Unboxing the rules of storing public records with commercial providers
Where public records are no longer being actively used and managed, Victorian Government agencies may decide to store them in a commercial storage facility.
Agencies can only store records with commercial storage providers which qualify as an Approved Public Record Office Storage Supplier (APROSS). The APROSS programme is managed by Public Record Office Victoria (PROV) to ensure that public records are maintained and continue to be retrievable in appropriate storage conditions.
What records can be stored in an APROSS facility?
Agencies often ask which records can be transferred to an APROSS. Agencies can transfer records which have been sentenced as temporary records at any time. However, it is important to note, prior approval must be obtained from Public Record Office Victoria (PROV) for transferring:
- Records awaiting sentencing.
- State Archives (permanent value records).
Agencies can transfer unsentenced records if they have a plan in place to sentence them, approved by the Keeper of Public Records. PRO 41 Request for Approval of Sentencing Plan, must be submitted to request approval.
Records identified in a current disposal authority as being permanent may only be sent to an APROSS if a plan to transfer the records to PROV has been approved by the Keeper of Public Records. PROV form PRO 42 Request for Approval of Transfer Plan should be completed by the agency and submitted to PROV for approval. The records must only be transferred to the APROSS once approval has been granted.
Agencies are responsible for records in APROSS storage and must take measures to document and track which records are transferred to which location and when. Every agency must therefore document which records are being stored in each box and record where each box is currently located. For more information, please see PROS 11/01 G1 Approved Public Record Office Storage Suppliers (APROSS) Guideline.
Current approved APROSS facilities
The commercial storage suppliers listed on the PROV website have been approved by PROV for the storage of sentenced temporary records, unsentenced records (subject to approval of sentencing plan by PROV), and permanent records (subject to plan of transfer approval by PROV). To join the APROSS programme, commercial storage providers must have their facilities assessed against PROS 11/01 S3 APROSS Specification. APROSS facilities also undergo regular inspections by PROV and submit an annual attestation.
See PROS 11/01 G1 Approved Public Record Office Storage Suppliers (APROSS) Guideline for information about selecting a supplier and what an APROSS storage agreement should cover.
- Carly Godden, PROV Legislation and Policy Officer
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