Recordkeeping Monitoring Exercise FAQ
State Records NSW answers some frequently asked questions about the Recordkeeping Monitoring Exercise (RME).
From 2026, public offices should expect:
- a new mandatory question regarding CEO approval or endorsement of their RME submission
- contact from State Records NSW should the evidence base for maturity levels not be identified as part of their assessment
- verification of RME submissions on a sampling basis.
What is the Recordkeeping Monitoring Exercise?
As noted in the Regulatory Framework and announced in May 2025, State Records NSW conducts biennial monitoring of records management and recordkeeping in NSW public offices. The Recordkeeping Monitoring Exercise will occur in the first half of the relevant year.
Each public office needs to conduct a self-assessment using the Records Management Assessment Tool (RMAT) and submit the results of the assessment to State Records NSW. This is the primary way that your organisation is able to meet its reporting obligations under section 12(4) of the State Records Act 1998.
RME results give State Records NSW an overview of the state of recordkeeping in NSW Government.
State Records NSW will contact all public offices about making a submission ahead of the 2026, 2028 and 2030 Recordkeeping Monitoring Exercises. If your organisation has not been contacted, please contact State Records NSW for further information on govrec@staterecords.nsw.gov.au
Will there be a Recordkeeping Monitoring Exercise in 2026?
Yes. The Recordkeeping Monitoring Exercise will run from 2 to 27 March 2026. The following RME will be held in 2028.
How do I make a submission?
Public offices need to enter the results of their RMAT assessments using the online form available in the Service Portal.
Further information on using the Service Portal will be available in the Service Portal User Guide [coming soon].
I don’t think my organisation can meet the deadline, can we have an extension?
If extenuating circumstances prevent your ability to lodge a submission by the deadline, please contact State Records NSW at govrec@staterecords.nsw.gov.au
What should I use to make my assessment?
You will need to download the Records Management Assessment Tool (RMAT) (available in Word or Excel format) and complete the assessment. The results of your assessment will need to be submitted to State Records NSW via the Service Portal.
If you have queries about the assessment process or the results, please feel free to contact us at govrec@staterecords.nsw.gov.au
Do I need to provide evidence to support my assessment?
As the RMAT is an evidence-based assessment, you must identify the evidence that supports your answers for each question. You are not required to provide copies of that evidence to State Records NSW unless otherwise requested.
Where RME submissions do not identify the evidence base for chosen maturity levels, we will contact public offices to seek further information. From 2026, State Records NSW will verify RME submissions on a sampling basis.
We are a very new government organisation and don’t have any records that are 20 years old. How do we answer question 19?
Even if you don’t have records that are 20 years old, we ask you to consider access arrangements. More information about making access directions is available from Museums of History NSW.
Please note that the maturity levels for question 19 in the RMAT have been amended to reflect the changes to the State Records Act (which came into effect on 1 January 2024) and the mandatory standards (that were issued on 14 February 2025).
When and where will the results of the Recordkeeping Monitoring Exercise be published?
We publish the results of each Recordkeeping Monitoring Exercise on our website (through the State of recordkeeping in NSW report) and in our Annual Report. Reporting is at an aggregate or summarised level (i.e. by type of public office or by cluster). No public office will be identified in the reporting.
The State of recordkeeping in NSW report for the 2024 Recordkeeping Monitoring Exercise is now available.
Reports on the 2023 and 2022 Recordkeeping Monitoring Exercises are also available on our website.
Benchmarking information can be found in the downloadable copy of your public office's RME submission, available in the Service Portal.
A scorecard indicating your public office's performance and opportunities for improvement is sent to the chief executive of your public office.
Are there any plans to use a public office’s submission for any other purpose?
No.
The data will be used for the purposes of enabling State Records NSW to regulate recordkeeping, and to assist us in understanding where actions need to be taken or further guidance developed to improve recordkeeping across the jurisdiction. Individual public office data will not be shared.
As noted in the Regulatory Framework for the State Records Act 1998, State Records NSW needs to have a clear view of how well each public office is performing against the records management requirements established in the State Records Act and the standards issued under the Act. RME reporting enables us to identify if there is an issue affecting a number of public offices and using that information to look at what advice or guidance may be required to assist public offices.
Will any other organisations be able to see my submission?
No.
When your organisation makes its submission to State Records NSW, only your organisation and the staff of State Records NSW (who are bound by a code of conduct and confidentiality agreement) can see the submission. No other public offices will be able to view or use your organisation’s data.
State Records NSW will update each organisation’s submission with the overall records management maturity score and benchmark data so you will be able to view your organisation's data and its performance against the benchmarked aggregate.
What happens if a public office does not meet the benchmark in all or some areas?
If we have concerns about a public office having issues or being at risk of failure, then we will be contacting the individual public office to discuss the issues.
Please note; State Records NSW's goal is for the results of the Recordkeeping Monitoring Exercise and the RMAT to assist public offices in improving their recordkeeping performance; it's not just about reporting to State Records NSW on compliance with the State Records Act.