The Tribunal’s work in native title is now more firmly established in Australia’s history after working with National Archives of Australia (NAA) to develop a records authority.
In 2009 the Tribunal and NAA finalised the development of a records authority. This set out the requirements for retaining or destroying Tribunal records for core business activities, for historical, cultural and educational reasons.
Tribunal President Graeme Neate.
Tribunal Corporate Information Services manager Geraldine Merrigan.
National Archives of Australia's Memento magazine - see page 28 of Issue 39 for a story about the Tribunal's contribution to the national archives.
The project has helped the Tribunal comply with legal and regulatory requirements, applicable government standards and policies; better manage resources; improve work accountability practices; and preserve records significant in Australian history.
The project has been completed this year by the Tribunal’s Corporate Information Services (CIS) manager Geraldine Merrigan and key Tribunal staff.
Ms Merrigan said working according to the authority had encouraged the Tribunal to become more strategic in the management of records and, as a result, a new archiving program is being introduced and a review of the Tribunal's records management is also underway.
A large number of Tribunal records have been identified as ‘retain as national archives’, including many documents relating to stories about native title that have emerged since the High Court’s historic Mabo judgments.
Among these are well-known native title cases, such as the Yorta Yorta People’s claim in Victoria and New South Wales, which was launched in early 1994—one of the first claims to be considered under the Native Title Act.
Tribunal President Graeme Neate said these important documents provided a record of the Tribunal’s role in the native title system and the processes it had devised and followed as law and practice changed and matured.
“‘We take pride in knowing that documents we have worked on have been kept as records of this important and ongoing chapter in Australia’s history,” Mr Neate said.
Some Tribunal records have already been transferred to the National Archives and will be accessible to the public when they are more than 20 years old.
NAA’s Memento magazine published a feature story about the Tribunal’s record authority project this month. See the link on this page to read the online version of the article in Memento, page 28, Issue 39. |