Files list (Harradine report)

Government agencies must publish indexed lists of relevant files on their websites.

Legislative requirement: Under the Procedural orders of continuing effect, No. 12 ‘Indexed lists of departmental and agency files’, agencies must produce an indexed list of relevant files every 6 months and for tabling before Parliament and publish it on their website.

‘Relevant files’ include those relating to policy-advising functions, developing legislation and matters of public administration.

They don't need to include case-related files (files dealing with individual clients or taxpayers), files related to internal administration of an agency (staff or personnel matters) or files transferred to the National Archives of Australia.

Agencies need to develop an indexed list of all relevant files, including new parts of files created from 1 January 1998.

The index should be organised under the names of the current divisions and branches of the agency and then by file number. Once created, the index must be available from the main agency website home page.