Image: Bidgee [CC BY-SA 3.0], vai Wikimedia Commons
Inquiry by federal watchdog finds administration lacked direction and policy oversight
The National Archives of Australia has been “largely ineffective” in its administration of a federal digital information management policy, according to report by the auditor-general’s office in Canberra.
It says the NAA did not develop a communications strategy to explain its role to other government departments and agencies, and policy oversight “was not maintained”.
The Australian National Audit Office looked at the NAA’s role in administering the government’s Digital Continuity 2020 policy, which was launched in 2015. The policy aimed to ensure that digital records were managed as an information asset that records and explains the government’s performance.
The NAA, which describes its role as being “the memory of the nation”, is responsible for preserving federal government records, including cabinet notebooks, government correspondence and immigration records. Its records are widely used by academic researchers.
The ANAO is a government agency that acts as a watchdog with regular audits of government departments, agencies and their performance in delivering policy initiatives.
In a report published on 31 October, the ANAO found the NAA had been “largely ineffective in monitoring, assisting and encouraging entities to meet the targets” of the digital records policy.
“Appropriate governance arrangements to provide strategic direction and oversight of the policy were not maintained,” the report says.
“The Archives does not have a stakeholder engagement and communication strategy and does not effectively target entities requiring additional assistance to implement the targets of the policy. Risks to the implementation of the Digital Continuity 2020 policy are not being effectively identified, managed or reported.”
It also found that the NAA had not “maintained consistent priorities, objectives and targets in relation to its work on the implementation of the policy”.
The report makes five recommendations concerning the NAA’s performance. They are: improving administration of the policy; developing a communications strategy; creating a risk management plan; introducing effective performance measures to evaluate progress in meeting policy targets; and developing measures to ensure the accuracy of reported data.
The NAA has accepted the recommendations. In its reply to the report, the agency says it welcomes the ANAO findings and will review its monitoring and evaluation processes.