How to destroy records

The destruction and transfer of public records must have authorisation from the State Archivist. You can usually get this authorisation through a retention and disposal schedule. Sometimes authorisation may be provided through another legal authority.

You also cannot sell, donate, abandon, damage, or amend a record without authorisation.

Find out how to manage the destruction of records.

1. Benefits of a regular disposal program

Records destruction should be included in your policies and procedures as part of your agency’s overall recordkeeping system. This will help you:

• reduce storage costs
• avoid problems of managing and storing vast quantities of records
• use your resources efficiently
• identify what digital records need to be migrated  to new systems or new storage media
• find records by reducing their volume
• find records that have permanent value to the State and can be transferred to Queensland State Archives
• promote confidence in efficient public administration and prevent corruption
• ensure records are destroyed in a routine, transparent and timely way.

2. Before you destroy

Before you destroy records, you must:

• have authorisation to dispose of records from the State Archivist
• seek endorsement from your agency’s CEO or authorised delegate
• check that records are no longer needed for ongoing business (talk to the relevant business area)
• check that the records are not required for any Right to Information (RTI) requests
• ensure records are not required as evidence for any current or pending legal action (the destruction of evidence is an offence under the Criminal Code Act 1899)
• check that no disposal freezes have been issued for the records
• consider any other potential reason to retain records. You may need to do a risk assessment if they relate to a high-profile issue (e.g. asbestos).

3. Authorisation to dispose of records

You must have authorisation before records can be disposed of. This authorisation allows you to either destroy records after a set period of time or transfer archival value records to QSA.

The disposal of records without authorisation from the State Archivist is an offence under the Public Records Act 2002.

How disposal authorisation is given

Retention and disposal schedules

Authorisation is usually given through a current retention and disposal schedule approved by the State Archivist.

Using a current schedule means you do not need further authorisation from QSA before destroying records.

Note: Records created before 1950 and records older than 25 years do not need to be referred to Queensland State Archives prior to destruction as long as the disposal authorisation is current. Records can be referred to QSA if you feel they are of significant or permanent value and are not listed as such in a current schedule.

Disposal authorisation number

Before 1 September 2016, disposal authorisation was issued to an entire retention and disposal schedule using a Queensland disposal authority number (QDAN). Lawful disposal was demonstrated by referencing the QDAN, version number and record class reference number.

From 1 September 2016, disposal authorisation is assigned to a class of records, which is allocated a specific disposal authorisation number. You can use this number to demonstrate that disposal has been authorised.

A retention and disposal schedule will still be issued, but schedules will no longer be published with a QDAN.

The web version of a retention and disposal schedule will always have the latest changes and include the date last updated.

QSA publishes a change history table (XLS, 29 KB) and emails a quarterly change report to agency contacts.

Other means of disposal authorisation

Other types of authorisation, such as a judge’s direction, may override the need for authorisation from the State Archivist. Check with your legal team or QSA before disposing of any records where authorisation has not been given by the State Archivist.

4. Internal endorsement to dispose of records

You must have endorsement from your CEO or their authorised delegate before you can destroy records.

The endorsement will need to include details about the records being destroyed such as description, disposal authorisation, and date due for destruction.

To record this endorsement, use the sample memo of disposal approval (DOC, 273 KB) and the sample destruction log (DOC, 355 KB)or your normal approval processes.

Your agency’s CEO can choose to delegate the endorsement for records disposal. Find out about valid delegations of records disposal authority.

Standing endorsement

Your CEO or authorised delegate can set up a standing endorsement for a specific set or group of records (e.g. 2008–09 timesheets) and for a certain amount of time (e.g. disposal carried out in 2015–16). This allows you to destroy those records efficiently without seeking endorsement each time.

See an example of when a standing endorsement might be appropriate.

When setting up a standing endorsement you need to work out:

• what records to include and why
• if there are any risks associated with ongoing endorsement (if a risk assessment shows there are major risks, a standing endorsement is not appropriate)
• what period of time the endorsement will last–yearly or six monthly endorsements may be appropriate
• ways to monitor changes to retention periods (e.g. changes to record classes in the GRDS) so endorsements are cancelled and new ones issued
• how to complete your usual checks before destroying the records (e.g. making sure the records aren’t needed for business or legal reasons, and that a disposal freeze has not been issued)
• how to document the destruction of records.

See an example of assessing whether to use a standing endorsement.

5. Methods of destruction

The destruction of records must be done securely.

The most appropriate method will depend on the format and security classification of your records, the methods available, and whether you need a commercial destruction service.

