Protection notices

A protection notice is a formal declaration issued by the State Archivist under section 24 of the Public Records Act 2023 (the Act) when public records are required for an investigative entity. The notice temporarily suspends the disposal of a specified class of public records to ensure they are preserved for examination. The State Archivist takes all reasonable steps to notify affected public authorities, and all current and past protection notices are published below.

If a public authority holds records covered by a protection notice, it must ensure that the specified class of public records is not disposed of for the duration of the notice. A protection notice remains in effect only for the period reasonably necessary for the investigative entity to complete its investigation or inquiry. The expiry date will be specified in both the protection notice and published below.

Once a protection notice is revoked, the disposal authorisation for the specified class of public records is reinstated. Records may then be disposed of in accordance with the relevant retention and disposal requirements, provided they have reached their minimum retention period and are no longer required by your public authority.

Revoked protection notices

No protection notices have been issued by the State Archivist under s24 of the Act.