Social media archiving for Australian Government

Commonwealth social media records, ready when an FOI request arrives.

Brolly automatically captures supported posts, comments, edits and deletions from connected official accounts, helping your team find and export records with their metadata and an audit trail intact.

See a response-ready export Start a 30-day free trial
Supported posts, comments, edits & deletions · Search & export · Metadata & audit trail
Commonwealth agenciesMinisterial offices

The Commonwealth FOI Act applies to Commonwealth agencies and Ministers — not state, territory or local councils.

Australian Parliament House, Canberra
Canberra · Photo: Kgbo, CC BY-SA 4.0
Know your legislation

Four things shape the record in the Commonwealth.

The records Act, the access regime, retention and disposal, and the authority that oversees them — each named from the legislation and linked to its source.

Records act

Archives Act 1983 (Cth)

Commonwealth records may not be destroyed, altered or transferred out of Commonwealth custody except as the Act permits, generally under a records authority issued by the National Archives of Australia. Agencies are expected to manage information in line with the National Archives' standards and policies, including Building trust in the public record. Archives Act 1983 No. 79, 1983

Access to information

FOI Act

An agency or minister must acknowledge a request in writing within 14 days of receipt and notify a written decision within 30 days after receipt, extendable where third-party consultation is needed (a further 30 days), by written agreement with the applicant (up to 30 days at a time), or with the Information Commissioner's approval for complex or voluminous requests; charges processing can suspend the clock. These are decision mechanics for Commonwealth agencies and Ministers — they do not govern state, territory or local councils. Request term: FOI request · Freedom of Information Act 1982 (Cth)

Retention & disposal

Records authorities issued by the National Archives of Australia

AFDA Express v2 External Relations and other general or agency-specific records authorities. Retention follows the function the record documents. Social media records are kept under the same records authority as the business activity they evidence. Agencies may make documented, risk-based decisions about capturing replies and public comments, and sentence records under the relevant authority. Retention and disposal authorities

Records authority & oversight

National Archives of Australia

National Archives of Australia · Managing social media and instant messagingOversight: Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC)

Your organisation determines what must be captured and how long it is kept by applying the relevant authority, record class, business context and legal holds. Sources last reviewed 30 August 2026.This page provides general information only and is not legal advice. Your organisation is responsible for determining its legal, regulatory, retention and disposal obligations.

Free download
BrollyFree guide · PDF
Archives Act 1983 (Cth)
Archiving Social Media: A Guide For Federal Government
Commonwealth lawAustralia-wide lawRetention & disposalChecklist
Captured. Searchable. Defensible.PDF
Free guide

Download the free Federal
Social Media Legislation Guide.

The Commonwealth edition, written for records and communications teams in the Australian Government.

Australia-wide legislation for federal agencies Records obligations explained in plain English Bonus compliance checklist inside
Get the guide

PDF · free · delivered on the guide page

In their words
“Social media and instant messages used as part of agency business are official Government records.”

National Archives of Australia — read the guidance

How Brolly helps

Meeting the obligation in Commonwealth, with an automatic archive.

Automatic capture from connected official accounts

Brolly connects to Facebook, Instagram, Threads, X, YouTube, LinkedIn and TikTok and captures supported posts, comments, replies, edits and deletions with available metadata, and every export carries a digital checksum. Coverage varies by platform and depends on the content and metadata made available through platform APIs. That helps you meet the recordkeeping expectations set by National Archives of Australia.

  • Searchable exports in PDF, CSV, HTML or JSON to support FOI Act response workflows
  • Records keep their metadata and audit history; exports carry digital checksums for audit and evidentiary workflows
See the archive

Harmful comments hidden, the record kept

Comments on official accounts can be subject to the Archives Act 1983 (Cth) just like the posts above them, and the harmful ones arrive at any hour. Brolly Protect hides scams, abuse and personal attacks on connected accounts around the clock, while the archive keeps the original comment, the action taken and the time. Moderation never has to mean deletion.

  • AI moderation 24/7 across cyberbullying, scams, personal information and custom keywords
  • The original comment, the action and the time are retained in the archive
Explore Brolly Protect
A road closure, preserved

One closure notice. Every version, every reply.

This interface reconstruction uses a fictional council, Willowdale Council, and a flood road closure on 7 March 2026. It shows how the original notice, each edited version and the community replies around it can be reviewed together.

01
The council publishes

An official account posts a road closure notice with an estimated reopening time.

02
The post is edited

The reopening time and the cause are updated as contractors confirm them.

03
Your team reviews

Records, comms and the information-access officer can see the whole chronology, and export it.

Brolly Archive

Archive feed

Captured posts and conversations from connected accounts

All networksAll accountsAll dates12 captured posts
A waterfront civic quarter
♡ 42　 8
A flooded road closed at a bridge crossing
♡ 86　 24
Edited
Staff at a district council service centre
♡ 61　 12
A waterfront civic quarter
A flooded road closed at a bridge crossing
Staff at a district council service centre
Post Inspector
3 versions
A flooded road closed at a bridge crossing
Willowdale Valley Road is closed by flooding. Slip damage at the bridge approach has been confirmed; contractors are repairing it. Estimated reopening 11:30 am 2:30 pm.
♡ 86　 24
Export prepared
Straight answers

Questions Commonwealth records teams ask

Is an Australian Government agency's social media content a Commonwealth record?
National Archives of Australia guidance says posts, comments, messages and analytics created or received as part of Australian Government business are Commonwealth records. The Archives Act 1983 then governs how they are kept and disposed of. Your records authority and information governance framework decide what is retained and for how long.

Source: Archives Act 1983 (Cth) · National Archives of Australia: Managing social media and instant messaging

How long does an agency have to decide an FOI request?
The Freedom of Information Act 1982 requires a written acknowledgement within 14 days of receipt and a written decision within 30 days after receipt, with extensions for third-party consultation, by agreement or with Information Commissioner approval. The statutory period governs the decision and notice; locating the complete record set is the operational work needed to make that decision defensibly, and access is given separately. These timeframes apply to Commonwealth agencies and Ministers, not councils.

Source: Freedom of Information Act 1982 (Cth) · Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC)

Does keeping content on the platform count as managing the record?
Content left only on a third-party platform is outside your custody and control. The National Archives expects agencies to capture and manage social media records in their own systems so they stay accessible, authentic and disposable under a records authority. Platform policies and account loss can remove content without notice.

Source: Archives Act 1983 (Cth) · National Archives of Australia: Managing social media and instant messaging

How does Brolly help an Australian Government agency meet these obligations?
Brolly captures official accounts continuously on infrastructure located in Australia, keeps posts, comments, edits and deletions searchable with their metadata, and exports in formats your information management team can file in an EDRMS or produce for an FOI request. It helps you meet the Archives Act and FOI Act; it does not replace your records authority or legal advice.
How long must social media records be retained?
Retention depends on the purpose and content of the communication and the records authority applying to the function it documents. National Archives guidance routes social-media records to the class for the business activity they evidence — public official-account posts are typically sentenced under AFDA Express v2 External Relations or the relevant agency authority — and no single period applies to every social-media record. Confirm the class with the National Archives of Australia or your information governance team.

Source: Freedom of Information Act 1982 (Cth) · Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC)

See your channels as records.

See capture, search and export on your own Commonwealth channels in a 20-minute walkthrough. Records teams welcome.

Get a demo Start free trial