The Public Records Act 1973 (No 8418) established the Public Record Office of Victoria (PROV), the state archival authority. The Public Records Act provides for the preservation, management and utilisation of the public records of the state. The Act provides that public records containing ‘personal or private’ material can be closed to public inspection for a certain period. Many records relating to children and young people in ‘care’ in Victoria are closed under the Public Records Act for a period of 99 years from the date of the record’s creation. The Act came into operation on 17 April 1973.