Commonwealth Numbered Regulations - Explanatory Statements

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ARCHIVES REGULATIONS (AMENDMENTS) 1995 NO. 260

EXPLANATORY STATEMENT

STATUTORY RULES 1995 No. 260

Issued by the Authority of the Minister for Communications and the Arts

Archives Act 1983

Archives Regulations (Amendments)

Section 71 of the Archives Act 1983 provides in part that the Governor-General may make regulations for the purposes of the Act, including regulations in relation to charges for the provision of prescribed discretionary services for persons other than Commonwealth institutions. In accordance with s.71, Archives Regulations (Amendment) 11 of Statutory Rules 1990 No.393 enables the Archives to charge a person other than a Commonwealth institution for the provision of discretionary services. The charges for discretionary services are listed in Part 2 of Schedule 1 of the Archives Regulations.

It is considered appropriate to increase charges, remove some categories of chargeable services, and include a new category. The reasons for these amendments are set out as follows.

The charging rates for services were fast adjusted in 1991. The amendments are based on the annual Department of Finance deflator figures for adjusting the running costs of Commonwealth agencies from 1 July 1991 to 30 June 1994 together with the estimated figure for 1994-95. These have now accumulated to a 9.3% increase over the current level of charges. The overall increase in charges under the amendment is 10%. The increase will still mean that the Archives is operating on a partial cost recovery basis.

The amendment removes the charge for the use of containers for transport of records to the Archives and their subsequent storage. The Archives will now provide archival containers free of charge for records of long term value. This change is in accordance with the strategic direction of the Archives to devote more resources to higher value records and to accept limited classes of short term temporary value records into custody.

Items 16 - 20 of the existing Schedule are also removed. These items relate to the handling of and access to petroleum data records held by the Archives. Under arrangements entered into between the Archives and the Bureau of Resource Sciences, all services for these records except for storage space will be provided by the Bureau.

A new category has been added to the Schedule to cover the bulk withdrawal of records from custody for purposes other than for sentencing them to established retention periods. This category will allow partial recovery of costs associated with the physical handling and administrative tasks involved with such withdrawals.

The amendments to Part 2 of Schedule 1 of the Archives Regulations will ensure that charges for services to persons other than Commonwealth institutions may continue at appropriate rates for financial year 1995-96.

The proposed Regulations will commence on gazettal.


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