Managing Public Records and Archives

Once information is posted on a school website it is public information and a record of information at a point in time. In the future a school may need to either refer or access information that was available at a point in time. Managing information on your website is important for access purposes.

Key points to remember about this compliance are:

• A public record can be in any medium.
• As such, electronic records are public records.
• All digital records created or received in the conduct of Department of Education and Training (DE&T) businesses are public records under the Public Records Act 1968.

Schools also need to consider how to manage electronic records with the same attention as paper records and must not destroy any electronic record except under an approved disposal authority issued under Section 12 of the Public Records Act 1968.

The Business Manager in your school generally manages the administration files and may be able to answer queries about the standards and disposal schedules of the Public Records Act.