Summary of PRIME Network meeting 3 June 2026

A big thank you to the 199 attendees who joined us for the second PRIME Network meeting of 2026! For those who couldn’t make it—or if you’d like a quick refresher—here’s a summary of the key sessions and highlights from the event.

SESSION 1: PUBLIC AUTHORITY TOOLKIT

The Public Authority Toolkit is a curated collection of practical records management resources developed in response to feedback from public authorities. Bringing together foundational factsheets, videos, guidance and tools, it helps you explore some of the key concepts and responsibilities involved in managing public records.

Each resource is designed to be shareable, clear, and actionable, with links to further information for deeper exploration.

We invite you to explore one of the first resources published in the Public Authority Toolkit—a video featuring the State Archivist, Louise Howard. In this video, Louise provides an insightful walkthrough of what’s new in the Public Records Act 2023 and explains what it means for public authorities. You can watch the video on our website here.

Additional resources are currently in development and will be released progressively as QSA continues its work on the Mandatory Standards.

For more information about the Public Authority Toolkit and links to available resources, please read our blog here.

SESSION 2: EXPLORE METADATA CONCEPTS

What is Metadata?

There are a number of ways to think about the question ‘What is metadata?’  A simple explanation is that metadata is ‘data about data’.

You can think of metadata as a description of a record or resource. This can be any data that describes the record, for example:

• its content
• its type
• its size
• who created it
• when it was created
• what software created it
• its format
• its quality
• its location

What would you need to know to be able to use it? That’s metadata!

Metadata answers critical questions about public records:

Who created the record?

When was it created?

Has the record been changed at any time?

Why was it created, and how does it relate to other records?

These elements ensure the record’s authenticity, context, and reliability.

Metadata can be used to identify, authenticate and contextualise information and the people, processes and systems that create, maintain and use it. It allows users to control, manage, find, understand and preserve information over time.

• Authentic – what it purports to be; has been created or sent by the agent purported to have created or sent it; and has been created or sent when purported. 
• Trustworthy – it can be trusted as a full and accurate representation of the transactions, activities or facts to which it attests; and can be depended upon in the course of subsequent transactions or activities. 
• Findable – can be located and retrieved within a time period deemed reasonable by users.
• Understandable – can be presented, interpreted and used in a way that was intended by the creator of the information and finally
• Managed in the context in which it was created and used – the administrative context (provenance) and accumulation and active business use (records management) context of information is documented.

SESSION 3: METADATA AND DIGITAL TRANSFERS

Why is metadata important for digital preservation?

For long-term preservation, the person preserving the digital record is usually someone different from the original creator of the record. Therefore, it is important that information about the record – information the creator would know – is captured in the metadata.

Archivists require metadata for several reasons, including:

1. Access provisions

Metadata often highlights what records can or cannot be opened, copied, shared or modified

2. Context/provenance

Metadata can help apply meaning and understanding to large volumes of data that have been removed from their original structure

3. Usability

When it comes to maintaining digital records for the long-term, metadata is extremely important for identifying what a file comprises, how it can be read or accessed, what format is used to house it, and what hardware or software is required to support its ongoing storage and preservation.

Checksums

When it comes to maintaining digital records for the long-term, metadata is extremely important for identifying what a file comprises, how it can be read or accessed, what format is used to house it, and what hardware or software is required to support its ongoing storage and preservation.

Checksums play a crucial role in ensuring the integrity of digital records, as they help identify whether any alteration or data loss has occurred. A checksum is a computer-generated string of numbers and letters (also known as a hash) that serves as a digital fingerprint for a digital record. When a file has changed, even slightly, it will result in a different checksum.

What are checksums used for?

• A checksum can verify that a digital record has been sent and received without any changes.
• Checksums detect any changes to a file over time, including corruption, data loss or unauthorised alteration whilst it is stored.
• Checksums confirm that a digital record has been retrieved and delivered exactly as it was stored, without modification.
• Checksums are a useful way to identify duplicates within record sets, as exact copies of a specific file contain the same checksum.

SESSION 4: UPDATE ON SOURCE RECORDS RETENTION AND DISPOSAL SCHEDULE

During the second round of external consultation, QSA received feedback from 78 public authorities.

Key Findings

• 99% of participants found the excluded categories of public records to be sensible and practical
• 66% of the participants indicated they were now confident in meeting the condition on ensuring an accurate and legible reproduction of the source record before carrying out disposal
• 82% indicated a likelihood of implementing the disposal authorisation on permanent source records created on or after 1 January 1980.

The final version of the retention and disposal schedule and appraisal log have been approved by the State Archivist on 3 June and are ready for use. The schedule, appraisal log and all relevant technical specifications are published on Forgov.

SESSION 5: UPDATE ON MANDATORY STANDARDS AND REVIEW OF LOST AND DAMAGED RECORDS PROCESS

The draft Mandatory Standards

QSA are finalising the standards ready for the government approval process. The standards will apply to all public authorities and are anticipated to commence in or after late 2026.

While QSA are continuing to finalise the Standards, the primary focus now is to educate and support public authorities to meet their records management requirements. See Mandatory Standards for records management webpage for the latest information, including the Mandatory Standards fact sheet.  

As part of the public authority toolkit discussed earlier, QSA is also developing an online tool for public authorities to assess their compliance against the mandatory standards. This will help to identify strengths and gaps and to identify potential action to help overcome those actions.

QSA is also currently developing a new e-learning module to replace the current Recordkeeping and You module, with plans for development of more modules as well.

Lost and damaged record process review

QSA is currently reviewing the process for lost and damaged records to be more efficient for both public authorities and QSA, with plans to consult with public authorities in the coming months.

In the meantime, if a public authority needs to report lost or damaged public records, please contact QSA at rkqueries@archives.qld.gov.au for advice.

Under Section 21(b) of the Public Records Act 2023, public authorities are required to take action if it knows or ought reasonably to know that any permanent value public records are at risk of loss or damage. Public authorities must proactively mitigate the risks to ensure the records are protected and preserved. Additionally, they are required to notify the Queensland State Archivist by emailing discovery@archives.qld.gov.au.

It’s important to remember the Chief Executive of a public authority remains responsible for the public records of their public authority. Notifying QSA about a risk to the records does not transfer the risk to QSA and Chief Executives and others in public authorities need to take action to reduce or eliminate the risks.

Next Meeting

Thanks to all attendees for your enthusiastic engagement at the meeting, it’s always great to see live feedback and engagement throughout the session. We look forward to seeing you at our next PRIME Network meeting in September.

Keep Up to Date

To keep up to date with QSA in 2026, make sure that you stay tuned in with our various communications channels:

• See our News and Events page
• Sign up to our public authority newsletter here Update from the Archives and read previous editions here
• Check out our other blog for posts on contemporary records management issues affecting the Queensland Public sector, summaries of our PRIME CoP meetings and summaries of other activities such as consultations
• Register your interest to join our community of practice: Register for PRIME Network.