National Archives of Australia

Encyclopedia : N : NA : NAT : National Archives of Australia

The National Archives of Australia is a body established by the Government of Australia under the Archives Act 1983 for the purpose of preserving Commonwealth government records. Records and historical documents are made in both physical and electronic form.

Contents

1 The Collection
2 Access to the Collection
3 Exhibitions
4 National Directors
5 External links

The Collection

Spanning almost 200 years, the National Archives' collection is a vast and rich resource for the study of Australian history, society and people. Most records in the collection are paper files. But there are also significant holdings of photographs, posters, maps, architectural drawings, films, playscripts, musical scores and sounds recordings.

The collection's main strength is material created since Australia's Federation in 1901 by agencies of the Australian Government, such as departments, royal commissions, statutory authorities, military units, security, intelligence and law enforcement agencies, diplomatic posts and foreign relations.

These are complemented by substantial collections of Commonwealth persons such as governors-general, prime minsters and misters whose records complement the official record.

Access to the Collection

The National Archives' head office is located in Canberra, and there are also offices in each Australian State capital and Territory. Each office has a Reading Room, where people can research the collection. Alternatively, the collection can be accessed via the National Archives website. Much of the collection has been digitised, and can be searched and viewed via RecordSearch and PhotoSearch.

Exhibitions

The National Archives' head office in Canberra houses a permanent exhibition called 'Charters of Our Nation' that bring together two key documents in Australia's history.

The Royal Commission of Assent - the parchment signed by Queen Victoria, which brought the Australian nation into being

The Australian Constitution - drafted by the Australian people, this document forms the basis of Australian law

The National Archives in Canberra also hosts temporary exhibitions, and runs a national touring exhibition program.

National Directors

1944–1968 - Ian MacLean, Chief Archivist

1968–1970 - Keith Penny, Chief Archivist

1970–1971 - Keith Person, Chief Archivst

1971–1975 - John Dunner, Chief Archivist

1975–1984 - Robert Neale, Director-General

1984–1989 - Brian Cox, Director-General

1990–2000 - George Nichols, Director-General

2000–2003 - Anne-Marie Schwirtlich, acting Director-General

2003–current - Ross Gibbs

External links

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