Records disposal freeze for records relating to the Royal Commission into the child protection and youth detention systems in the Northern Territory

The NT Archives Service and the Records Service have issued a records disposal freeze targeting records relating to the Royal Commission into the Child Protection and Youth Detention Systems in the Northern Territory.

The issue of this disposal freeze means that any records that were created on or after 1 August 2006 which may be required for the inquiries of the Royal Commission or related legal actions or investigations must not be destroyed even if the records are due for destruction under the terms of a current and authorised records disposal schedule.

The initial disposal freeze was issued from 1 August 2016 - 30 June 2017. The disposal freeze was extended until 30 June 2018 pending the conclusion of the Royal Commission. The final report of the Royal Commission was tabled on 17 November 2017. A review of the requirement for the continuation of the disposal freeze was undertaken prior to 30 June 2018 and due to ongoing legal action the disposal freeze was extended for a further 24 months until 30 June 2020. The disposal freeze has been extended until 31 December 2022 due to continuing legal action.

The notification provides an outline of the types of records that may be relevant and identifies some of the disposal schedules that are likely to contain relevant classes of records.

For more information, read the notice of records disposal freeze relating to the Royal Commission into child protection and youth detention systems in the Northern Territory PDF (542.9 KB).