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International Access to Information Day 2025
Ensuring Access to Environmental Information in the Digital Age
International Access to Information Day (IAID) is held on 28 September every year and recognises the community’s right to access government-held information. This year’ theme is ‘Ensuring Access to Environmental Information in the Digital Age’. Find out more about how you can get involved and celebrate the day.
The 2025 UNESCO theme for International Access to Information Day (or IDUAI as it is badged internationally) is ‘Ensuring Access to Environmental Information in the Digital Age’, with a focus on advancing access to environmental information as a pillar of transparency, accountability, and sustainable development.
It focuses on the vital importance of timely, comprehensive, and cross-border access to environmental information in an increasingly digital world.
IAID in Australia
There will be a range of events and highlights across the week around IAID this year. If you are an Australian Government FOI practitioner, subscribe to our ICON alerts for news and updates about IAID and other OAIC news.
We will also be sharing an IAID supporter pack with a range of #AccesToInfoDay material that government agencies can use – as well as sharing some here on our IAID 2025 web page in the coming days.
IAID is an opportunity to share key messages about access to information, and spotlight the important role that government agencies play in managing information for public purposes.
It's also a great time to give more visibility to the important work done by FOI practitioners across government, and why access to information is so important.
About FOI and access to government information
The right to information is enshrined in access to information laws across Australia and New Zealand. We are among more than 120 nations around the world to guarantee citizens these rights — a significant expansion since 2009 when UNESCO recorded only 40 countries with these laws.
Australia’s Freedom of Information Act 1982 (FOI Act) recognises that the information government holds is a national resource and is managed for public purposes, and that public access to it should be prompt and at the lowest reasonable cost. The FOI Act applies to Australian Government ministers and most agencies, and other Australian states and territories have equivalent legislation.
Make sure you’re ‘FOI’ informed
The Solomon lecture, put on each year by the Office of the Information Commissioner Queensland is a highlight of IAID activities each year.
