Freedom of information guidance for government agencies
Below are resources to designed to help freedom of information decision-makers in government agencies and minister’s offices.
We recommend reading our FOI Essentials toolkit – it summarises FOI principles, requirements and processes, and includes links to further reading on our website.
Asset section
Information Publication Scheme review
The Freedom of Information Act 1982 (Cth) (FOI Act) requires the OAIC and Australian Government agencies to review compliance with the Information Publication Scheme (IPS) every 5 years. The review is now complete.
Information Commissioner reviews
Information Commissioner review procedure directions for agencies and applicants
The OAIC's self-assessment tool for agencies
This tool assists agencies to understand the effectiveness of their information access systems
Freedom of Information Practitioners’ Survey 2024
The survey provides insights into the needs of the practitioners delivering Australia’s freedom of information (FOI) system
More guidance
Covers administrative access and proactive disclosure of government-held information; includes our FOI Guide and FOIstats Guide
Freedom of information reviews
Explains the review process and the type of reviews involved
Guidance on handling a freedom of information request
Covers issues that may arise processing an FOI request
Agency resources
These provide more detailed advice and practical tips for agencies about applying the Freedom of Information Act 1982
Freedom of Information processing period calculator
Freedom of Information processing period calculator is an interactive tool which assists Freedom of Information practitioners to calculate the period
