How the National Archives works
The National Archives of Australia is an agency of the Australian Government, established under the Archives Act 1983. Our head office and exhibition spaces are in Canberra and there is an office and reading room in each state capital and Darwin.
Governance
The National Archives is an Executive Agency within the Prime Minister and Cabinet portfolio, reporting to Senator the Hon. Joe Ludwig, the Cabinet Secretary and Special Minister of State. The National Archives of Australia Advisory Council provides advice to the Minister and to the Director-General of the Archives.
Our work
The National Archives Executive team provides leadership across the organisation. The Director-General of the National Archives is Ross Gibbs.
He is supported by a leadership team comprising:
- Margaret Chalker, Government Information Management
- Karen Sheppard, National Coordination (acting)
- Stephen Ellis, Operations and Preservation
- Anne Lyons, Access and Communication
- Cheryl Watson, Corporate Services
Staff of the Operations and Preservation branch ensure that the national archival collection – in formats that include paper, audiovisual and digital – is controlled and described and that it remains stable and accessible over time. They also maintain the administrative history of the Australian Government so that records can be related to their original context. There are conservation laboratories in Canberra, Sydney and Melbourne.
Staff of the Access and Communication branch raise awareness of the collection through exhibitions, education programs, events, publications and websites. They also provide services to help researchers find relevant records, obtain copies and explore the collection in greater depth.
Staff of the Government Information Management branch provide records management standards and advice for government agencies.
For more detail about our branches and sections, see the organisation chart (PDF – 184kb). Our corporate publications will give you another perspective on our work.
You may also like to know – and help determine – which records we'll digitise next.
And of course, you are welcome to contact us.
Resourcing and reporting
In this section you can also find information on: