1. Set the scope
Complete this with the governance or records officer before treating an account as ready for official use.
Record the office, jurisdiction, policy link/version and reviewer.
List each account URL, owner and intended use: official, personal, campaign or mixed. The label alone does not decide the status of individual records.
Record roles/contact routes for records, communications, IT and urgent escalation.
2. Prepare accounts and records
Use approved administration and recovery arrangements. Do not enter passwords, recovery codes or private correspondence here.
For each account, record authorised administrators, backup access, MFA check date and recovery owner.
Record what needs assessment, who captures it, the approved storage location and a review interval agreed with records staff.
Record the approved account description, contact route, response expectations and link to moderation rules.
3. Work through three scenarios
These are original fictional exercises for discussion, not universal legal answers.
What is the approved referral route? Who assesses the record? Do not paste the resident’s details here.
Who will review the mixed use and advise on handling? Do not assume every item has the same status.
Who owns recovery and how will any capture gap be investigated?
4. Agree next actions
Use this as the closing agenda for induction.
List each gap and the person accountable for completing it.
Record ready / ready with restrictions / not ready, reviewer and review date.
Completion checklist
Record evidence or an open action beside each item. A checked list is not legal approval.
Before using this pack
This original working aid supports discussion and documentation. It does not replace your policies, legal advice, retention authority or an authorized decision. No fixed retention period or universal permission to remove content is supplied.
Find guidance for your state or territory
Choose your jurisdiction, then record the policy, responsible officer and retention authority agreed with your team.
New South Wales
Agree how council-business posts and conversations reach the council records team.
Victoria
Use council policy to agree which information is passed to council and who receives it.
Queensland
Discuss council-business correspondence, including social posts, with your records officer.
Western Australia
Use the Local Government Council Members’ Records advice to agree capture responsibilities.
South Australia
Start with the state standards, then confirm your council’s elected-member policy and applicable disposal schedule. This is general records guidance.
Tasmania
Use the councillor advice to discuss records across social media, messages and other formats.
Office of the State Archivist: advice for councillors (PDF) ↗
Northern Territory
Confirm the council’s capture and retention arrangements with its records team. This general guidance includes NT local authorities.
Australian Capital Territory
For ACT government teams: use the social media requirements and capture scenarios. The ACT has no municipal councils; adapt office roles rather than using the councillor workflow unchanged.