The Commonwealth Serum Laboratories Act, which received assent on 2 November 1961, established a Commonwealth Serum Laboratories Commission (CSL) replacing the Commonwealth Serum Laboratories (CA 632). Apart from the functions specified in the Act, the Laboratories of the Commission serve as a National Centre for the maintenance in Australia of the International Standards of the Permanent Commission on Biological Standards (World Health Organization), and act as the regional reference centre for WHO in collating reports of prevalence; of certain infectious diseases in Australia, and at the same time conduct laboratory investigations for the identification of diseases thus reported.  The Commission became a public company on 22 October 1990 with the passing of the Commonwealth Serum Laboratories (conversion to public company) Act 1990. From that date it ceased to be an authority of the Commonwealth and no longer created Commonwealth records. To reflect the autonomous status of CSL, a new Commonwealth Organisation, Commonwealth Serum Laboratories Limited, was registered with date of effect from 22 October 1990.

Functions

Previous organisation: CO 1 Commonwealth of Australia 

Purpose of registration

The National Archives of Australia holds records pertaining to various aspects of CSL commission including correspondence files, allergen methods, allergens research, polio production and research, employee survey forms, demographic information regarding polio, workbooks of scientist DR R T Simmons.  

End notes

Sources