From pen and paper to Wickr: the battle to save government decisions

Laws made for the days of pen and paper could allow the nation’s most senior ministers and public servants to avoid scrutiny of their decisions by the voting public, integrity agencies and historians as they use encrypted messaging systems like WhatsApp and Wickr.As the National Archives warns vital audio-visual records of disappearing Indigenous languages and ASIO surveillance video could disintegrate before being properly stored, it and other agencies are fighting to even get their hands on new forms of information widely used by elected officials to make long-lasting policy decisions.Encrypted message systems such as WhatsApp and social media like Facebook are creating problems for document retention agencies including the National Archives. Credit: The National Archives collects all official documents created by departments and ministers, including cabinet papers that are released with a 20-year delay. The papers are heavily mined by historians and analysts to understand key policies.Documents also come under the Freedom of Information Act, often used by media companies to reveal the inner workings of government, while agencies such as the National Audit Office can access documents created by public servants as it looks to see if government programs are being run efficiently and properly.But a government-commissioned review of…
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