The destruction of records should take place as soon as possible after the endorsement has been given.

Physical records

Paper and physical records can be destroyed in 3 ways.

Shredding

Choose a method suitable for the document’s sensitivity e.g. use cross shredding in a 2 axis shredder for sensitive documents.

Check what happens to the shredded paper once the destruction has taken place. There is a risk of destroyed records being recreated, especially if material is recycled.

Office shredders should only be used for shredding transitory and short term retention records.

Pulping

A secure method of destruction if carried out appropriately.

Burning

Records can be burnt in an industrial incinerator subject to local environmental conditions (may be appropriate in regional areas if other methods of destruction are unavailable).

Burying records is not an option because of the risk of them being rediscovered or recreated.

Digital records and storage media

Pressing 'delete' or reformatting a disk simply removes the link to records; it may not remove data. Digital records need to be sanitised to ensure no information can be recovered. This also applies to any devices with storage (computers, mobile phones) before they are sold or otherwise disposed of.

There are 4 main methods of destroying digital records.

Overwriting

Commercial and open source software is available for the secure overwriting of data.

Purging

Use the ‘secure erase’ feature built into some devices to completely purge information from the device.

Degaussing

Commercial degaussing units can be purchased—degaussing should only be conducted by trained and authorised personnel.

Physical destruction

This usually involves physical disintegration or pulverisation, chemical destruction and incineration.

This method may need to be carried out by a commercial destruction service that is capable of securely destroying the media and disposing of the waste.

The physical destruction of digital media should only be conducted by trained and authorised personnel.

Choose the best method

The method of sanitisation necessary to appropriately destroy digital public records will depend on the data’s sensitivity and the type of storage media.

Using a commercial destruction service

When using a commercial destruction service, your agency remains responsible for ensuring the records are securely stored, transported and destroyed.

Your service contract should require that records are securely transported and destroyed as soon as possible after their arrival at the destruction site.

Find out about the Queensland Government’s records destruction arrangement.

6. Document the destruction of records

You must document the destruction of records.

The only exception is if records are classed as transitory or short term under the GRDS and have not been registered in your agency’s recordkeeping system.

You must keep this information as proof that they were lawfully destroyed. It may be required in response to RTI requests, court proceedings or an audit. It does not need to be referred to QSA.

If you are using a commercial destruction service you will need to obtain evidence of secure destruction from the service provider.

As a minimum, the documentation should include:

• evidence of current disposal authorisation

• a description of the records and date range
• evidence that the disposal was properly approved, for example an email from the CEO (or authorised delegate)
• evidence of how records were destroyed, for example a certificate specifying the method, place and date of destruction and details of the staff or contractor who carried out the destruction.

To record destruction, update your agency's recordkeeping solution or adapt our templates.

• Sample destruction log (DOC, 355 KB)–a destruction log entry can cover all of the records authorised for destruction under a single record class (you do not need a log entry for each document that is destroyed).
• Sample memo of disposal approval (DOC, 273 KB)–demonstrates that the relevant business areas and the CEO/authorised delegate approve the records to be destroyed.
• Sample certificate of destruction (DOC, 271 KB)–provides evidence of the method of destruction and that a responsible officer witness witnessed the destruction.

7. Disposal freezes

A disposal freeze overrides any earlier disposal authority given by the State Archivist for the relevant period. Freezes can be internal (issued by your agency’s CEO or delegate) or issued by the State Archivist.

Disposal freezes are issued when it is necessary to temporarily stop the destruction of records (e.g. when records are required for legal proceedings or commissions of inquiry). They are issued for a set period of time, although they may be open ended if an end date can’t be determined.

Internal Disposal Freezes

Before issuing an internal disposal freeze, undertake a risk assessment and/or seek legal advice to determine if one is needed and which records it should cover.

See an example of an internal disposal freeze.

State Archivist issued disposal freeze

The State Archivist may issue a disposal freeze for a particular agency or for certain records. If this occurs, we will consult with impacted agencies and inform all relevant parties.

See our Disposal Freeze Policy. (PDF, 345 KB)

Current disposal freezes

The State Archivist has not issued any current disposal freezes.

The previous disposal freeze concerning official departmental copies of Executive Council Minutes, issued by the State Archivist on 18 December 2015, was revoked on 1 September 2016. The State Archivist formally notified affected agencies of this revocation.

Check with your agency for internal freezes.

