map - VictoriaThe Public Record Office Victoria (PROV), one of the major archives offices in Victoria, holds a vast array of records created by Victorian Government departments and authorities including the State’s courts, local councils, schools, public hospitals and other public offices.

The records they hold date from the establishment of the Port Phillip District in the mid 1830s and continue right through to today. These include information relating to the administration of justice, immigration, health and welfare, land, education, Indigenous communities, planning, transport, and resource management.

As you can imagine, not all of the records they hold are open to the public, and that is the case with Section 9 records that are held at the Public Records Office Victoria.

Section 9 of the Public Records Act 1973 allows for the closure of “personal or private” records, and has the following description …

… this prevents the violation of personal privacy and covers such material as personnel records, medical records, police and prison records and case records concerning students, welfare recipients, children in government care or compensation claimants.

Records closed on grounds of personal privacy are generally closed for a period approximating a person’s lifetime.

When the calender turned over from 2014 to 2015, 1 January saw a number of Section 9 files passed the timeframe, and they are now open to the public.

There is a long list of collections that are now available. These records cover everything from Accident compensations, to Admission warrants for mental hospitals. There are Photographs and criminal offences of convicted persons and other criminal records, minute papers from places list the Dental Board of Victoria, the Pharmaceutical Board and the Public Transport Corporation. There are large number of Children’s Court Registers now available to view, as well as numerous hospital records. Even teacher records.

To view the full list click here.

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