Battling the Bureaucrats: Access to the National Archives.

The article discusses the formation of the History Council of South Australia (HCSA) in 2003 and its relationship with the History Trust of South Australia. It describes the difficulties encountered by Australian historians and historical societies following a 2001 decision by the Australian National Archives (NAA) to sell its facility in Collinswood to move to a smaller structure, which the author asserts separated key administrators from each other and resulted in a reduction in holdings. The author also examines a November 2009 announcement by the Australian government that the NAA would close state offices in Adelaide, Darwin, and Hobart, and the subsequent protests. The article discusses HCSA's role in protesting the governmental decision on closures.