Accessing State Records on Aboriginal People.

The article discusses the importance of indexing state records on aboriginal Australian people, including aboriginal people in advisory capacities, outreach activities, and the production of useful resources. The importance of indexing has been highlighted over the last decade and a half following a number of national inquiries which recommended facilitating indigenous access to government records relating to the administration of aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders. Another issue that is important in archives is the inclusion of aboriginal people into advisory roles. It concludes that in developing appropriate services for aboriginal Australians, the challenge for archives is how to provide increased access to records and at the same time appropriate access that takes into account individual privacy issues and other issues of sensitivity. In the South Australian context, indexing the names of aboriginal people in government administration records has greatly facilitated both these aspects. At the same time it has reduced excessive handling of records and has lessened the impact of other restrictions to records that result from government concerns.