The State Records Office of Western Australia (SRO) issues a number of publications to assist staff in State and Local Government organizations with the proper management and disposal of State records.
While publications are developed primarily for use in the public sector, they can also be of value to those working the private sector.
General Disposal Authorities
The SRO has released the General Disposal Authorities (GDAs) for Administrative Records, Human Resource Management Records, Financial and Accounting Records, Local Government Records, and Source Records in PDF format for downloading.
- General Disposal Authority for Administrative Records (2003, amended 2006)
The GDA for Administrative Records is a continuing authority for the disposal of general records that document an organization's routine administration activities. This GDA covers administrative records common to most State Government organizations, thus providing consistency throughout State Government in disposal activities and decisions. - General Disposal Authority for Human Resource Management Records (revised 1999, amended 2001, 2006)
The GDA for Human Resource Management Records is a continuing authority for the disposal of general records that document an organization's routine human resource management activities. This GDA covers human resource management records common to most State Government organizations, thus providing consistency throughout State Government in disposal activities and decisions. The 1999 edition has been fully revised to conform with Keyword AAA file titling thesaurus language. - General Disposal Authority for Financial and Accounting Records (1996, revised 2006)
The GDA for Financial and Accounting Records is a continuing authority for the disposal of general records that document an organization's routine financial activities. This GDA covers financial and accounting records common to most State Government organizations, providing consistency throughout State Government in disposal activities and decisions. - General Disposal Authority for Source Records (2009)
The General Disposal Authority for Source Records is a continuing authority enabling the legal destruction of source records that have been successfully digitized in accordance with the accompanying Digitization Specification. This GDA may be applied by State and local government organizations within WA. - General Disposal Authority for Local Government Records (revised 2010)
This authority supersedes the 1999 version.
The GDA for Local Government Records is a continuing authority for the disposal of records that document a Local Government's operations. The GDA covers records common to most Local Governments, eliminating the need for each Local Government to develop its own retention and disposal schedule.
General Disposal Authorities in Electronic Format
The GDAs for Administrative Records, Financial and Accounting Records, Human Resource Management Records and Local Government Records, are also available for purchase in electronic format.
For further in information on ordering these GDA's in electronic format please visit our General Disposal Authorities In Electronic Format page.
Sector Disposal Authorities
The SRO has released the following Sector Disposal Authority (SDA) in PDF format for downloading.
- SDA for Regional Development Commissions (2011)
The SDA for Regional Development Commissions is for the disposal of records that document the functional activities common to the nine (9) Regional Development Commissions in Western Australia, providing consistency in these organizations in disposal activities and decisions.
Guidelines
- SRO Guideline: Management of Digital Records (2009)
The purpose of this guideline is to assist State organizations in ensuring that State records in digital format (eg word processed documents, spreadsheets, presentations, databases, email etc) are managed in accordance with SRC Standard 8: Digital recordkeeping. See also SRO Guideline: Management of email records. This guideline aims to provide State organizations with the basis of best practice for the management of digital records. - SRO Guideline: Management of Email Records (2009)
The purpose of this guideline is to assist State organizations in ensuring that records created or received in email systems are managed in accordance with SRC Standard 8: Digital recordkeeping. This guideline must be read in conjunction with SRO Guideline: Management of digital records and relevant SRC Standards.
This guideline must be read in conjunction with SRO Guideline: Management of digital records and relevant SRC Standards. - SRO Guideline on Sanitizing Digital Media and Devices (2008, revised 2011)
The purpose of this Guideline is to assist State organizations in ensuring that data stored on digital media and devices has been sanitized ready for disposal upon decommissioning. This Guideline should be read in conjunction with State Records Commission Standard 8: Digital Recordkeeping.
This Guideline supersedes SRO Guideline: Sanitizing of Hard Discs and Magnetic Media (2008). - SRO Guideline: Resentencing Records: Implementing a Revised General Disposal Authority (2010)
The purpose of this guideline is to assist State and local government organizations with the implementation of a revised General Disposal Authority (GDA).
