ANNEX
FAIRBRIDGE FOUNDATION, SYDNEY ACCESS TO INFORMATION
FROM FILES1. The files of the Fairbridge
Farm Schools of New South Wales are held in the offices of the
Fairbridge Foundation, Sydney. It is planned to place them, eventually,
in the Mitchell Library, Sydney, or some similar institution.
This will be done when it is no longer advantageous to the Old
Fairbridgians concerned, or no longer practicable for the Fairbridge
Foundation to continue to hold and monitor access to the files.
2.# Personal files of Old Fairbridgians
——(i) While the Old Fairbridgian
is alive
No person, other than the Old Fairbridgian himself
or herself, shall have access to information from his or her personal
files while he or she is alive, subject to the one exception set
out below:
If it is in the best interest of the Old Fairbridgian
that access be given to information such as that of a medical
nature, and he or she has not asked for it personally, such access
may be granted to an appropriate person, but only if the request
is accompanied by the Medical Certificate to that effect.
— (ii) After the Old Fairbridgian is deceased
A relative of an Old Fairbridgian is defined
as a person who is the direct issue of the Old Fairbridgian or
the spouse or common law spouse of the Old Fairbridgian at the
time of death.
In the immediate future after the death of an
Old Fairbridgian a relative, as defined above, will be allowed
access to information of a medical or genealogical nature contained
in the personal file of the Old Fairbridgian.
Ten years after the death of the Old Fairbridgian
a relative, as defined above, will have access to all information
contained in the personal file of the Old Fairbridgian.
No other person, including bona fide
scholars and researchers, shall have access to the personal files
of Old Fairbridgians.
3. ADMINISTRATIVE
FILES OF
THE FAIRBRIDGE
FARM SCHOOLS
OF NSW, HELD
BY THE
FAIRBRIDGE FOUNDATION
(i) Upon confirmation of identify an bona
fides, scholars and researchers may be given permission, but
only in very special circumstances, to inspect documents at the
direction of the Chairman of the Council of the Fairbridge Foundation.
(ii) All intending researchers must make a written
request to do so, setting out the nature of their project, giving
the names of academic referees (who must be of standing) or, if
this is not appropriate, other written references sufficient to
enable the Chairman of the Council of the Fairbridge Foundation
to be satisfied that access to the files should be granted.
(iii) Access will only be granted if the scholar
or researcher enters into a legally enforceable agreement that
he or she will not publish nominal information and that, if he
or she finds information concerning a particular child or children
of a sensitive nature, he or she would advise the Chairman of
the Council of the Fairbridge Foundation and not otherwise disclose
or use the information in any way which could result in an invasion
of the privacy of the child or children or otherwise be detrimental
to them.
(iv) The arrangements set out above shall remain
in force for 100 years.27 September 1991
THE FAIRBRIDGE SOCIETY—ADMINISTRATIVE
AND PERSONAL FILES GUIDELINES
A. ACCESS1. Ultimate
control of access to the files, both personal and general, should
be transferred, in Great Britain from the London Office of The
Fairbridge Drake Society to the University of Liverpool under
the supervision of the Archivist; in Western Australia to the
Battye Library, Perth, under the supervision of the Archivist;
in Tasmania to the Provincial Library in Hobart under the supervision
of the Archivist; in Canada this arrangement is already in place
at the British Columbia Archives and Record Service, Parliament
Buildings in Victoria, under the supervision of the Archivist.The
files of the Fairbridge Farm Schools of New South Wales are held
in the offices of the Fairbridge Foundation, Sydney. It is planned
to place them, eventually, in the Mitchell Library, Sydney, or
some similar institution. This will be done when it is no longer
advantageous to the Old Fairbridgians concerned, or no longer
practicable for the Fairbridge Foundation to continue to hold
and monitor access to the files.
2. OLD FAIRBRIDGIANS
(a) Personal Files: Old Fairbridgians
should have access to these. In cases where problems arise they
will be able to contact the appropriate Fairbridge/Fairbridge
Drake representative.
If it is in the best interest of the Old Fairbridgian
that access be given to information such as that of a medical
nature, and he or she has not asked for it personally, such access
may be granted to an appropriate person, but only if the request
is accompanied by a Medical Certificate to that effect.
(b) Administrative Files: Old Fairbridgians
who are bona fide scholars or researchers may have access to these.
In addition, Old Fairbridgians may be given access for a specific
and defined reason with the agreement of the archivist.
3. RELATIVES OF
OLD FAIRBRIDGIANSDirect
family only, upon production of identification, will be allowed
access to the files.
(a) Personal files: In the immediate future
relatives may need information from these files for:
(i) Medical or genealogical purposes; the
Archivist will provide the relevant facts.
(ii) 10 years after the death of the Old
Fairbridgian, access to the files will be open to relatives upon
production of identification.
(b) Administrative Files: 10 years after
the death of the Old Fairbridgian, access to the files will be
open to relatives upon production of identification.
4. GENERAL PUBLIC
(a) Personal Files: access only to those
older than 30 years and subject to the conditions in 4(b). Publication
of the findings of academic research is to be restricted to statistical
or aggregated information.
(b) Administrative Files:
(i) Upon confirmation of identity and bona
fides, scholars and researchers may be given permission to inspect
documents at the discretion of the Archivist.
(ii) All intending researchers must sign
an application form which sets out the nature of their project,
gives the names of academic referees (who must be of standing),
and ends with a formal undertaking not to publish nominal information.
The undertaking is intended to be legally unforceable.
(iii) At Liverpool University date limits
are operated from the date of the last paper on file, or the most
recent entry in the volume. All members of the public should be
sound by this with regard to the 100 years rule. It is hoped that
Australia and Canada will find this acceptable.5. The Archivis
will be empowered to enforce these regulations which are subject
to the legal requirements of the Governments of Australia and
Canada.
B. CAREIt is recommended that records are kept in
acid free folders and containers and that micro-filming of files
should be undertaken in the future if funds become available.
27 September 1991
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