THE Auditor General’s office has criticised the City of Canning in a report into records management policies in local government.
An investigation by the Auditor General’s office found the City did not meet the office’s expectations in several areas relating to records management.
The audit deemed the City’s recordkeeping policy and procedures, records management training and records back-up systems were below par to what they would expect of a local government.
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READ NOWThe report said the City’s recordkeeping policy and procedures for business area roles and responsibilities, sensitive record management and social media did not meet expectations. Canning’s records management training was also criticised, with the report saying it did not provide appropriate refresher or job-specific training.
The report also found Canning’s digital records recovery could be better, with the City’s records disaster recovery plan (RDRP) failing to meet expectations, as did its actual coverage of digital records within the RDRP.
While the City was affirmed for its regular back-up of digital records, the testing of digital back-ups was deemed unacceptable.
Canning Mayor Paul Ng said the City was aware it needed to improve its record keeping systems and processes prior to the audit.
“The City is taking positive steps to improve its record keeping obligations, which includes record remediation activities, training and education, compliance, policy and guideline development, and embedding record keeping practices into its normal business practices,” he said.
Mr Ng said the City had an approved record keeping plan and had just implemented a disaster recovery site in April.
Staff were trained on the records management system when beginning work, with refresher training provided on demand, and the City was implementing a new learning management system.