To get you started, we have grouped key information you need to be aware of on how we manage work-related information, data and records.
What you need to know
The State Records Act 1998 defines records as any information you make or receive in the course of your official duties and can be in any format, on any media and from any source including personal devices or personal email addresses.
Examples of records
- digital and physical documents
- briefing notes, reports, presentations and working papers or drafts
- emails and correspondences
- messages sent via SMS, mobile apps or collaboration platforms
- data in business systems.
Requirements
The Act also sets the requirements for how we manage work-related records, information and data in the NSW Government. Briefly these are:
- make full and accurate records of all your work-related activities as part of your daily routine
- secure and protect records
- dispose records legally and appropriately.
You are required to make full and accurate records of all your work-related activities. Many business processes and systems automatically create and manage records. In other situations, such as when you are having MS Teams meetings you deliberately need to make records.
When making records, include:
- a short description
- date and time
- decisions or recommendations made
- advice or instructions given
- information or documentation considered to support a decision or action
- people, teams, or organisations involved.
Save your records in your organisation’s official systems – which may include:
- electronic document and records management systems such as HPE Content Manager or Objective
- online applications and repositories such as Salesforce or Microsoft SharePoint
- on-premise storage such as shared drives or network drives.
To know more read:
You are required to secure and protect records from unauthorised access, alteration or disposal.
You can do this by storing records, information and data:
- in your organisation’s official business systems or apps
- with appropriate levels of security and protection
- somewhere that is easily accessible and easily found by other users.
To know more, read the NSW Government Information Classification, Labelling and Handling Guidelines
Some records can be disposed of or deleted once they've been used, but others must be kept for longer or permanently as State archives.
In some cases, you can dispose of records under normal administrative practice. For more information read Schedule 2 Guidelines on what constitutes normal administrative practice.
In most cases, you are not to destroy any records without authorisation. Check with your relevant records management, ICT or legal areas before you destroy or delete any information.