Outline of the report
The ALRC inquiry was the first major review of the Archives Act 1983 (Cth),which was drafted at a time when Commonwealth government records were predominantly in paper format.
The ALRC found that the quality of recordkeeping by Commonwealth agencies varied widely and was often inadequate.
Traditional recordkeeping methods are now facing enormous challenges from the rapid development of electronic communication and recordkeeping systems. These technological advances raise fundamental issues about which records should be created and how they can be preserved and made easily accessible.
The advent of electronic information will bring great benefits if adequate provision is made for recordkeeping. However, if recordkeeping is neglected and fragmented between incompatible electronic and paper-based systems, the situation will worsen.