Our organisation
The National Archives' head office and exhibition spaces in Canberra.
The National Archives of Australia was established under the Archives Act 1983 as an executive agency of the Australian Government.
The organisation sits within the Arts portfolio, reporting to the Minister, the Hon Tony Burke MP.
Like all government agencies, the National Archives is accountable to the Australian people.
Advisory Council
The National Archives of Australia Advisory Council has the role of advising our Minister and Director-General on matters of relevance to the Archives.
Leadership team
The Director-General and executive provide leadership to the organisation. Each member of the leadership team has responsibililty for one of the Archives branches which work together to meet the organisation's goals.
An Australia-wide presence
You can visit the Archives in all state and territory capital cities. Our head office and exhibition spaces are in Canberra, and all centres offer public reading rooms where visitors are able to examine original records. Some offices are co-located with the state or territory archives, providing one-stop public access. The Archives collection is housed in several repositories located around Australia. We offer a high standard of service as outlined in our Service charter.
The Archives' offices in Melbourne, Adelaide and Hobart are co-located with state archival institutions, providing researchers with access to both state and Commonwealth records from shared reading rooms. The Archives is working with the Northern Territory Archives Service towards achieving co-location in Darwin in the second half of 2012.
Guides to Commonwealth records in co-located offices, or relating to the relevant state or territory, will assist researchers in accessing collection material. Collections in Melbourne. A Guide to Commonwealth Government Records (2003) is a guide to records held in Melbourne. Commonwealth Government Records about the Northern Territory was launched on 1 July 2011. A guide to Commonwealth records relating to South Australia is currently in preparation and work is about to commence on a guide to Tasmanian records.
