All Case Studies, Government
September 4, 2026

Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry: Strengthening control and compliance across physical records

The background

The Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF) manages physical records that support important government and business processes, including hard-copy export certificate records.

With these records needing to remain secure, traceable and accessible throughout their required lifecycle, the team needed a more structured approach that could support compliance and audit requirements while reducing pressure on limited office storage.

The challenge

Before working with Grace, DAFF relied heavily on manual processes to manage physical records, including quadruplicates of certificates collected by exporters.

Limited storage space and manual tracking made managing the collection increasingly challenging. The team needed to maintain confidence in the location and integrity of records while ensuring they could be efficiently retrieved and verified when required.

Key challenges included:

Limited physical storage capacity.
Manual tracking of hard-copy records.
Slow or inconsistent record retrieval.
Risk of records being misplaced, duplicated or difficult to verify.
Limited visibility over archived information.
Maintaining compliance, record integrity and audit readiness.

The Department needed a secure solution that would provide greater visibility and control without adding further administrative burden for its team.

The solution

Grace Information Management worked with DAFF to implement a structured physical records management and secure offsite storage solution.

The project combined onsite preparation by the Department with secure offsite management by Grace and included:

Secure offsite storage of physical export certificate records.
Structured tracking and inventory management.
Reliable retrieval of records when required.
Lifecycle management of hard-copy records.
Reduced reliance on local office storage.
Secure handling of official government and business records with consideration for compliance, audit, record integrity and potential commercial sensitivity.

Grace also provided practical guidance throughout the process, helping the team transition from a manual, space-intensive approach to a more structured and manageable records management environment.

The results

Since working with Grace, DAFF has improved the structure, visibility and control of its physical records.

While specific quantitative outcomes are still being established, the Department has already seen important operational improvements, including:

Reduced pressure on local office storage space.
Greater visibility of archived records.
Reduced manual handling when storing and locating hard-copy information.
More consistent and reliable record retrieval.
Reduced risk of records being misplaced or inconsistently tracked.
Greater confidence in compliance and audit readiness.
Improved overall records management efficiency.

The more structured approach also means staff can manage and locate information with greater confidence, supporting more efficient workflows and improved responsiveness to both internal and external stakeholders.

DAFF describes its collaboration with Grace as clear, responsive and solutions-focused.

The Grace team understood the importance of record integrity, compliance and audit readiness and provided practical guidance around secure storage, tracking and retrieval.

This support has helped the Department establish a more structured approach to its physical records while reducing reliance on manual processes and onsite storage.

“The Grace solution has helped improve visibility, reduce reliance on manual storage, support compliance and make retrieval more consistent. The collaboration with Grace has been clear, responsive and solutions-focused, and the team understands the importance of maintaining record integrity and audit readiness. I would recommend Grace to organisations that need a secure, structured and reliable way to manage physical records. My advice would be to clearly define your record types, retention needs and retrieval requirements early so the solution is tailored to your operational needs.”

Harley Weston, Assessment Services Officer, Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry

How this large enterprise organisation transformed inbound mail into a secure digital workflow

“I would recommend Grace to any organisation looking for more than just a vendor. What sets Grace apart is their willingness to work as a...

Glen Innes Severn Council: Preserving history while transforming access to critical records

“Prior to the digitisation of Council’s archived development files, staff were required to sort through stacked boxes of 8,000 paper files in a basement to...

News

Ramsay Health Care: Strengthening control and compliance for clinical trial records

“We now have increased control over our inventory held with Grace. The Grace team was helpful, and communication was efficient and friendly. We have been...

Bunbury Catholic College: Preserving more than 50 years of school history through digitisation

“We had 23 years of yearbooks in physical form only, with no electronic copy. Yearbooks were frequently requested by ex-students organising reunions, and with many...

NSW Health Nepean: Secure access to patient records when they’re needed

“Working with Grace has allowed our team to focus more on supporting clinicians and hospital operations by reducing the administrative burden associated with managing large...

How this government agency ensured continuity through a secure Digital Mailroom

Throughout implementation, Grace worked closely with stakeholders to understand business requirements, develop and refine scanning templates, conduct user acceptance testing and support the transition to...

News

Telstra: Streamlining employee records management with secure storage and digital access

“Grace has helped simplify how we manage employee records by taking the responsibility of physical storage off our team. This allows us to focus more...

Yarra Ranges Council: Turning building permits into accessible digital assets

“The gradual conversion of the hard copy collection into digital assets serves the agency and the community well from an economic and efficiency perspective. We’ve...

News

Landgate: Streamlining access to offsite records with Grace Gateway

“Grace has helped streamline the way our team manages and accesses records, providing a more centralised and secure approach to records management. Improved visibility of...

Mount Samson State School: From five-day retrievals to records in around an hour

“My advice would be simple: do it. Partnering with Grace has been one of the best decisions we’ve made for our records management processes. The...

News

St Joseph’s Early Learning Centre: Safeguarding sensitive records with Grace

“Grace were excellent to work with. They made the process simple, clearly identified our records, andexplained every option so we could make the best decision....

Rees R and Sydney Jones Solicitors: Streamlining efficiency and organisation with Grace

“Everything was right from day one. The professionalism and kindness of the staff have been exceptional, they cater to our every need. The delivery service...

General

Sales

Customer Support