Advice on Cloud Computing
The Australasian Digital Recordkeeping Initiative (ADRI) has launched a new product to assist in managing risks in an emerging technological environment and help protect the integrity of official records. It is a set of guidelines that provide Advice on managing the recordkeeping risks associated with cloud computing.
Cloud computing is an increasingly common business practice, which provides new opportunities and challenges for storing digital records. Often cloud computing is an internet service where data is stored by a service provider which may be outside of Australia and New Zealand territory borders.
The new guidelines released by ADRI are a list of practical measures to advise how government organisations can best utilise this emerging technology.
Directions
To provide clarity on best practice so as to minimise harm to Government archives until such time as they can be transferred to a central archival repository, the Directions for keeping hardcopy State archives awaiting transfer to the State Records Office are provided to assist State organizations to make the best arrangements possible, within their resources, for the safe storage of State archives.
Information Sheets
Information sheets are developed by the State Records Office as a quick guide for organisations on a particular recordkeeping topic. Information sheets are downloadable in PDF format.
- Email Records - this information sheet has been developed to assist State government organisations to identify those email messages, created or received by the organisation, which are State records.
- Local Government Elected Members’ Records – this information sheet has been developed to assist Local Government Elected Members with identifying when records of their activities should be created and forwarded to their local government administration for capture.
- Recordkeeping Responsibilities and You - this information sheet has been developed to assist government organizations to identify employees’ responsibilities to create and keep records relating to their work.
Circulars
Circulars are issued by the State Records Office to provide information to State and local government organizations regarding topical issues.
- Moving Premises – Moving Records – this circular has been issued to assist State and local government organizations in the management of government records and documents when moving premises.
Other Recordkeeping Publications
The following recordkeeping publications are available from the State Records Office in print format:
Records Disposal : A Handbook for Government Agencies (2000)
This handbook is out of publication. For more information, please contact the Recordkeeping Services Team on 9427 3365 or email sro@sro.wa.gov.au.
How to Design a Records Management Procedure Manual (1995)
This manual is out of publication. For more information, please contact the Recordkeeping Services Team on 9427 3365 or email sro@sro.wa.gov.au
Policies and Standards Manual (incremental , launched 1992)
This manual is out of publication. For more information, please contact the Recordkeeping Services Team on 9427 3365 or email sro@sro.wa.gov.au
The policies and standards included in this manual are detailed below:
- Public Records Policy 1 - Disposal Authorities - Rescinded
- Public Records Policy 2 - Standards for Records Management – Rescinded – refer to State Records Commission Principles and Standards
- Public Records Policy 3 - Training for Records Officers - Rescinded
- Public Records Policy 4 - Use of the Intermediate Records Repository - Rescinded
- Public Records Policy 5 - Mail Management - Current
- Public Records Policy 6 - Standards for Public Records in the Amalgamation of Agencies - Current
- Public Records Policy 7 - Standards for Public Records in Agencies which are to be Corporatised - Current
- Public Records Policy 8 - Policy for the ongoing management of electronic records designated as having archival value - Current
- Public Records Standard 1 - Records Management Standards for Document Imaging Systems - Rescinded – refer to the General Disposal Authority for Source Records
- Public Records Standard 2 - Guidelines for the Use of Commercial Repositories - Rescinded – refer to the Department of Treasury and Finance’s Common Use Arrangement for Storage, Retrieval and Destruction of Temporary Records
- Public Records Standard 3 - Guidelines for Microfilming Public Records - Rescinded
- State Records Standard 4 - Management of Electronic Mail (E-Mail) - – Rescinded – refer to the SRO Guideline: Management of Email Records
- State Records Standard 5 - Management of Electronic Documents in Networked Computer Environments - Rescinded – refer to the SRO Guideline: Management of Digital Records
- State Records Standard 6 - Management of Electronic Documents in Stand- Alone Computer Environments – Rescinded – refer to the SRO Guideline: Management of Digital Records
Further Information
For any queries relating to publications, contact Doug Carrie at the State Records Office by telephone on (08) 9427 3365, by fax on (08) 9427 3368, or via email at sro@sro.wa.gov.au.