Recordkeeping for Flinders Councillors

Presenter : David Bloomfield

Overview

1.Are Councillors’ records State records?

2.Management of Councillors’ records

3.Disposal of Councillors’ records

1. Are Councillors’ records State records?

Any records created, received or sent in your officialcapacity as a Councillor is part of Council's public record, and hence a State record.

Some examples:• Complaints or requests for assistance from

ratepayers and the broader community• Speech notes made for an address given

at a Council event • Declarations concerning a Councillor's

pecuniary interests• A Councillor’s official Facebook page • A Councillor’s official Twitter account• Email

On the other hand

Records that you create, receive or send that are not done in your position as a Councillor are not State records.

Some examples:• Records relating to political issues that are

unrelated to Council business• Personal emails from friends that are

unrelated to Council business• Your personal Facebook page• Your personal Twitter account

2. Management of Councillors’ records

You must create and capture full and accurate records of any business you undertake for Council.

When should you create a record?

• Some records arrive complete, such as email or hard copy correspondence

• Other records have to be deliberately created, such as details of any advice or commitments made during telephone or verbal conversations or via SMS

What should you do?

• Create a file note• Do it as soon as possible!

Where should you send your records?

Records created or received by email or other electronic forms, or in paper format should be forwarded to Council for registration in the Council’s corporate recordkeeping system.

What if the records contain sensitive information?

If records are of a sensitive or confidential nature, you should alert relevant Council staff to this fact so that appropriate security controls can be applied.

The possible alternative to good recordkeeping…Inquiry blames Gosford Council for fatal road collapse

• Adam Holt, Roslyn Bragg, their two daughters and their nephew were killed when a section of the Old Pacific Highway collapsed in June 2007.

• In 2008 the Coroner found Gosford Council responsible for the drowning deaths of the five people.

• An inquiry report into the Council found inadequate reporting practices led to a failure to upgrade road infrastructure leading to the road collapse.

• The inquiry found 800,000 electronic documents were stored on individual computer drives rather than a central database.

• As a result the Council introduced new recordkeeping systems, monitored by the NSW Dept of Local Government

3. Disposal of Councillors’ records

All Council records are covered by an authorised Retention and Disposal Schedule (ref. DA2200)• This schedule has a section specifically

for Councillors’ records (ref. 13.05.00)• Councillors’ records can also be

disposed of under other classes in the schedule (eg. for presentations see ref. 04.01.00)

Keeping track of what’s been destroyed

Councillors or a Council officer will need to complete entries in the Council’s Register of RecordsDestroyed for all records that are disposed of.

Keeping track of what shouldn’t be destroyed

Some Councillors’ records are of Permanent value.• While in Council’s custody, these must

be properly managed• According to the Archives Act 1983 once

they are 25 years old these must be transferred to the Tasmanian Archive & Heritage Office

Thanks for coming and happy recordkeeping!