Transcript Document

Information Management
Overview for Local Government
Allegra Huxtable
Manager Government Recordkeeping
Tasmanian Archive and Heritage Office
Overview
•Why is recordkeeping important
•Types of records
•Recordkeeping responsibilities
•When you should make records
Managing Information is Everybody
Responsibility
•Managing records is everybody's responsibility
•All types of documents are records, email,
websites, plans, CAD Files
•All Local Government records are State Records
•Councils Records Management Policy based on
legislation
Council Records are State Records
•Managed using a Retention and Disposal Schedule
•It is illegal to destroy a State record without the permission of
the State archivist.
•Do not destroy, alter or delete records unless authorised to
do so.
And that includes email!
Good Recordkeeping is good Governance
•Poor recordkeeping is a business risk
•Good recordkeeping is essential for good
government and good business
Right to Information Act 2009
•Replaced the Freedom of Information Act
•Created a framework of disclosure of
information for the Tasmanian Community
•Mandates proactive release of
information - people have a right to
information about there government
agencies
Inquiry blames Gosford Council for fatal road collapse
Posted Mon Mar 16, 2009 4:32pm AEDT
The section of the Old Pacific Highway collapsed during heavy
storms in the region. (ABC TV)
An independent inquiry has blamed a local council for a road
collapse that killed a family on the New South Wales
central coast in 2007.
Adam Holt, Rosyln Bragg, their two daughters and their
nephew were killed when a section of the Old Pacific
Highway collapsed during storms at Somersby in June
2007.
Late last year, a coroner found Gosford Council responsible for
the drowning deaths of the five people when the section
of road caved in.
The Coroner recommended an inquiry into the organisation.
The report into Gosford Council found its inadequate
reporting practices were a major factor which resulted in
the collapse.
The report shows the council's poor procedures led to a
failure to upgrade some of its key road infrastructure which led to the road collapse.
The inquiry found 800,000 electronic documents were stored
on individual computer drives rather than a central
database.
The council is introducing new systems and their
implementation will be monitored by the Department of
Local Government.
Port Phillip Council could not properly manage Triangle - Ombudsman
The St Kilda Triangle site as it stands today.
THE Ombudsman has slammed Port Phillip Council’s handling
of the now-defunct St Kilda Triangle development.
Ombudsman George Brouwer’s report, released today, said
the council had “poor record-keeping” and that conflicts
of interest were not correctly identified during the
planning stages under the previous council.
“The council’s poor procurement and contract management
practices were highlighted during my investigation into
the St Kilda Triangle,” Mr Brouwer said.
“I also question whether the City of Port Phillip had either the
capacity or the expertise to manage the tender process.”
The report, released together with an investigation into the
Kew Cottages development, made 18 recommendations
to the State Government, some around contract
processes.
It also recommended that the council, the Department of
Human Services and Major Projects Victoria “review
their file management practices in relation to
procurement processes to ensure the standards meet
the requirements of the Public Records Act 1973”.
The present council voted to “kill” the development in
December last year, with a payout of $5 million going to
the Citta Property Group
Why
Good information management
• Improves operational efficiency
• Supports accountability
• Supports consistent delivery of services
• Aids discovery for reuse of information
• Supports business continuity in event of a
disaster
• Supports access over time for business use and
corporate memory
Types of Documents/Records
Records and documents created or received by the
department can generally be divided into three different
types:
Business Documents –
which relate to the business of the department and
must be retained as a record;
Short-term value documents –
documents which are used to facilitate departmental
business but are of a trivial nature or of such short-term
value that it does not support or contribute to the
business functions of the department;
Personal documents for an individual employee which have no relevance to
the business of the agency.
Examples
Business Documents:
final reports, discussion papers, policies, procedures,
memos, email documenting decisions or actions as a
part of your work
Short term value Documents:
copies of documents created by other business units
HR, Finance, ITS, meeting appointments
Personal Documents:
your CV, receipt from paying your phone bill, emails
about lets do lunch!
Who is responsible?
•All staff at Council have a recordkeeping
responsibility
•Individual employees should create
records which adequately document the
business activities in which they take part
Recordkeeping responsibilities
Organisational responsibilities
• Records Management Policies
• Recordkeeping Systems
• Recordkeeping Review
So what should you do?
•Make records to support what you do
•Put your records in your recordkeeping system.
•Outlook is not a recordkeeping system
•Network drives are not a recordkeeping system
What you shouldn’t do
•Delete, destroy or alter records without authority
•Remove records without permission
•Lose or misplace records that are in your care
•Provide inappropriate access to restricted records
When should you make a record?
You need to make a record to show:
•what happened
•What was decided or recommended
•What advice or instruction was given
•When did it happen, i.e. the date and time of the event
•Who was involved
•The order of events and/or decisions
Unsure?
•Does it relate to my work
•Did I write or send it in the course of my
work
•Am I required to act on it
•Is it official correspondence I have received
•Is it something I have used to do my work
or reach a decision
So where should you keep
records?
Records are assets belonging to the
council, do not hoard them!!
Keep them in your recordkeeping
system!
Questions
Email [email protected]