Summary heading

 

Function and purpose

This series consists of correspondence files documenting information from various sources relating to the Australian security and intelligence agencies, ASIO (Australian Security and Intelligence Organization), ASIS (Australian Security and Intelligence Service), Defence agencies, Commonwealth Police and Department of Foreign Affairs.

This series was begun in September 1975 when the existing multiple number series dealing with correspondence with security and intelligence organisations (A12381) was modified by the introduction of three new series featuring a primary number scheme which identified particular agencies. This series therefore contains many items top-numbered from A12381, documenting correspondence, reports, briefings and information, from whatever source about the nominal agency (ASIO, ASIS, Commonwealth Police, DSD and Defence, JIO and Department of Foreign Affairs). The primary and secondary headings listed below indicate the content of the records. There are about 100 items in this series.

It appears that the reason for this new series was to align the record accumulation with decisions that had been made about how the reporting of the Royal Commission was to be approached.  This scheme which is evident in two of the new series is as follows:

A – ASIO

B – ASIS

C – Commonwealth Police

D – DSD (Defence Signals Directorate) and Department of Defence

E – JIO (Joint Intelligence Organization)

F – Department of Foreign Affairs

This series is described in the Inventory of Records (A12396) as series HF4.

Physical characteristics

 The files are of a standard size, buff coloured with white labels across the top printed ‘Royal Commission on Intelligence and Security’.

 

System of arrangement and control

 The files of this series are controlled by a multiple number system consisting of three or four components. The first component represents the agency which is the subject of the material:

A – ASIO

B – ASIS

C – Commonwealth Police

D – DSD and Department of Defence

E – JIO

F – Department of Foreign Affairs

The secondary component is a simple numeric scheme:

1 – History

2 – Constitution

3 – External Control and Direction

4 - Director/Director-General (ie Head of agency)

5 – Organizational structure and establishment

6 – Personnel management

7 – [not used]

8 – Terms and conditions of employment and right and duties of staff

9 – Finance

10 – Secrecy and Publicity

11 – Intelligence Operations against (the subject agency)

12 – Targets, Priorities, Operations

13 – Intelligence collection, collation, evaluation, storage and retrieval

14 – Intelligence product

15 – Liaison

16 – Personnel security vetting and clearances

17 – Protective security by (the subject agency)

18 – Incidents

The third and fourth components are numeric sequences denoting particular cases as they arose.

Relationships with other records

 

The original series A12381 (referred to in the Inventory of Records A12396 as series HF2) continued as a series documenting correspondence with government departments (other than those primarily concerned with security and intelligence) and with JIO and DSD (retaining the three primary numbers that had been associated with these subjects since the creation of that series).

The new series A12382 (A12396, series HF3) was a multiple number series documenting correspondence with ASIO, ASIS, Commonwealth Police and Department of Foreign Affairs

The new series A12384 (A12396, series HF5) introduced two new primary headings in the alpha sequence J and K and documents correspondence from whatever source about Australian Protective Security (sequence J) and overseas Security and Intelligence agencies (Sequence K).

Finding aids

 HI2 Name index card

HI3 Subject card index

HI4 Dictionary card index

HL6 Part 1 (subject classification)

HL10 Card register

HL11 Card register

HL15 Top-numbering checklist

HL16 Register of inwards correspondence

HL17 Register of outward correspondence

 

Custodial history

Following the closure of the Royal Commission in 1977 the records were transferred to the custody of the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet (in Canberra) where they remained until transferred to National Archives of Australia in 2001.