Recordkeeping guidance for ministers' offices

On this page

• What are State records?
• What are not State records?
• Records management obligations
• Creating and maintaining full and accurate records
• Standard rules to help manage records
• Retention and disposal of records
• Transferring records as State archives to the Museums of History NSW
• Caretaker period

What are State records?

Offices of NSW Government ministers are public offices as defined in section 3(1) of the State Records Act 1998.

Information created or received in the course of official duties by a minister or their staff is a State record.

Records can be in any format, from any source, and on any media. This includes:

• digital and physical documents created or received, using applications such as Office 365, Lotus Notes and G-Suite
• messages sent or received via mobile applications such as WhatsApp
• digital and physical correspondences sent or received
• audio visual recordings of portfolio-related events attended by the minister
• media releases from the minister's office posted on website or social media.

What are not State records?

Political, constituency or personal records are not State records and it is important that these are managed and maintained separately to the minister's official records.

Records management obligations

The State Records Act 1998 (the Act) establishes a number of responsibilities or obligations for Ministers' Offices and their staff. Briefly, these are:

• create and maintain full and accurate records of any official government business
• retain those records for as long as required
• dispose of those records legally and appropriately
• transfer records as State archives to Museums of History NSW (MHNSW)
• authorise public access to records.

Each minister’s office must ensure that it has appropriate systems, policies and procedures in place to meet these obligations. This includes ensuring that all employees are aware of their responsibilities to create and capture records of the official business that they undertake on behalf of or support of the minister.

Creating and maintaining full and accurate records

Records should be created of all meetings or activities related to official business or where final decisions are made on departmental or government policy, operations and business. 

Examples of activities where records should be created and maintained

Common activities and what to document

In creating records, it is essential that information relevant to an activity be documented. A risk assessment should be conducted to determine what level of documentation is required.

Standard rules to help manage records

Emails

1. Group received and sent emails under the following categories:
   • administrative records - Finance, HR, Procurement
   • enquiries from the public
   • official Cabinet records
   • portfolio records (may be grouped according to cluster / agency name / program or project name / events)
   • political / constituency / personal records
2. Delete ephemera and unwanted emails such as subscriptions, spams, agency newsletters
3. Delete personal emails
4. Regularly empty deleted items folders
5. Unsubscribe from unnecessary mailing lists
6. Ask to be taken off group emails that don't apply to the Minister's Office
7. Practice 'only handle it once' (OHIO) method.

Social media accounts

This only applies to the social media accounts of ministers. Only social media posts sent or received during their term of office are State records.

1. Only use official accounts for social media postings as a minister.
2. Keep personal, party or constituency social media accounts separate. Don’t use personal social media accounts for ministerial and portfolio business.
3. If the social media post is publicly available, then it should remain publicly available.

It is also recommended that social media accounts of ministers be verified through the social media site to ensure continued accessibility. The verification badge provided by these sites for high profile accounts provides greater credibility, increased social presence and prevention of identity misuse.

Ministerial network or share drive

Group records created, received or saved under the following categories:

• administrative records – finance, HR, procurement
• enquiries from the public
• official Cabinet records
• portfolio records (may be grouped according to cluster, agency name, program or project name, events)
• political, constituency and personal records.

Retention and disposal of records

General retention and disposal authorities

The General retention and disposal authority: records of a minister’s officepermits Ministerial or Departmental staff to destroy certain records after they are no longer required for administrative purposes.

For financial, personnel and other administrative records, use the General retention and disposal authority: administrative records.

State archives

GDA13 also identifies which records are required to be transferred as State archives to the Museums of History NSW.

The following are examples of records considered as State archives:

• briefing notes and correspondences
• diaries of ministers such as emails and Outlook calendars of ministers, including attachments
• social media content posted or received from the ministers' accounts during their term of office
• media releases.

Official Cabinet records

Follow protocols set by the Cabinet Office Secretariat.

Private records

Records created or received by the minister in their capacity as member of parliament (such as those related to constituency matters), or as a member of a political party or as a private citizen are not State records under the State Records Act.

Manage or dispose of these records in accordance with the wishes of the minister.

Budget, procurement, travel and personnel records

Manage or dispose of these records in accordance with the requirements under the Members of Parliament Staff Act 2013 (MOPS Act) or as set by the Premier's Department.

The following records can be routinely disposed of if no longer required for reference other purposes:

• media monitoring reports
• subscription service updates, alerts and newsletters
• rough notes of meetings and conversations where a formal record has been made
• solicited and unsolicited advertising materials.

Caretaker period

Key records management activities

These are the key activities that ministers’ offices can do before, during and after the caretaker period:

1. Identify and describe types of records held by the minister's office
   • physical records held onsite or offsite
   • ministerial network
   • business systems
   • social media accounts.
2. Remove any encryptions or electronic protections in your documents, workbooks or presentations.
3. Follow protocols regarding official Cabinet records.
4. Separate enquiries and portfolio records from political, constituency or personal records.
   • Transfer enquiries and portfolio records to NSW State Archives.
   • Dispose of political, constituency or personal records at the minister's discretion.
5. Authorise when the public can access records transferred as State archives. This can be done by the minister or delegate by notifying the Museums of History NSW.