On the record

By Staff Writer

The Australian Government’s Management Advisory Committee (MAC) recently released a report called Note for File: A Report on Recordkeeping in the Australian Public Service.

It responds to the challenge faced by the Australian Public Service (APS) agencies in managing records given the complexity of information in the modern world, changes in technology and the sheer volume of material that agencies are required to process.

Note for File examines what recordkeeping is, and why it is important that the public service does it well. The report has a practical focus, emphasising that not all documents created in the APS are of high value or need to be managed corporately.

It focuses on ‘important or useful’ records that are of real importance to the APS’s business and accountability requirements. 

Australian Public Service Commissioner, Lynelle Briggs, says appropriate recordkeeping is essential in the modern APS at all levels. Agency heads and corporate leaders need to ensure that practical systems are developed and implemented within agencies, and all employees need to incorporate good recordkeeping practices in their day-to-day work.

To assist agencies with promoting the importance of effective recordkeeping, a summary guide has also been developed for wider circulation to APS employees.

There are also eight case studies on the MAC website providing practical  examples of how agencies are tackling the challenges of good recordkeeping.

For more see www.apsc.gov.au/mac