7. Destroying and archiving records

Some records may be destroyed after their legal retention period has expired (for most purposes, this period is seven years). An association should not destroy any records unless they are absolutely certain that the records can safely and legally be destroyed. An association should have a policy on storing and destroying records. No record should be destroyed without the appropriate authorisation.

If you have not destroyed the records of your association, you may wish to consider passing them to the Battye Library. The Library maintains an extensive archive of the social history of Western Australia and its people, and has expressed an interest in the records of defunct associations.

Records that must be kept permanently are archived and must not be destroyed. Records that have permanent value are historical documents, minutes of meetings and legal documents. Archived records can be stored on-site or at an off-site storage facility.