US Government e-Record Management

The United States Government Accountability Office gave evidence to the US House of Representatives on "The Challenges of
Managing Electronic Records". The conclusion was that more needs to be done on e-record management in the US Government. GAO found almost 80 percent of agencies were at moderate to high risk of improper disposition of records. The situation in Australia is likely to better, as the Australian Government has more sophisticated policy and technical systems for handling e-records than the USA.

Why GAO Did This Study
Federal agencies are increasingly using electronic means to create, exchange, and store information, and in doing so, they frequently create federal records: that is, information, in whatever form, that documents government functions, activities, decisions, and other
important transactions. As the volume of electronic information grows, so does the challenge of managing electronic records. Both federal agency heads and the
National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) have responsibilities for managing federal records. ...

From: "The Challenges of Managing Electronic Records", Statement of Valerie C. Melvin, Director, Information Management and Human Capital Issues, Testimony Before the Subcommittee on Information Policy, Census and National Archives, Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, House of Representatives, Government Accountability Office, United States, June 17, 2010