The Australian and international standard for records management, AS ISO 15489, provides guidance on creating records policies, procedures, systems and processes to support the management of records in all formats. It is widely used in Australia and internationally in both private and public organisations.

The National Archives of Australia endorses AS ISO 15489 for use in the Australian Government. This standard provides the basis for all the Archives’ records management standards, policies and guidelines.

This standard is based significantly on AS 4390-1996: Records Management and sets out and promotes a standard for international best practice in records management.

AS ISO 15489 comprises two parts:

• AS ISO 15489.1: Records Management – Part 1: General
• AS ISO 15489.2: Records Management – Part 2: Guidelines

Part 1 is the actual standard. It provides a framework for records management in the form of a high-level statement of principles and policy. Part 2 is a supplementary technical report that provides additional detail and guidance to help organisations implement Part 1.

The standard provides a descriptive benchmark that organisations can use to assess their records management systems and practices. Both parts of the standard are designed to help organisations create, capture and manage full and accurate records to meet their business needs and legal requirements, as well as to satisfy other stakeholder expectations. Both parts apply to records in any format or media, created or received by any public or private organisation in the course of its business.

AS ISO 15489.1

Part 1 of the standard provides an organisational framework for records management, and specifically outlines:

• the benefits of records management
• the need to identify the regulatory environment in which the organisation operates
• and the importance of assigning responsibilities for records management

It details the fundamental principles of a records management program, including the design of records management systems, commonly referred to as DIRKS. It also includes information on processes, controls, staff training requirements and monitoring and auditing operations.

AS ISO 15489.2

Part 2 is an informative technical report that provides practical guidance to help organisations implement the framework set out in Part 1. It includes:

• additional guidance on records management policies and the responsibilities to be defined and assigned
• further explanation of the DIRKS methodology outlined in Part 1
• additional guidance on the development of records processes and controls to manage records through the use of tools such as thesauruses and disposal authorities

Part 2 also provides additional guidance about monitoring and auditing records systems to ensure that organisations meet their legal and accountability requirements. Further guidance on training programs ensures that the functions and benefits of managing records are widely understood in an organisation.

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Purchasing copies of AS ISO 15489

Copies of AS ISO 15489 Parts 1 and 2 can be purchased from Standards Australia at www.standards.com.au or by telephoning 1300 65 46 46.