What is Normal Administrative Practice (NAP)?

Normal Administrative Practice allows records to be destroyed without formal authorization. Provisions under the State Records Act define the types of records we may routinely destroy in the normal course of business.

NSW State Records advises,

"Records that are ephemeral, facilitative or duplicate in nature (and not of continuing value to the organisation) may not need to be placed within recordkeeping systems and may be required for only a few hours or days. The destruction of these types of records is acceptable as a part of normal administrative practice for a public office" *State Records NSW

These are records of short-term value that you may destroy without further consultation with Records and Archives Office staff.

What records does NAP apply to?

NAP may apply to documents that are:

• duplicated (eg information copies, copies of reports, correspondence, where the originals are on file)
  
• unimportant (eg compliment slips, telephone messages)
  
• of short term value (eg rough drafts, address lists, change of addresses)
  

Contact Records and Archives staff for advice, if you are in any doubt whether NAP can be applied to the records in your custody.

How to dispose of records as a NAP

When deciding whether destruction as a NAP is appropriate, ask yourself whether unique or valuable information will be lost.

If you are confident the records are of no long-term value to UNSW and can be disposed of as a NAP then:

• Place records that are not confidential or sensitive in a recycling bin.
  
• Dispose of confidential or sensitive records by shredding or placing them in a security disposal bag.
  
• Contact Records and Archives Office staff if you require advice on confidential record disposal.
  

Further Information

See the National Archives of Australia or AustLII (Australasian Legal Information Institute).

The most comprehensive resource on NAP is: Schedule 3 of the State Records Regulation, 2005: Guidelines on what constitutes Normal Administrative Practice