Page 2580 - Week 07 - Thursday, 1 August 2019
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functions, including reviewing access decisions, dealing with complaints and determining requests for extensions of time.
It is clear that the new Freedom of Information Act is already achieving positive results. The ACT Ombudsman reported that in the first six months of operation of the new act there was an increase in applications of approximately 20 per cent. There has also been a small decrease in decisions by agencies refusing access.
It is also clear that our freedom of information regime is valued by our Canberra community. In a recent survey of ACT residents conducted as part of national research by the Association of Information Access Commissioners, 90 per cent of respondents said that it was very important or quite important to have the right to access information held by the ACT government. The survey found that 77 per cent of respondents were aware of their rights to access government information under our freedom of information laws. While only 15 per cent had actually sought information from the ACT government, almost 80 per cent of those applicants were successful in obtaining some or all of the information they were seeking.
As part of the implementation of the new act, the Justice and Community Safety Directorate established a freedom of information working group, with representatives from all directorates. Feedback from the working group is that there is strong support across government for the new act and the culture of increased transparency and accountability that it is intended to foster.
Nevertheless, while the evidence is that the new act is working well, the increase in demand has led to a significantly increased workload for agencies. This reflects the more detailed analysis and reasoning required to be articulated in decisions, and a range of new administrative requirements in the act.
It is important that we ensure that our freedom of information regime is sustainable over time. Processing resources need to be used as efficiently as possible to achieve the best results for applicants. The working group has identified areas where the Freedom of Information Act could be improved to increase the efficiency of processing and provide greater flexibility for agencies to manage increased workloads under the act. The Ombudsman has also requested amendments to the act to address administrative issues, particularly relating to the processing of review applications by his office.
This bill is intended to improve the processes in the act to seek access to documents and have relevant decisions review, with a view to providing greater flexibility in managing workflows.
Changes that improve the efficiency of the framework make the FOI Act work better for applicants, the public sector and the Canberra community. Importantly, the amendments relate to process and do not affect the scope of disclosure required under the scheme, or the transparency and accountability of government that the scheme promotes.
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