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Public Record Office Victoria (PROV) supports the efficient management and use of public records so that the Government is accountable to the community and the historical memory of the Victorian Government is secure and accessible.

We do this by setting mandatory standards for the creation, access, storage, management and disposal of public records, and developing tools and guidance that assist public officers to apply these standards to records under their control. This is one of our core responsibilities under the Public Records Act 1973 (PR Act). 

PROV's resources, tools and guidance can help you to establish and maintain proper recordkeeping practices within your workplace.

 

How to get started

When you need to establish recordkeeping practices within an organisation, you should begin by identifying the most urgent recordkeeping problems. Once identified, you should develop a plan to address them. You will need to consider the resources that will be required to achieve success, and how much time you will need to implement the plan.

In some organisations, the best approach will be to develop a strategy or an action plan which might then require approval and funding. In others, a better approach could be to select a few improvements and implement them;  this may encourage interest in recordkeeping and help to get approval to implement further actions.  

Success is more likely if you can engage the interest and support of others in the organisation. If there is a committee or working group responsible for information technology, information management, corporate services, risk management or records management projects and programs, seek their buy-in. If none of these exist, consider establishing a recordkeeping working group that you can report to with your progress, issues and outcomes.

 

Recordkeeping basics

A Public Record is any and all information or data captured, created, used, collaborated on, maintained, shared, sent or received whilst carrying out your work in a public office.


Public records can be in any format, which may include:

  • emails
  • meeting minutes
  • posts on social media
  • Teams chats
  • digital or hardcopy documents
  • website content
  • authorisations given via a system workflow
  • information in databases
  • data
  • system generated information like metadata, security or access logs
  • hardcopy files

Records can be formally created and managed, like a legal casefile; or more ad hoc, like notes from a phone call. They also include all work information that is collected using a personal device, like your mobile phone.

Complete PROV's Is it a record? training module to help build your records knowledge.
 

Public offices cannot function without keeping accurate and reliable information about their decisions, actions and agreements. Good recordkeeping keeps us accountable and enhances the trust that the public have in government processes and its officials.

Records:

  • provide evidence of what was done, when, by whom
  • capture why decisions were made, and
  • help us work efficiently and productively.

Public records, information and data are critical to our ability to provide services to the Victorian community. The information we create and keep relates to decisions and actions that impact the lives of individuals and local communities, and they expect that it will be managed properly. 

All Victorian public officers are responsible for creating and maintaining records that show evidence of workplace activities and decisions. These records must be full, accurate, reliable and managed in an appropriate work system.

Victorian public offices have a responsibility under the PR Act to carry out a program to efficiently manage public records and information in accordance with the PROV Standards.

Completing PROV's Recordkeeping Essentials eLearning module can help Victorian public officers (including contractors and volunteers) to better understand their recordkeeping obligations at work.

If you work for a public office, you are subject to the PR Act and must comply with PROV Standards.

The Act defines a public office as:
•    any department, branch or office of the Government of Victoria
•    any public statutory body corporate or unincorporate
•    a State owned enterprise within the meaning of the State Owned Enterprises Act 1992
•    any municipal council
•    any other local governing body corporate or unincorporate


If you’re unsure about the status of your workplace as a public office, you should speak to your manager. 

For records managers

Records management is the design and management of processes and systems to capture full and accurate evidence of an organisation’s activities and ensure they are accessible for authorised purposes and retained for their minmum lawful retention period.

Victorian public offices have a responsibility under the PR Act to carry out a program to efficiently manage public records and information in accordance with PROV Standards.

The head of each Victorian public office has a responsibility under the PR Act to carry out a program to efficiently manage public records and information in accordance with PROV Standards.

Read more about the PR Act and other laws that affect recordkeeping our our Legislation topic page.
 

A good records management program ensures that good recordkeeping practices are in place across the organisation and are built into systems and processes.

A good records management program:

  • is strategically planned
  • is appropriately resourced
  • includes communication and training provisisons
  • is effectively governed
  • has systems in place to address non-compliance.

A good program ensures regular monitoring and assessment of recordkeeping practices, with improvements implemented as necessary. 

The aim is to ensure:

  • full, accurate, reliable and trustworthy records of agency decisions and activities are created and available
  • records are protected from inappropriate access or use
  • records are retained for their minimum required retention period
  • permanent value records are identified and transferred to PROV at the agreed time
  • staff understand and meet recordkeeping obligations.

The PROV Standards apply to data, information and records held in public offices, in all formats, systems and storage environments. The Standards set Principles and Requirements for all aspects of government recordkeeping. Some Standards have associated Specifications, containing more detailed Requirements.

There are Standards for:

  • Strategic Management
  • Operational Management
  • Create, Capture and Control
  • Access
  • Storage
  • Disposal

Read more about PROV's Standards Framework.

Retention and Disposal Authorities (RDAs) are Standards that authorise the disposal of public records.

RDAs:

  • set minimum required retention periods
  • authorise the disposal of public records
  • identify records which have permanent value.

Public offices must transfer digital and physical records identified as having permanent value to PROV to be preserved as State Archives at a time agreed between PROV and the public office.

You can keep up to date the the latest PROV government recordkeeping news by:

PROV also regularly hosts a Records Management Network (RMN) forum event for records professionals across the Victorian Public Sector. Subscribe to the RMN mailing list.

A-Z Topics

Tab file labels ABC

Browse common recordkeeping terms and topics

Online recordkeeping training

hand clicking mouse

Recordkeeping fundamentals training for Victorian government agencies

Records Management Network (RMN)

microphone

Forum for records management knowledge exchange in the public sector

Standards framework

abstract gold shapes

Learn about the PROV standards for the efficient management of public records

How long should records be kept?

coloured documents and question mark

Find guidance about retention and disposal of records

Material in the Public Record Office Victoria archival collection contains words and descriptions that reflect attitudes and government policies at different times which may be insensitive and upsetting

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples should be aware the collection and website may contain images, voices and names of deceased persons.

PROV provides advice to researchers wishing to access, publish or re-use records about Aboriginal Peoples