Freedom of information legislation and determinations
Individuals have the right to access documents from Australian Government ministers and most Australian Government agencies under the Freedom of Information Act 1982 (FOI Act).
The FOI Act also applies to Norfolk Island public sector agencies and official documents of Norfolk Island ministers.
Most FOI requests involve people seeking access to documents containing their personal information. Individuals can also request access to documents containing other information, such as information about government policies, programs and decision-making processes.
Determinations
The Australian Information Commissioner can make determinations under the FOI Act to exempt documents from publication either through the Information Publication Scheme (IPS) or the FOI Disclosure Log.
The Federal Register of Legislation website contains authoritative versions of all legislative instruments enabled by the FOI Act, including FOI determinations.
