Social media archiving for NSW government

NSW social media records, ready when a GIPA 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
NSW agenciesCouncils & county councilsJoint organisations

The GIPA Act's 'agency' includes a local authority — a council, county council or joint organisation (Sch 4 cl 1).

Parliament House, Sydney
Sydney · Photo: sv1ambo, CC BY 2.0

NSW organisations that use Brolly

  • Bega Valley Shire Council
  • Berrigan Shire Council
  • Blacktown City Council
  • CBCity
  • Central Coast Council - NSW - Australia
  • Cessnock City Council
  • City of Coffs Harbour
  • City of Parramatta
  • City of Sydney
  • Fairfield City Council
  • Federation Council
  • Fire and Rescue NSW
  • Junee Shire Council
  • Lane Cove Council
  • Local Land Services
  • NSW Department of Communities & Justice
  • NSW Department of Communities and Justice
  • NSW Department of Customer Service
  • NSW Health Pathology
  • NSW SES
  • Northern Beaches Council
  • Port Stephens Council
  • Sydney Day Nursery
  • The Hills Shire Council
  • Willoughby City Council
  • Woollahra Municipal Council
Know your legislation

Four things shape the record in New South Wales.

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

State Records Act 1998 (NSW)

Public offices must make and keep full and accurate records of their activities and keep them in accessible form for as long as they are required. Records may only be disposed of under an authorised retention and disposal authority. State Records Act 1998 No 17

Access to information

GIPA Act

Within five working days after receiving an access application, an agency must acknowledge a valid application or notify the applicant that it is invalid (s 51). The agency must then decide the application and give notice of the decision within 20 working days after receipt (s 57) — the five-day stage sits inside that period, not before it. The period can extend by up to 10 working days for third-party consultation or retrieval from archives (15 if both apply), with further extension by agreement. Request term: GIPA application · Government Information (Public Access) Act 2009 (NSW)

Retention & disposal

Retention and disposal authorities issued by State Records NSW

FA450 for local government functions, together with GA28 for applicable common administrative records. Retention periods depend on the function the record documents, not the channel it was made on. Social media records follow the same authority as the business activity they evidence. Retention and disposal authorities

Records authority & oversight

State Records NSW

State Records NSW · Social media recordkeeping FAQOversight: Information and Privacy Commission NSW

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
State Records Act 1998 (NSW)
Archiving Social Media: A Guide For NSW Government
NSW lawAccess lawRetention & disposalChecklist
Captured. Searchable. Defensible.PDF
Free guide

Download the free NSW
Social Media Legislation Guide.

The NSW edition, written for records and communications teams in New South Wales government.

The New South Wales records Act, access regime and retention framework Records obligations explained in plain English Bonus compliance checklist inside
Get the guide

PDF · free · delivered on the guide page

From current guidance
State Records NSW confirms that social media information falls within the State Records Act's definition of a record, while capture and retention remain risk- and value-based.

Paraphrase of current guidance — State Records NSW — read the guidance

For councils

Local Government Act 1993 (NSW)

Councils are public offices under the State Records Act. Communications created or received by councillors in the course of council business may be State records and should be managed under the council's recordkeeping policies and applicable authorities.

  • Integrity body: Office of Local Government NSW

Social media archiving for councils

Brolly illustration of records being organised for a request
How Brolly helps

Meeting the obligation in NSW, 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 State Records NSW.

  • Searchable exports in PDF, CSV, HTML or JSON to support GIPA 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 State Records Act 1998 (NSW) 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 NSW records teams ask

Are NSW council and agency social media posts state records?
Content made or received by a NSW public office in the course of official business can be a record under the State Records Act 1998, whatever the channel. That can extend to comments from the public on official accounts and to content that was edited or deleted after posting. Content and context matter, so follow your records policy and seek advice on specific cases.

Source: State Records Act 1998 (NSW) · State Records NSW: Social media recordkeeping FAQ

How quickly must a NSW agency respond to a GIPA application?
Two stages apply. Within five working days of receipt, the agency must acknowledge a valid application or notify the applicant that it is invalid. The agency must then decide the application and give notice within 20 working days after receipt, with limited extensions for third-party consultation or retrieval from archives. Informal release can happen sooner. Confirm the current process with the Information and Privacy Commission NSW.

Source: Government Information (Public Access) Act 2009 (NSW) · Information and Privacy Commission NSW

Does hiding or deleting a comment change the recordkeeping obligation?
Moderating a comment does not by itself decide whether the content is a record. If it was made or received in the course of official business, apply your retention and disposal authority before it is removed, and keep the context needed to find and produce it later.

Source: State Records Act 1998 (NSW) · State Records NSW: Social media recordkeeping FAQ

What should a defensible NSW social media archive keep?
The original content with its timestamps, the account it belonged to, attached media, comments and replies, edits and deletions, and the metadata that ties them together. Keeping those searchable and exportable helps records staff answer a GIPA application without relying on screenshots.

Source: State Records Act 1998 (NSW) · State Records NSW: Social media recordkeeping FAQ

How long must social media records be retained?
No single period applies. NSW sources expressly identify social-media examples — GA28 keeps information published through websites, blogs or social media until it is withdrawn, superseded or reference use ceases, and GDA13 makes Ministers' official social-media accounts State archives — but the business purpose of the content determines the class and period that actually apply. Confirm the class with State Records NSW or your records team.

Source: Government Information (Public Access) Act 2009 (NSW) · Information and Privacy Commission NSW

See your channels as records.

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

Get a demo Start free trial