FAQ

First, you need to confirm if the data is a record. If it is, there are some additional requirements to ensure we protect University information and meet our legal obligations in managing it.

Data is information in a basic or structured form that can be stored, processed, or analysed.

Examples include:

• Numbers in a spreadsheet
• Entries in a database
• Sensor readings
• Research datasets
• Student or HR system fields
• Analytics logs

Data becomes a record when it provides evidence of UNSW business activity and/or is required for legal, administrative, or accountability purposes.

At UNSW, a record is any information created or received during University business that provides evidence of decisions, actions, transactions, or activities.

It doesn’t matter what format it’s in — email, Teams chat, database entry, document, spreadsheet, audio recording, photo, or system log — if it documents University business, it is a record.

As a NSW public office the University is required, by the NSW State Records Act 1998, to make and keep records of its activities. This Act sets out the conditions for managing these records, including when and how to lawfully destroy them.

If the data is not a record of University activities, and you are not aware of any other requirement that it be retained, you may go ahead and destroy it without the need for further consideration.

Any time we destroy a record at UNSW, it must be:

• Authorised (linked to a GA and no longer required for business purposes.)
• Secure (irreversible)
• Documented (who, what, why, when)
• Not under audit, complaint, investigation, or legal hold

You need to:

1. Identify and document the records proposed for destruction.
2. Match each record to the appropriate General Authority (GA) retention schedule.
3. Verify that the minimum retention period has been met.
4. Confirm the records are no longer required for ongoing business purposes.
5. Confirm the records are not required for any current or anticipated legal matters, audits, investigations, or other inquiries.
6. If the records are High Risk or High Value, submit the destruction list to Records & Archives for approval. It will be assessed and returned with approval to destroy.
7. If the records are not High Risk or High Value, submit the destruction list to Records & Archives, who will retain it as evidence of lawful destruction.
8. Securely destroy the records in accordance with approved disposal methods.

To document that records were lawfully destroyed you must capture as a minimum:

• Who - undertook the destruction
• What - records were destroyed, title and date ranges
• Why - GA references that permitted destruction
• When – the records were destroyed

There isn’t a single document that tells us how long to keep every type of record. Instead, the University follows instructions from State Records NSW, called General Retention and Disposal Authorities, which define the minimum period of time each type of record must be kept.

A GA (General Retention and Disposal Authority) describes how long different types of records must be kept and when they can be legally destroyed. (The minimum retention period.)

A GA authorises NSW public offices to destroy records once this minimum retention period has been met.

UNSW primarily uses two GAs:

1.      GA28, Administrative Records. 

Applies to corporate functions such as:

• HR
• Finance
• IT
• Estate Management
• Workplace Health & Safety

2.      GA47, Higher, further education and research records.

Applies to university‑specific functions such as:

• Research
• Student administration
• Teaching & learning
• Academic governance

Minimum retention periods are the shortest amount of time UNSW is legally required to keep a record before it may be destroyed. These timeframes come from General Retention and Disposal Authorities (GAs). Even when the minimum period has passed, records may be kept longer if they’re still needed for business, legal or compliance reasons.

A retention trigger is the event, date, or milestone that determines when the minimum retention period for a record begins. These are located with the minimum retention periods within GAs.

It marks the point that “starts the clock” for how long UNSW must keep a record before it can be legally destroyed or archived.

High-value, high risk records are UNSW documents that are especially important for legal, financial, operational, reputational, or historical reasons.

The University maintains a High Risk High Value Records Guideline of functional classifications for commonly identified high value and/or high risk records.

If these records are lost, changed, or not available when needed, UNSW may be at risk from compliance breaches, failed audits, financial loss, legal issues, or losing important knowledge about the University’s history.

Because of their importance, these types of records usually have long retention periods and are subject to additional controls, including stricter approval requirements for destruction.

High value records, information and data assets are those that enable the University to:

• fulfil core functions and responsibilities
• deliver services to students, staff, and partners
• respond to inquiries, audits, investigations, and legal matters

A small proportion of these records may also be permanently retained as NSW State Archives due to their ongoing value to the State.

High risk records, information and data assets are those that are:

• created or received in high‑risk business areas or processes
• that pose significant risk if misused, inappropriately released, altered, lost, damaged, or destroyed prematurely

These records typically originate from areas involving:

• core and statutory University functions
• significant University investment or expenditure
• direct engagement with individuals (e.g., regulatory, enforcement, health, or welfare activities)
• development of policies or services that affect individuals, communities, or their rights
• management of natural resources, culturally significant places, or critical NSW infrastructure
• processes vulnerable to corruption or misconduct
• major programs of state, national, or international significance
• collection or use of personal or health information (as defined in relevant NSW privacy legislation)
• functions subject to close scrutiny by the public, media, or oversight bodies
• business processes undergoing major organisational change

An internal guide provided by the Records & Archives team that functionally classifies commonly found high risk and/or high value record types. 

Normal Administrative Practice (NAP) allows staff, under the State Records Act, to destroy certain low‑value, routine, or short‑term information without applying a General Retention and Disposal Authority (GA).

