The Territory Records Office sits within the ACT Heritage Library and Territory Records Office Branch and brings together two of the ACT's key cultural institutions. The Office assists Territory agencies to meet their records management requirements as set out in the Territory Records Act 2002 and provides policy leadership, strategic direction and support on information governance across the ACT Public Service. It also protects, promotes and provides access to archives and other collections that document the history of the ACT Government and our region.

The main purposes of the Territory Records Act 2002 are—

1. To encourage open and accountable government by ensuring that Territory records are made, managed and, if appropriate, preserved in accessible form; and
2. To support the management and operation of Territory agencies; and
3. To preserve Territory records for the benefit of present and future generations; and
4. To ensure that public access to records is consistent with the principles of the Freedom of Information Act 2016 .

History of the Territory Records Office

The ACT Archives Project began in February 1998 when the ACT Government decided to undertake an inquiry and feasibility study into the establishment of an ACT Archives for the protection of historical documents and objects with some key archives able to be displayed at the Canberra Museum and Gallery.

In April 1999 the ACT Government released the ACT Archives Project Issues and Options Paper to seek the advice of the community in relation to the wide range of issues that needed to be considered in relation to the creation, management, access and preservation of the records of the ACT Government. A seminar was held in the Legislative Assembly Building in May 1999 organised by the Australian Society of Archivists and the former Records Management Association of Australasia (now Records and Information Management Professionals Australasia) to focus attention on the issues under discussion in the Issues and Options Paper. The seminar proceedings were published by the Australian Society of Archivists and are available on the ASA web site.

Professional associations, community organisations and individuals responded to the community consultation. The ACT Archives Project used all of these community responses in the development of policies to provide a whole of government approach to archives and records management throughout the ACT Government. On 16 May 2000, Brendan Smyth MLA, the then Minister, announced that the ACT Government would implement a whole of government approach to archives and records management.

On the 18th January 2001, the Minister released the Exposure Draft and Explanatory Memorandum of the ACT Government's new Territory Records Bill 2001. The Government wished to encourage as much feedback as possible before the Bill was presented to the Assembly for debate and sought public comments on the Exposure Draft of the Bill up to Friday 30 March 2001. On the 21st June 2001 legislation was introduced into the ACT Legislative Assembly. This Legislation was not passed before the end of the then Government's term of office and therefore lapsed.

On 11th April 2002 Legislation was introduced into the ACT Legislative Assembly by the then Minister for Urban Services Bill Wood MLA, for the management of Territory records. This Legislation was debated and passed in the Assembly on 4th June 2002. The Media Release, Ministers Tabling Speech are available here.

The Territory Records Advisory Council met on Monday 4 June 2012 to recognise the achievements of the previous ten years since the passage of the Territory Records Act 2002.  The highlights and achievements of both the Act and the staff of the Territory Records Office are set out in the attached document prepared for that meeting of the Council: The first ten years of the Territory Records Act 2002 to 4 June 2012.