HHarbourside Regional Council
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Social media archiving for Victorian government
Victorian 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.
Supported posts, comments, edits & deletions · Search & export · Metadata & audit trail
Victorian agenciesCouncils
The FOI Act's 'agency' includes a council, with 'council' taking its Local Government Act meaning (s 5).
Victoria organisations that use Brolly
Know your legislation
Four things shape the record in Victoria.
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
Public Records Act 1973 (Vic)
A public record is any record made or received by a public officer in the course of their duties. Public offices must make and keep full and accurate records, manage them to the standards issued by the Keeper of Public Records, and dispose of them only under an authorised retention and disposal authority. Public Records Act 1973 No. 8418
Access to information
FOI Act
An agency must decide a valid FOI request as soon as practicable and no later than 30 calendar days after receiving it (s 21). The period can be extended by up to 15 days where third-party consultation is required, or by up to 30 days with the applicant's agreement. Request term: FOI request · Freedom of Information Act 1982 (Vic)
Retention & disposal
Retention and disposal authorities issued by Public Record Office Victoria
PROS 09/05, current instrument Variation 2, for local government. Retention follows the function the record documents, not the platform. Social media records sit under the same authority as the activity they evidence, such as community engagement, complaints or emergency communications. Retention and disposal authorities
Records authority & oversight
Public Record Office Victoria (PROV)
Public Record Office Victoria (PROV) · Social media records guidanceOversight: Office of the Victorian Information Commissioner (OVIC)
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.
Legal detail
The consequences of unauthorised disposal.
The optional fine print: what Victoria law says when records are mishandled. Disposal done under your authority is routine; this layer is about disposal done without one.
Public records may only be disposed of through authorised processes
Section 19 of the Public Records Act 1973 prohibits the unauthorised removal, sale, damage, destruction or disposal of a public record. Disposal happens under a retention and disposal authority issued by the Keeper of Public Records. FOI decision-process failures can be reviewed through OVIC and VCAT.
Source: Public Records Act 1973 (Vic)
Free download
BrollyFree guide · PDF
Download the free Victoria
BrollyFree guide · PDFPublic Records Act 1973 (Vic)
Archiving Social Media: A Guide For Victoria Government
Victoria lawAccess lawRetention & disposalChecklist
Captured. Searchable. Defensible.PDF
Free guide
Download the free Victoria
Social Media Legislation Guide.
The Victoria edition, written for records and communications teams in Victoria government.
The Victoria records Act, access regime and retention framework
Records obligations explained in plain English
Bonus compliance checklist inside
PDF · free · delivered on the guide page
For councils
Local Government Act 2020 (Vic)
Councils are public offices under the Public Records Act and agencies under the FOI Act; councillors' official-capacity communications can be council records.
- Integrity body: Local Government Inspectorate
How Brolly helps
Meeting the obligation in Victoria, 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 Public Record Office Victoria (PROV).
- 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
W
Willowdale Shire CouncilFacebook · captured as it was posted
EditedWater supply interruption in Willowdale Heights. Crews are on site; estimated restoration 11:30 am 2:30 pm.
Interface reconstruction · fictional demonstration data
Harmful comments hidden, the record kept
Comments on official accounts can be subject to the Public Records Act 1973 (Vic) 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
?
Unknown accountComment · captured, then hidden
Hidden · ScamCongratulations! You won — claim your prize here…
Moderation on the recordInterface reconstruction · fictional demonstration data
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 dates
Willowdale Council
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EditedBBayview Ports Authority
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CCoastal District Council
RRegional Rail Link
HHinterland Regional Council
3 versions
Willowdale CouncilWillowdale 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.
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Export prepared
Straight answers
Questions Victoria records teams ask
Can a Victorian council's social media posts be public records?
Yes, they can. A public record under the Public Records Act 1973 is any record made or received by a public officer in the course of their duties, and PROV's guidance applies that to posts, comments and messages on official accounts. Whether a particular item needs to be kept depends on what it documents, so follow your records policy and PROV's advice.
Source: Public Records Act 1973 (Vic) · Public Record Office Victoria (PROV): Social media records guidance
How long does a Victorian agency have to decide an FOI request?
The FOI Act requires the agency to take reasonable steps to notify the applicant of a decision as soon as practicable and no later than 30 calendar days after the day a valid request is received, with limited extensions for third-party consultation or by agreement. OVIC publishes guidance on calculating the period. 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 provided separately.
Source: Freedom of Information Act 1982 (Vic) · Office of the Victorian Information Commissioner (OVIC)
Does the retention period change because a post was on social media?
No. Retention follows the function the record documents. An emergency warning, a complaint or a planning consultation posted on Facebook is kept under the same retention and disposal authority as the same activity recorded by email or letter.
Source: Public Records Act 1973 (Vic) · Public Record Office Victoria (PROV): Social media records guidance
How does Brolly help a Victorian council meet these obligations?
Brolly captures posts, comments, edits and deletions from official accounts as they happen, keeps them searchable with their metadata, and exports them in formats records staff can file or produce. It helps you meet recordkeeping and FOI obligations; it does not replace your records policy or legal advice.
How long must social media records be retained?
Retention depends on the purpose and content of the communication and the PROV disposal authority applying to the function it documents. PROV's guidance treats social posts made or received by a public officer in their duties as public records and routes them to the authority for the activity they evidence; no single period applies to every social-media record. Confirm the class with Public Record Office Victoria or your records team.
Source: Freedom of Information Act 1982 (Vic) · Office of the Victorian Information Commissioner (OVIC)
See your channels as records.
See capture, search and export on your own Victoria channels in a 20-minute walkthrough. Records teams welcome.