Approved Public Record Office Storage Supplier (APROSS): Information for agencies

What is APROSS?

An Approved Public Record Office Storage Supplier, also known as APROSS, is a commercial storage facility which has been appointed by the Keeper of Public Records under section 12 of the Public Records Act 1973 for the storage of Victorian public records in physical formats. To become an APROSS, a commercial storage facility must be assessed by PROV as meeting the requirements of PROS 20/02 S1 APROSS Specification. 

Victorian public offices can only store physical format public records in a facility not controlled by them, if that facility has been certified as an APROSS. While stored in an APROSS, public records remain under the control of the agency which has responsibility for them. This means the head of the public office is responsible for the records and must ensure the APROSS manages the records appropriately. This would usually be done through a contract or agreement between the agency and the APROSS facility.

 

What records can be moved to an APROSS facility?

 

Agencies can move the following categories of records to an APROSS facility for storage:

Category of records	Actions allowed under the Storage Standard
Records determined to have temporary value	Move to APROSS at any time
Records where retention requirements have not been determined	Cannot be moved to an APROSS until the retention requirements have been determined
Records determined to have permanent value	Cannot be moved to an APROSS. Exemptions to this may be granted by the Keeper of Public Records or their delegate. If an exemption is granted, the agency must comply with the conditions set by PROV.

 

Selecting an APROSS

Agencies should confirm the site is certified by PROV as an APROSS.

Please note that many commercial storage providers operate across multiple sites, and that not all sites may be certified as an APROSS. 

Agencies should obtain legal advice prior to signing a contract. At a minimum, the contract should specify:

• Any special requirements for the records
• Access arrangements
• Security arrangements
• Exit fees (including permanent retrieval)
• Setup costs and ongoing management fees.

The agency should confirm with their insurance provider that all records stored in APROSS facilities are covered.

Refer to PROS 11/01 G1 APROSS Guideline for more information.

 

Current approved APROSS facilities

The commercial storage suppliers listed below have been inspected and approved by PROV for the storage of physical format records:

Please note:

Zirco Data facility at 35-36/9 Ashley Street, West Footscray is closed and no longer an APROSS. Records have been relocated to their other Footscray facilities.

TiMG facility at Abbotsford is closed and no longer an APROSS. Records have been relocated to their Laverton facility.

Iron Mountain facility at Dandenong is closing in January and records formerly held at the facility relocated to other facilities.

Grace Records Management facility at 61 Wigg Street Wodonga has been replaced by their facility at 23 Kane Road Wodonga.

LV Security facility at 19 Leesons Road Traralgon is no longer an APROSS facility.