Introduction
Every organisation in the NSW Public Sector has an involvement with a range of committees. Committees coordinate and facilitate a wide range of functions undertaken by the organisation.
It is important that recordkeeping procedures are established for each committee that your organisation has an involvement with, so that the appropriate records are created and managed properly, and disposal is undertaken in an accountable way.
Good recordkeeping procedures allow committee members to have a clear understanding of what they need to do with records of the committee and how to manage duplicate copies of agendas, minutes, and meeting papers. The procedures may differ depending on whether the committee is an internal or external committee. The recordkeeping rules are broadly the same for either type of committee.
Back to topRecordkeeping rules
Recordkeeping rules for committees include making and keeping minutes of meetings, managing the master set of minutes, agendas and business papers of the Committee, and managing the disposal of committee records. These rules should be incorporated into recordkeeping procedures for internal and external committees.
Back to topRecordkeeping procedures for external committees
Committee secretariat
Committee members should determine who will be the Secretariat for the committee, so that there is a clear understanding about responsibilities for:
- recording the minutes of each meeting of the Committee
- managing the master set of minutes, agendas and business papers of the Committee
- registering the records into the organisation's recordkeeping system
- disposing of the master set of minutes, agendas and business papers.
| If your organisation is... | then... |
|---|---|
| the Secretariat of the Committee | you should also consider establishing file titling conventions to distinguish between the different types of records being created, for example: actions and initiatives; administration and correspondence; agendas and business papers; agenda briefings. |
| not the Secretariat (just a representative on the Committee) | you will just need to establish files to hold your organisation's copy of meeting agendas, minutes and other committee papers. |
Manage the master set of minutes, agendas and business papers of the Committee
By confirming who will be the Secretariat for the Committee, it is possible to determine who will be responsible for the master set of minutes, agendas and business papers of the Committee.
| If your organisation is... | then... |
|---|---|
| not the Secretariat (but provides input into the setting of agendas) | records will need to be retained within your organisation's recordkeeping system covering such actions and initiatives, administration and correspondence. |
Registering the records into the organisation's recordkeeping system
It is important that all records pertaining to committees are registered or captured into the organisation's official recordkeeping system. This ensures that records are:
- accessible to all who require them, subject to any restrictions that may apply
- controlled and managed in accordance with policy and procedures
- secured against tampering, unauthorised access or unlawful deletion
- disposed of promptly in accordance with legal authority.
| If your organisation is... | then... |
|---|---|
| the Secretariat of the Committee | ensure that all records are registered into the recordkeeping system in a timely manner. |
| not the Secretariat (just a representative on the Committee) | ensure that the organisation's representative/s are aware of that they are required to register records of their involvement with the Committee into the recordkeeping system. |
Manage the disposal of records
The disposal of records should be managed within the organisation's disposal program and in accordance with the relevant retention and disposal authorities. Most Committee records are covered in the General Retention and Disposal Authority: Administrative Records under COMMITTEES.
You will need to determine the type of committee, for example whether it is an advisory committee, and inter-agency committee, or national committee, in order to determine the appropriate retention period for the records. These guidelines are not intended to cover the management and disposal of records of inter-governmental organisations, for example, the Border Rivers Commission or the Murray Darling Basin Commission. The management and disposal of these records must involve consultation between the relevant State or Territory archival authorities. Separate disposal authorisation for these records must be sought from State Records.
Back to topRecordkeeping procedures for internal committees
Committee secretary
The Secretary is responsible for:
- recording the minutes of the each meeting of the Committee
- managing the master set of minutes, agendas and business papers of the Committee
- registering the records into the organisation's recordkeeping system
- managing the disposal of the master set of minutes, agendas and business papers.
The Secretary of the Committee should manage the master set of minutes, agendas and business papers of the Committee. All other members of the Committee should only have duplicate copies of the agendas, minutes, and business papers. Duplicate copies can usually be disposed under the normal administrative practice provisions of the State Records Act, unless there is an operational need for the duplicate copies.
The master copy of Committee records should be identified as the master set in the organisation's recordkeeping system. It is the responsibility of the Secretary of the Committee to register all committee records into the recordkeeping system. This ensures that records are:
- accessible to all who require them, subject to any restrictions that may apply
- controlled and managed in accordance with policy and procedures
- secured against tampering, unauthorised access or unlawful deletion
- disposed of promptly in accordance with legal authority.
Published 2005
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