The Australian Information Commissioner can issue guidelines about the operation of the Freedom of Information Act 1982 (FOI Act) under section 93A of that Act. Section 93A also requires Australian Government ministers and agencies to have regard to these guidelines when performing a function or exercising a power under the FOI Act. These FOI Guidelines are not legislative instruments.

The OAIC also provides a Guide to the FOI Act, which explains the FOI Act’s main provisions and underlying principles. Other Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) FOI resources can also help agencies and ministers apply the FOI Act.

Below are the current FOI Guidelines. There is also a table of previous FOI Guidelines which includes a summary of significant changes between each version and links to the archived versions. Each chapter includes a PDF version.