Developing a Retention and Disposal Authority

A Retention and Disposal Authority contains 2 sections, the introduction or context, and the function/activity.

The introduction consists of a number of pre-populated text fields that must be completed and or modified to suit your organisation's needs. 

The Introduction also identifies which records will not be transferred to the SRO and which have restricted access.

The function/activity consists of the terms/classes and the retention periods for each category of records.

This section must cover all functions that are unique to your organisation and any legacy functions where records still exist. 

Do not repeat any functions that are included in the GRDA.

The authority must not contain listings of databases held by the organisation. These are listed in your Recordkeeping Plan under Business Information Systems.

Steps

1. Contact the State Records Office and let them know that you will be developing a new/revised retention and disposal authority (RDA) for your organisation.
2. You will need to provide the following information.
   1. Name of Organisation 
   2. Name of organisational editor/s and contact details 
   3. Whether you wish to load your previous RDA (where applicable) Or whether you wish to start from scratch. 
3. The State Records Office will set up a template with your organisation’s details in ORDA. You will receive an email with your login and password to access ORDA. When you log in you will see your RDA template ready to go. 
4. Your organisation will then develop your RDA using the template. State Records Office staff will provide as much help as you require. Please also refer to the Developing a Retention and Disposal Authority for State Government Organisations link below.
5. You can submit your completed RDA to the State Records Office via the ORDA ‘Submit to the SRO’ button.
6. The State Records Office will then make comments and provide guidance where applicable. The RDA can be submitted via the 'Submit to the SRO' button, as many times as you require. 
7. Once the authority has been developed, the State Records Office will submit the RDA to the State Records Advisory Committee (SRAC). The role of SRAC is to ensure that the recommendations submitted by the State Records Office and State government organisations are given due consideration. The SRAC meet several times a year. 
8. After the SRAC meeting your organisation may be required to amend the RDA before it can be endorsed. 
9. Once endorsed by SRAC, the RDA will be presented to the State Records Commission (SRC) for final approval. The SRC meets 3 times a year.Your organisation will receive a letter from the SRC when the RDA has been approved. 
10. The new approved RDA must replace any previous RDAs in the organisation. 
11. Your organisation’s RDA will need to be reviewed every 5 years to make sure it still covers all the functions of the organisation. The RDA information is included in your record keeping plan.