Research released by the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) confirms that Australian Government agencies are moving closer to an open access and proactive disclosure culture.

 

Reforms to the federal Freedom of Information Act 1982 (FOI Act) in November 2010 were designed to progress open government in Australia. These reforms included an Information Publication Scheme that came into effect on 1 May 2011. Under the scheme, Australian Government agencies are required to publish a range of documents on their websites, and are encouraged to publish additional information over and above that required by the FOI Act.

 

In early May 2012, the OAIC conducted a survey of Australian Government agencies to assess how they are complying with the new publishing requirements of the FOI Act. Seventy eight per cent of Australian Government agencies completed the survey.

 

'Proactive publication is a core element of transparent, accountable and accessible government,' Australian Information Commissioner Professor John McMillan said. 'I am pleased that 85 per cent of agencies publish the required categories of information on their websites, including information about their structure, functions, appointments and consultation arrangements. Ninety four per cent are publishing operational information that shows how decisions that affect members of the public are made.'

 

Professor McMillan said the new proactive publishing requirements require action on many fronts. For example, agencies must publish a plan, decide what information they will publish and ensure that it is accessible and useable by the community. Agencies must also consult the community about its needs and expectations and regularly review the agency's performance.

 

While pleased with the survey results, Professor McMillan said that many challenges have been identified that agencies must overcome to meet the requirements of the new FOI regime.

 

'Our survey also sought to measure agencies' implementation of the Principles on open public sector information. These Principles, issued by the OAIC last year, set out the central values of open public sector information — information should be accessible without charge, based on open standards, easily discoverable, understandable, machine-readable and freely reusable and transformable.'

 

When asked to identify which of the Principles were most challenging to implement 30 per cent of agencies identified making public sector information discoverable and useable, 28 per cent identified providing open access to information. Seventeen per cent identified robust information asset management as being the most difficult principle to implement.

 

Reasons for these difficulties included outdated agency record keeping systems, differing information management practices operating in the same agency and a lack of resources to reformat old documents for digital publication.

 

'Going forward, agencies will need help in making information more discoverable, including by applying metadata. Ensuring that online information is accessible to the community, in particular to people with disabilities, is another area where some agencies are struggling,' Professor McMillan added. 'For this reason the OAIC will continue to work with information management stakeholders to share best practice experiences and offer as much support as possible.'

 

The survey results are available on the OAIC website: www.oaic.gov.au/publications/reports/IPS_survey_report.html

A summary of the survey findings about agencies' implementation of the Principles on open public sector information is available on the OAIC website: www.oaic.gov.au/publications/reports/open_psi_government_transition.html