Principles, Policies and Standards

Introduction
Principles & Standards
Policies
Guidelines
Policies & Standards Manual
Ordering the Policies & Standards Manual
Glossary of Terms
Further Information

Introduction

In accordance with Section 61 of the State Records Act 2000 the State Records Commission is required to produce principles and standards to govern recordkeeping by State organisations, and to support the implementation and development of agency recordkeeping plans. The principles and standards approved by the State Records Commission represent the core recordkeeping requirements for State and Local Government agencies in Western Australia.

Prior to the development of standards the State Records Office formulated policies, standards and guidelines to promote best practice recordkeeping throughout State and Local Government agencies, which are distinct from the principles and standards produced by the State Records Commission. Policies and standards were developed to assist agencies with changes in recordkeeping that result from changing practices within Government. Issues addressed to date include recordkeeping aspects of the amalgamation or corporatisation of agencies, microfilming of State records, and the management of electronic records. The State Records Office's policies and standards remain current until they are incorporated within the framework of the overarching principles and standards issued by the State Records Commission.

Principles and Standards

Principles and standards established by the State Records Commission in accordance with its requirements under the State Records Act 2000, aim to formalise best practice recordkeeping requirements for State and Local Government agencies. The principles and standards govern aspects of recordkeeping such as the requirements for agency recordkeeping plans, restricted access periods for State archives, and the rationale underpinning the identification of State archives.

The principles and standards approved by the Commission are published in the Government Gazette and are effectively Government regulations, as defined in the Interpretation Act 1984 (WA), that must be complied with by all State organisations subject to the State Records Act 2000.

Development of the principles and standards has been carried out by the State Records Commission in consultation with State and Local Government agencies. To date the following standards have been developed by the State Records Commission:

Additional principles and standards will be released by the State Records Commission from time to time and published in the Government Gazette. The State Records Office will inform State and Local Government agencies of any new principles and standards issued by the State Records Commission.

Policies

State Records Commission Policy - Local Government Elected Members' Records

The State Records Commission has revised its policy statement for the recordkeeping requirements for Local Government Elected Members' records. Local governments are to address the management of elected members' government records in accordance with this policy.

Guidelines

Guidelines established by the State Records Commission aim to formalise best practice recordkeeping in accordance with its requirements under the State Records Act 2000.

To date the following guidelines have been developed and approved by the State Records Commission:

SRC Guideline 1 (withdrawn).
SRC Guideline 2: Storage of State Archives retained by Government agencies (withdrawn).
SRC Guideline 2: Checklist (withdrawn).
SRC Guideline 3. Published as Recordkeeping in Western Australia: Who is responsible?

Additional guidelines will be released by the State Records Commission from time to time. The State Records Office will inform State and Local Government agencies of any new guidelines issued by the State Records Commission.

Draft SRO Guidelines - Request for Comment

There are no documents available for comment at this time.

Policies and Standards Manual

Policies and standards created by the State Records Office have been distributed to State and Local Government agencies as part of the State Records Office publication the Policies and Standards Manual.

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 SRO Guideline: Management of Email Records
State Records Standard 5: Management of Electronic Documents in Networked Computer Environments - Rescinded – refer to SRO Guideline: Management of Digital Records
State Records Standard 6: Management of Electronic Documents in Stand - Alone Computer Environments – Rescinded – refer to SRO Guideline: Management of Digital Records

Ordering Principles, Policies & Standards

Refer to the Recordkeeping Publications page for publications available.

For any queries relating to ordering 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.

Glossary of Terms

A Glossary of Terms used in State Records Commission and State Records Office publications is available for download.

Further Information

Inquiries regarding principles, policies and standards should be directed to the Recordkeeping Services Team on (08) 9427 3371 or via email at sro@sro.wa.gov.au.

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