Publications and resources

The Publications and resources section is the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner's (OAIC) hub for various publications including guidelines, decisions and papers and also includes other tools and resources.

The OAIC formally commenced on 1 November 2010. Publications and resources will be added to this section of the site as they are released.

Many publications of the former Office of the Privacy Commissioner are still relevant to the work of the OAIC in relation to its privacy function and, until a fully combined website for the OAIC is developed, can be found at http://www.privacy.gov.au/materials

Below is a short tagline for each of the resource pages in this section followed by a link to the page. Where appropriate, an indication of the relevant target audiences is given. If no audience is signified then the materials will be of use to all audiences including Australian Government agencies, businesses, not for profit organisations, the media and the public.

For answers to some of the most commonly asked questions about the OAIC and its Freedom of Information (FOI) functions and a link to privacy related Frequently asked questions by government agencies, businesses and individuals see our FAQs

For simple, plain English fact sheets on important aspects of the OAIC's FOI work and a link to privacy related information sheets see our Fact sheets page.

For guidelines for Australian Government agencies on FOI including in relation to the IPS and Disclosure Logs and a link to privacy related guidelines for Australian Government agencies and private sector organisations including not for profits see our Guidelines page.

Helpful resources to assist government agencies to understand their obligations in relation to FOI, including the Information Publication Scheme and Disclosure logs, and offering practical help in meeting those obligations and links to similar privacy information are available on our Agency resources page. These resources are primarily for Australian Government agencies and the Norfolk Island administration in relation to FOI and additionally for ACT Government agencies in relation to privacy.

A range of other operational information that assist the OAIC in performing its statutory functions, for example internal operating manuals and assessment templates are available on our Other operational information page.

You can find a range of decisions made by the Commissioners in relation to their statutory functions, including FOI merit review decisions and privacy determinations on our Decisions page

To view a range of reports produced by the OAIC including own motion investigation reports, privacy audits, Annual Reports and information policy or other reports to our Minister, go to our Reports page

To view a range of selected privacy case notes chosen because they involve new interpretation of the law, illustrate systemic issues, or illustrate systemic issues, or illustrate the application of the law to a particular industry see our Case Notes page

To view all the decisions and issues papers we have published in relation to OAIC policy and procedure development see our Papers page

To view submissions made by the OAIC and/or its Commissioners to external consultations and inquiries, including to the federal parliament, other government departments, the Australian Law Reform Commission see our Submissions page

A collection of useful local and international links in relation to information law and FOI, information policy and privacy can be found on our Links page