National Archives of Australia

The National Archives of Australia is an agency established by the Government of Australia. It is an archive, which collects and preserves government records. The national office is in Canberra. It has smaller offices in each state capital and Darwin.

The National Archives were established in 1961. Before this, the Federal Parliamentary Library (now the National Library of Australia) had been responsible for collecting government records since World War I. The Archives Act 1983 was a law passed to protect Commonwealth archives. Under this law, the National Archives are responsible for preserving government records.

The National Archives' collection is made up of records written about Federation, Governors-General, Prime Ministers, Cabinet and Ministries and most of the activities with which the government has been involved. The collection is not open to the public for browsing. Items can be requested for viewing in the reading rooms, and copies of records can be made. Most records over 30 years old are available to the public. Some are released with certain pieces of information deleted. This kind of information includes documents relating to defence and security, private information, and raw census data. Access to information that is culturally sensitivite to indigenous Australians may also be restricted.

Several collections have been made available online. These include all Australian military service records (records of those who served in the military) from the Second Boer War to the Vietnam War. Immigration and naturalisation documents more than 30 years old were made available in 2005.

 References 

 Other websites 

 National Archives of Australia
 History of the NAA 
 Archives Act 1983, at ComLaw
 Documenting a Democracy

Category:Government of Australia
Australia
Category:Buildings and structures in Canberra
Category:Government agencies of Australia
Category:1961 establishments in Australia