[2] The Archives was established as an initiative of the 4th National Homosexual Conference, Sydney, August 1978, drawing on the previous work of founding President Graham Carbery.

), newspaper clippings, theses, articles and pamphlets, ephemera (e.g. flyers, circulars, invitations, cards, calendars, etc.

[9] AQuA has also built up extensive collections relating to key aspects of LGBTI life in Australia, including: pride festivals such as Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras, Midsumma and Feast Festival; HIV/AIDS education and activism; faith-based organisations in particular Christian groups and support groups; sporting organisations and events in particular Gay Games; leather, kink and BDSM.

The Archives also holds substantial collections of personal papers, including: entrepreneur Jan Hillier; HIV/AIDS activists and community workers Ian Goller and Bill Hathaway; academics Professor Dennis Altman; performers Noel Tovey; writers Bob Buckley, Dino Hodge, Sasha Soldatow, Lyn Palmer, and Barry Lowe; gay liberation activists such as Peter McEwan, John Langworthy, Chris Johnston, and Mother Boats (Brian Traynor); transgender activists and performers such as Roberta Perkins, Jasper Laybutt, Rose Jackson, Bobbie Nugent, Linda Phillips, etc.

; DJ's Stephen Allkins and Bill Morley; artists Eddy Hackenberg, Cayte Latta, Peter Tully; motor, leather and BDSM club records (e.g. Dolphin Motor Club, Cruisers MC, Dykes on Bikes Melbourne, Wicked Women, Sydney Leather Pride Association, etc.)

and personal papers of leathermen and leatherwomen such as Ken Hocking, Colin Simson, Noel Lewington, Roger Mann, Jasper Laybutt, Talisa Tulip, Gigi Legenhausen, etc.

The Archives holds more than 2100 titles (approximately 50,000 items), from community newspapers and magazines, to organisational newsletters and zines from across Australia, New Zealand, USA, UK, Indonesia, the Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark, France, Switzerland, Sweden, Japan, Thailand etc.

Amongst the over 40,000 photographic items, notable special collections include those of Tommy McDermott and Robert Albert (Lottie) Lott and Brian Cooke documenting camp life in Melbourne from the 1940s to the 1960s; photographer collections including those by John Storey, C.Moore Hardy, Cayte Latta, William Yang and Terrence (Terry) Bell, and John Jenner documenting LGBT life in Sydney from the 1970s–2000s; Eddy Hackenberg, Sydney-based artist and documentary photographer; Bob Buckley, S/M writer, documenting S/M and leather culture in Australia and around the world; David Johnstone, documenting Mandala gay commune and the early Radical Faeries in Australia; Ulo Klemmer, documenting saunas and beats in Sydney; organisational photographic collections, such as those of Midsumma and ALSO Foundation; and photographic collections from LGBT newspapers, including Campaign, Brother Sister, B-News (Bill Calder), Melbourne Star Observer, City Rhythm (Jay Watchorn and Leigh Klooger), and Klick (Ivan Polson), and Evolution Publishing (Melbourne Office), as well as a range of smaller collections of photographs in personal papers.

Also included are a small number of off-air recordings of interviews relating to LGBT-subjects on mainstream radio programs.

Ephemera consists largely of small printed paper items, most of which were not intended to have a long life, such as brochures, flyers, postcards, circulars, as well as health promotion materials such as condoms etc.

Substantial holdings include events such as the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras, Midsumma and Feast Festival; as well as conferences such as Queer Collaborations; venues such as nightclubs; and theatre programs.

A number of collections of personal papers also contain subject-based newspaper clippings files, including those of Geoff Allshorn and Graham Willett.

The Archives maintains a substantial collection of audio-visual material in a range of formats, from Super8 to Umatic and VHS, including feature films, documentaries, safe sex/sex education videos, daytime talk shows, news reportage, and original recordings of community events.

The Archives' collection of artwork consists largely of photographs, collages and paintings, as well as original poster and costume designs, cartoons and comics.