What the register covers
The records most Australian businesses hold: employee and payroll records, tax and accounting records, company records, AML/CTF records, privacy and marketing records, and work health and safety records.
Which laws
- Commonwealth law for everything except work health and safety.
- The model WHS laws for work health and safety. The model WHS laws apply in the Commonwealth, NSW, Queensland, SA, Tasmania, the ACT, the NT and WA (WA with variations). Victoria has a different law (OHS Act 2004). Its periods are not shown here.
State and territory laws other than the model WHS laws are not in the register. The exception is the limitation periods for contract and deed claims, shown on the contracts, customer records and disputes guides. Neither are industry codes, licence conditions, contracts or government records authorities, which can all add requirements.
Gaps worth knowing about
- Contracts, complaints and disputes. There is no general Commonwealth retention period for these. State and territory limitation Acts set how long a claim can be brought. See the official sources.
- Customer records generally. There is no general Commonwealth "keep customer records for X years" rule. Different laws reach different parts of a customer file.
What the register does not tell you
- Whether a requirement applies to your organisation.
- How to reconcile several requirements that apply to the same record.
- Whether you can dispose of a particular record. Other laws, a dispute or a legal hold may mean you can't.
- Every requirement that applies to your business: this is not a complete retention schedule.
If a search finds nothing
No result means no matching entry in this register. It does not mean there is no obligation. Try a broader word, clear the category filter, or check the official sources.