What to do if a disposal freeze is issued

If a disposal freeze is issued you are responsible for ensuring any records covered by the freeze are not destroyed during the freeze.

You should:

• identify which records are impacted by the freeze
• tell impacted employees of their obligations
• keep documentation to show that you have acted to prevent the destruction of affected records.

8. Early or one-off disposal authorisation

Early disposal authorisation

Early disposal authorisation is for records already covered by a retention and disposal schedule.

In certain circumstances you can apply to the State Archivist to dispose of a specific class or group of records early (e.g. when decommissioning a business system).

To apply for early disposal of records, the records:

• must already be allocated as temporary under an approved retention and disposal schedule

and

• have less than 5 years remaining before they would normally be eligible for disposal.

Apply for early disposal authorisation

One-off disposal authorisation

One-off disposal authorisation is for records not covered by a retention and disposal schedule.

You can apply for disposal authorisation for any records:

• likely to have a short-term retention period (less than 5 years)

OR

• have less than 5 years remaining on their likely retention period.

You will need to complete a high-level appraisal of records to determine how long the records are likely required to be kept in order to meet business, legal, social, historical and other needs.

High-level appraisal of records

Use the appraisal matrix (DOC, 393 KB) to determine the value of the record and the possible retention period. Records will either have short-term or long-term value.

To do this, you will need to understand the:

• the business processes that the system supports
• the records created as part of those processes
• how and why they are used in the immediate, medium and longer term.

Process mapping may help to identify relationships between records and business processes, as well as stakeholders.

You will need to consult with all relevant stakeholders and document the feedback and rationale to support your application for disposal authorisation.

Look at the retention and disposal schedules of other agencies that carry out similar activities to help you determine the value of records.

See also the QSA Appraisal Statement (PDF, 243 KB) to help identify which records have permanent or long-term value.

Apply for early or one-off disposal authorisation

To apply for early or one-off disposal authorisation, complete the application for early or one-off disposal authorisation (DOC, 309 KB). This form should be signed by your agency’s Chief Executive or authorised delegate and emailed, with supporting documentation, to the State Archivist at rkqueries@archives.qld.gov.au.

We assess applications using the evidence that you provide of the:

• future business value of the records
• results of the high-level appraisal (for one-off disposal authorisation)
• technical condition of the relevant systems (if decommissioning)
• legality of early disposal (e.g. that you will not be in breach of legislation if disposed early)
• justification for the request.

QSA may seek additional information or clarification from you.

Disposal authorisation will not be granted automatically and will not be given for any permanent archival value records.

If your application is approved, the records can be destroyed.

If your application is refused, the records must be kept and preserved for their full retention period.

9. Dispose of source records

Note: This applies to source records as part of migration or decommissioning business systems. Find out about disposal of physical records following digitisation.

Source records need to be kept for a period of time following migration to allow time to perform quality checks and ensure the migration was successful. This amount of time should be based on your agency’s risk assessment done during the migration or decommissioning process.

Consider any other legal or business continuity issues that may influence the further retention of the source records.

General access to source records should be restricted to prevent accidental alteration. They must also be stored and managed appropriately until they can be disposed of. This is necessary to ensure that they remain accountable, well-managed records and can be used again if the migration was not successful.

The source records can be disposed of using the General Retention and Disposal Schedule for Digital Source Records. This schedule includes minimum requirements that must be met before disposal can take place.

The disposal of source records must be endorsed by the CEO or authorised delegate and must be documented.

Find out how to destroy digital records.

The migrated version of the record must be managed and retained for the full retention period.

10. Donation of records

Some agencies may wish to donate particular records to a local history society or museum.

Public records cannot be disposed of without the authority of the State Archivist. This includes selling, donating, giving away or the transfer of temporary or permanent public records to a local history society or museum.

A local government can transfer records to a local government-owned entity (such as a library), as the records remain within the custody of the local government.

Any transfer of records to a non-government organisation would need to be authorised by the State Archivist.

If records have already been transferred to an external local history society or museum, or it is being contemplated, contact QSA to discuss possible options relating to the transfer.

11. Resources and tools

• Mythbusters #1: retention and disposal (PDF, 288 KB)
• Application to dispose of damaged public records (DOC, 309 KB)
• Application for early disposal authorisation (DOC, 309 KB)
• Notification of lost public records (DOCX, 273 KB)
• Sample certificate of destruction (DOC, 271 KB)
• Sample destruction log (DOC, 355 KB)
• Sample memo of disposal approval (DOC, 273 KB)
• Management of public records (corruption prevention advisory)