In July 1995, the Cultural Ministers Council established the Archives Working Group for an initial two-year period. The working group was extended for a year until July 1998 and made its final report at the Cultural Ministers Council meeting in March 1999.
The working group's terms of reference were to:
- Increase understanding and appreciation of the collections and holdings of archives as a national cultural resource
- Make the collections and holdings of Australia’s archives more widely known and available to all Australians
- Develop cooperation and coordination between the archives of Australia in order to enhance access to, and appreciation of, their unique collections and holdings
- Undertake a research and development program on behalf of the Cultural Ministers Council, focusing on key strategic issues facing Australia’s archives
- Make recommendations to the Cultural Ministers Council on strategic issues concerning archives
Records of National Cultural Significance was a key project which the working group undertook and involved the following stages:
- Stage 1 - Indigenous Australians
In December 1996, the Cultural Ministers Council endorsed the report, Records of National Cultural Significance - Indigenous Australians. A related publication was released in March 1997 and a second print run distributed in 1997. In 1997 the report received the Australian Society of Archivists Mander Jones Award (Category 1 Award).
- Stage 2 - Indigenous Australians
A scope report was completed in April 1998, surveying non-government (mainly church) bodies which held records about Indigenous people as to how their holdings are organised and seeking proposals to develop guides/indexes.
- Stage 3 - Immigrant Australians
The publication Immigrant Arrivals (now out of print) was endorsed by the Cultural Ministers Council in February 1998.
Another project undertaken by the working group was the publication of the report Market research into the use and non-use of archives in Australia by key user groups. The report included the following recommendations:
- Develop a concise guide to all archives in Australia, outlining holdings and containing information on access, locations and opening hours
- Develop regular newsletters and pamphlets, produced by archives, detailing recent acquisitions, other general information about their operations and updates on where particular information is held and distributed through libraries, universities and historical and genealogical societies
- Extend hours of opening
- Develop education kits and other promotional aids, conforming to the school curriculum, for secondary teachers in particular
- Develop guided tours tailored to meet the needs of small and large groups
Recommendations to establish an Archives Council under the Cultural Ministers Council did not proceed.