Stephen Parry (Tasmania, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On behalf of the President, I present a report on access to unpublished documents of the Senate Select Committee on Civil Rights of Migrant Australians. For the information of honourable senators, pursuant to standing order 37(3), I advise the Senate that on 18 June 2012 the President has authorised the National Archives of Australia to provide open access to certain records of the Senate Select Committee on Civil Rights of Migrant Australians, held at the National Archives of Australia. The committee undertook its work in 1973 and 1974 but due to a double dissolution election being held in May 1974 and the committee not being reappointed a final report was not presented to the Senate. Standing order 37(3)(a) enables the President to authorise persons to access and copy unpublished committee records which have been in the custody of the Senate for at least 10 years. The authorisation to open certain records of the committee to public access responds to a request from researcher Ms Kristina Kukolja. Ms Kukolja is preparing a radio feature for SBS radio which will examine the migration and settlement experiences, with a particular focus on Europeans and post-World War II Australia.