MEDIA RELEASE: Freedom of information annual report charts progress in open government reforms

2 December 2011

The Freedom of Information Act 1982 Annual Report 2010–11, a joint report of the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner and the Minister for Privacy and Freedom of Information, was presented to Parliament today.

Australian Information Commissioner, Professor John McMillan, said that many Australian Government agencies had seen an increased demand for information requested under FOI over the last 12 months, with a significant increase in the number of requests for non-personal information, such as documents concerning policy development and government decision making.

“Two possible reasons for this are the abolition of application fees, and a greater public awareness of access rights due to the introduction of the FOI reforms,” Professor McMillan said.

Other FOI reforms include a recasting and narrowing of some of the exemptions that government can use to refuse access to documents, and the establishment of an information publication scheme (IPS). The IPS began on 1 May 2011 and requires all Australian Government agencies subject to the FOI Act to publish a range of information on their websites.  This shifts the emphasis from a reactive model of disclosure of public sector information in response to individual requests, to a proactive model of publication. 

The report notes a 9.3% increase in FOI requests to ministers and agencies.

“The increase is significant, but it comes off a very low base ,” Freedom of Information Commissioner, Dr James Popple, said.  “The numbers of requests in the last two years have been the lowest in more than 20 years, largely due to proactive steps that some agencies have taken to release information outside of the FOI regime.”

Reflecting on the past 12 months since the FOI changes came into effect, Dr Popple said that he was pleased with the spirit in which agencies were embracing the open government reforms. 

“In a short time, we have seen a marked shift in agencies’ attitudes towards releasing government information, under FOI and through proactive disclosure,” Dr Popple said.

Other results reported in the FOI Annual Report  2010–11indicate:

• The majority of requests (82.6%) were for personal information, and there was a  3.6% increase in requests for this sort of information
• There has been a 48.4% increase in requests for information other than personal information.  These requests are typically more complex and require more resources for agencies and ministers to process
• 90.6% of all access requests were granted in full or in part, a decrease of 1.9%.
• The Information Commissioner received 176 applications for review and 88 FOI complaints
• The total reported cost attributable to the FOI Act in 2010–11 was $36.318m, an increase of 32.1% on the previous year.

“These figures confirm that 2010–11 was a challenging year in FOI: for agencies and for the OAIC. The year ahead will be equally challenging. The OAIC commences the year with a large number of FOI complaints and applications for Information Commissioner review of agency FOI decisions, and we will also commence evaluation of agency compliance with the IPS,” Professor McMillan said.

The FOI Annual Report 2010–11 can be accessed here:

http://www.oaic.gov.au/publications/reports/FOIAR_10-11/index.html

Media contact: Ms Leila Daniels, media@oaic.gov.au, 0407 663 968