Websites category

Explore archived websites from over 8 billion records stored on the Australian Web Archive. This includes material relevant to the cultural, social, political, research and commercial life and activities of Australia and Australians.

Check out Related Pages for more information.


Australian Web Archive

The Australian Web Archive contains:

  • Australian websites selected for the PANDORA Web Archive (one of the world’s first web archiving initiatives) 
  • Australian Government websites (formerly accessible through the Australian Government Web Archive)
  • Websites with addresses that end in .au (collected annually)

These websites are saved as snapshots of how they appeared at the time that they were online, and then preserved on the archive as a copy.  

Material will continue to be added to the Australian Web Archive and online material is collected in accordance with the Library’s function as stated in the National Library Act 1960, the legal deposit provisions of the Copyright Act 1968 and the National Library’s Collection Development Policy. 


Restricted content

Some archived webpages are restricted from public use for a variety of reasons. It may be because the organisation that published the webpage has asked for it to be restricted. Other reasons include: 

Privacy (personal data):  

Sensitive personal data that may make a person easily identifiable or locatable, and possibly subject to harm such as identify theft or acts of violence. This includes, but is not limited to, date of birth, address, medical data, LGBTQI status. 

Privacy (other):   

Content that may be considered an invasion of privacy but is not sensitive personal data. 

Defamation: 

Content that is subject to defamation proceedings. 

Cultural protocols:  

Content that may be in violation of recognised cultural protocols. This includes, but is not limited to, the content related to deceased persons from Indigenous communities. 

Court order:  

Content that cannot be published due to a court order. This includes, but is not limited to, content that is subject to a suppression order. 

Criminal:  

Content deemed criminal under legislation. This includes, but is not limited to, child pornography or child abuse images, content that advocates the committing of a terrorist act, and images falling under non-consensual image sharing laws. 

Harmful:  

Content that may be considered harmful by some but is not necessarily illegal. This includes, but is not limited to, pornographic images of consenting adults, hate speech and content that advocates unsafe behaviour. 

Copyright: 

Content that may be subject to copyright or licensing agreements. If the request relates to copyright, the applicant must supply evidence that they are the rights holder or their agent. 

Commercial:   

Content that may be of significant commercial advantage or sensitivity. 

Protected government data: 

Government data that is sensitive, official or classified and exempt from publication under the Freedom of Information Act 1982. 

Other: 

Any reason that falls outside the above listed categories. 

Some are restricted permanently while others will be released after a period of time. 

Don’t worry - there are millions of more pages in the web archive that can help you with your research.  Keep browsing.


What can I do if I am concerned about an archived webpage?

If you find material in the National Library of Australia’s online collections which you believe infringes your rights, or, for example, contravenes privacy law, is defamatory, or in breach of copyright, you may submit a takedown request.


Disclaimer

The Australian Web Archive contains language and imagery originally published on the web.