OAIC has published the Australian Government FOI statistics dashboard, which presents key freedom of information (FOI) data over the last 5 years, as Australian Government agencies and ministers reported to the OAIC under the Freedom of Information Act 1982 (FOI Act). The dashboard is an interactive presentation of data published in the […]
FOI
OAIC’s FOI self-assessment tools for agencies
The OAIC has published a self-assessment tool for agencies. It has been developed to assist agencies in reviewing the effectiveness of their information access systems and overall FOI compliance and identifying gaps or areas for improvement, as well as areas where they are doing well. The self-assessment tool is now complemented by a […]
State of Australia’s FOI System
On 13 January 2025, the Freedom of Information Commissioner, Toni Pirani, released the Freedom of Information (FOI) Practitioners’ Survey 2024 report. Ms Pirani has highlighted three key learnings: Improving systems will make complying with FOI obligations easier The majority of agencies require improvement to their systems and policies for records […]
Culture of FOI in Victoria
The Office of the Victorian Information Commissioner (OVIC) published new research on freedom of information (FOI) culture in Victoria and the importance of proactive and informal release of information. “The release of documents under the FOI Act is not the only way that governments can share information with the public” […]
Report into delay in Victorian FOI decisions
The Victorian Information Commissioner’s report into the delay in disclosure of government documents under the Freedom of Information Act 1982 (Vic) was recently tabled in the Victorian Parliament. Between 2015 and 2020, the proportion of FOI decisions made on time in Victoria declined from 95% to 79%. The investigation examined […]
Automated Decision Making Transparency under GIPA Act
The increasing adoption of technology requires the preservation, assurance and assertion of information access rights. To achieve these outcomes, government licensing and contractual arrangements should ensure accessibility and ‘explainability’ in the provision of government services and decision making. The issue of algorithmic transparency of a government agency’s contractor is currently […]
