Senator Cameron interjecting—

with others or are transferred to the department's outsourced records management service provider located in Australia, Iron Mountain Australia Privately Limited—

Senator Cameron interjecting—