1364. Hon Alison Xamon to the minister representing the Minister for Police:
I refer to records management and archiving, and I ask:
(a) for each of the last five financial years finishing 2016–17, for each Government agency within the Minister’s portfolio, could the Minister please provide the cost of records archiving services including:
(i) collection;
(ii) storage;
(iii) retrieval; and
(iv) destruction;
(b) for each of the last five financial years, finishing 2016–17, for each Government agency within the Minister’s portfolio, could the Minister please provide the cost of records management consultancy services provided by:
(i) the State Records Office; and
(ii) private consultants and/or consultancy businesses; and
(c) for each Government agency reporting to the Minister, could the Minister please explain the process by which records held offsite by third-party private companies can be searched and accessed by:
(i) members of the agency;
(ii) members of other Government agencies;
(iii) members of academia; and
(iv) members of the public?
Hon Stephen Dawson replied:
(a)–(c) The Western Australian Police Force advise that the cost of records archive collection and retrieval for each of the five years up to 2016/17 was $53 939.60, $127 468.08, $172 363.77, $114 158.48, and $61 924.88 respectively. The cost of archive storage for each of the five years up to 2016/17 was $125 274.93, $294 571.58, $302 394.42, $314 223.85, and $340 082.00 respectively. For document destruction, the cost for each of the five years up to 2016/17 was $0, $11 405.20, $1 563.60, $34.08, and $434.50 respectively. No records management consultancy services have been engaged by the WA Police Force within the specified timeframe. WA Police Force employees can search for records held at off-site storage facilities using the agency’s Electronic Document and Records Management System (EDRMS). Requests for information and access to agency records are received and managed through various WA Police Force portfolios. Requests to access WA Police Force records can be made by submitting a formal request via the Office of Information Management. The request will be subject to legislative and policy requirements surrounding disclosure.
The Road Safety Commission advises that it was created as an agency of State in 1 July 2015 with corporate services provided and paid for by Main Roads WA. All costs relating to records management were paid for by Main Roads WA. Prior to 1 July 2015 the agency was known as the Office of Road Safety, a business unit within Main Roads WA. Costs associated with records management and archiving were paid for by that agency. The total cost of archive collection, storage, retrieval and destruction for 2016/17 was $7,367.00. No outside consultancy services have been provided to the RSC. The Road Safety Commission has an agreement in place with a supplier for offsite storage of records. Access to corporate records must comply with the State Records Act 2000 and the Freedom of Information Act 2000. From 1July2017, the Road Safety Commission was attached to the WA Police Force as part of the Government’s Machinery of Government changes.