Paper by Joanna Sasoon and Gerard Foley
Prior to the Western Australian State Records Act 2000 restrictions on access to records series and individual files were without a legislative basis. Archives could therefore be closed or opened on an ad hoc basis by either agencies or archivists. Without a regime or framework in place within which decisions could be made and, at times, under political pressure, major series of records were restricted and permission to view archives was at the whim of agencies. For many wishing to undertake some kinds of historical research, particularly relating to Indigenous issues, the process could be seen as complicated, cumbersome and lacking accountability. The State Records Act 2000 has provided a framework in which restrictions of material are managed. This new regime shifts the responsibility for defining restrictions on access from agencies to the State Records Commission. This paper will discuss the way in which the State Records Act 2000 has shaped a new regime of managing access and how the State Records Office has been managing consultation with agencies, standard setting and precedents which underpin what is now a rigorous and transparent process.