NAP applies only to information that has no ongoing business, legal, or accountability value and must not be used for high‑risk or high‑value records.

NAP only applies to records of short‑term operational value.

Examples include:

• Duplicate copies (where the original is saved elsewhere)
• Working notes or drafts
• Transitory messages (e.g., “thanks,” “see you then,” Teams logistics)
• Routine system notifications
• Reference-only material not required as evidence

NAP items do not have a minimum retention period because they are not required to be retained as records.

They may be destroyed:

• once reference ceases, or
• immediately, if not needed for ongoing work

The UNSW Business Classification Scheme (BCS) is the official framework used to classify, organise and manage all University records. It groups records according to the business functions and activities they support, ensuring the correct legal retention and disposal requirements are consistently applied.

The BCS underpins:

• Retention and disposal decisions
• Folder and metadata structures in corporate systems
• Consistency in how records are titled, stored and retrieved
• Compliance with the State Records Act 1998 (NSW) and associated retention authorities

You can use the BCS to structure and organise your information, and to identify the appropriate minimum retention requirements for the records you create and manage.

Minimum retention periods for UNSW records can be located here:

• UNSW Business Classification Scheme (BCS)

        This is the primary source. It lists every function, activity, disposal class, retention period, retention trigger and disposal action.

• State Records Authority, NSW (SRA NSW)

        You may prefer to directly locate the relevant GDA through the SRA NSW website here:

        GA28, Administrative Records

        GA47, Higher, further education and research

• UNSW Records & Archives website

        The site provides additional guidance and links to all authorised retention authorities.

State Records Authority, NSW (SRA NSW)

You can find GA (General retention and disposal authorities) through the SRA NSW website here:

GA28, Administrative Records

GA47, Higher, further education and research

General authorities group records by what they’re about — the enterprise functions and specific activities they support — not by which team created them or where they sit in the organisation.

When you use a general retention and disposal authority, you work out how long to keep records by identifying three things:

1. Function & activity

What the record was created for — its purpose.
Example: Teaching → Assessment (Student examination/assessment scripts) 

2. Reference number

This number groups similar types of records into a disposal class, which has a minimum retention period and disposal conditions.
Example: GA47‑2.1.2

3. Disposal action

What you’re allowed to do with the record once any retention trigger conditions have been met.
Example: “Retain until end of appeal period, then destroy.”

Select the GA reference with the longest minimum retention period.

If the retention periods are identical, select the record type that best describes the reason the record was created. 

At UNSW, a System of Record is a business system that has been assessed and approved for its suitability to capture, manage and retain University records in line with UNSW’s legal and regulatory requirements.

All University records must be captured into an approved system of record.

If you believe you hold UNSW records that are State Archives or University Archives, please contact the Archives to discuss further assessment and potential transfer of these records provided they meet the Archives’ Acquisition Guideline requirements.

RAMS (Records & Archives Management System) is UNSW’s corporate recordkeeping system. RAMS is where you capture your records, such as emails and network drive documents, that are not being captured to an alternative system of record.

RAMS is free to all UNSW staff and is fully supported by IT and Records & Archives staff.

Backups are extra copies of data made so systems can be restored if something goes wrong. They help protect against data loss caused by cyber‑attacks, technical failures, or human mistakes.

Backups are only meant for recovery. They are not a way to manage or keep records over time.

Backups are copies. They are not records.

Backups are considered to be facilitative records only and should never be relied upon as the official record of the University.

Backups can be deleted when they are no longer needed under Normal Administrative Practice (NAP) with no additional steps required.

• Don’t rely on backups as the official record of your work
• Make sure important records are saved in the correct business system
• It’s okay for IT to delete backups when they’re no longer needed

An archive is a record – either hard copy or digital – that UNSW has committed to retaining permanently that is either a record of significance showing key activities of the State of NSW (State Archives) and/or a cultural, historical record of the university (University Archive).

The University Archives are UNSW’s corporate memory and the location for these permanent records.

Records held in the Archives need to meet the criteria outlined in the Archives’ Acquisition Guideline.

The University Archives holds permanent UNSW records – both hard copy and digital – that are retained because they are significant for legal, administrative or historical reasons for the long-term. Records held in the Archives need to meet the requirements in the Archives’ Acquisition Guideline.

The Archives include the official administrative records of the university and private records of emeriti professors, university-related organisations, such as clubs and societies, as well as oral histories, photographs and audio-visual recordings.

Records do not have to be old to qualify for transfer to the Archives – the Archives already holds items created this year. Current items are very welcome as they will be of great value in future years.

The University Archives only hold permanent UNSW records that are retained because they are valuable for legal, administrative or historical reasons for the long-term.

Records retained in the Archives need to meet the requirements outlined in the Archives’ Acquisition Guideline.

If you hold records that you believe meet this criteria, please contact the Archives to discuss further assessment and potential transfer of these records.

Please contact Records & Archives for advice on any recordkeeping matters.