On 28 June 1994, the Senate passed a motion by Senator Brian Harradine containing a detailed Order for the regular tabling in the Senate of lists of departmental files. The Senate Standing Committee on Finance and Public Administration reported to the Senate on 20 September 1994 in response to a reference relating to the practicality, cost effectiveness and usefulness of the Senate Order. A government motion to implement the recommendations of the Committee was defeated in the Senate on 14 November 1994. The Order remains in place though the Senate has varied compliance dates and added provisions relating to tabling the lists on the Department’s Internet Website.
The file listings have been edited in accordance with the terms of the Order, which specifies that the list need not include:
- Files transferred to the National Archives of Australia.
- Case related files.
- Files essentially related to the internal administration of the Department (e.g staff or personnel matters).
- File titles whose national security classification is Confidential, Secret or Top Secret or their equivalent.
- Cabinet related material.
The Senate Order asks for the lists to be ‘indexed’. A subject index is not readily available from the departmental records system, which uses a combination of keywords to retrieve data. The file listings are divided into broad categories based on the program structure of the Department:
- Higher Education
- Science
- Vocational Education & Training
- International
- Research & Evaluation
- Indigenous Education
- Communication, Information & Legal
- Corporate Strategy
- Schools
Introduction
The object of the Freedom of Information Act 1982 (the FOI Act) is to “extend as far as possible the right of the Australian community to access to information in the possession of the Government of the Commonwealth”.
The FOI Act aims to achieve this objective by:
- requiring Australian Government agencies to publish information about their operations and powers affecting members of the public as well as manuals and other documents used in making decisions and recommendations affecting the public;
- requiring agencies to provide access to documents in their possession unless the document falls within an exception or exemption necessary for the protection of essential public interests or the private and business affairs of persons in respect of whom information is collected and held; and
- creating a right to bring about the amendment of records containing personal information that is incomplete, incorrect, out of date or misleading.
How to make a Freedom of Information application
Applications for access to documents must be:
- in writing;
- provide enough information concerning the documents sought as is reasonably necessary to enable a responsible officer of the agency to identify them;
- specify an address within Australia to which notices can be sent; and
- be accompanied by the prescribed application fee of $30.
Applications should be sent to:
Applications should be sent to:
The Team Leader
FOI Team
Legal, Investigations and Procurement Group
GC 28
GPO Box 9879
CANBERRA ACT 2601
Cheques and money orders should be made payable to the Collector of Public Monies – DEEWR and sent to the above address.
Fees and charges
In addition to the application fee, the FOI Act provides that charges may be imposed for processing requests.
The Department may decide to reduce or not impose fees and charges for any reason, including if grounds of financial hardship or general public interest can be established by the applicant.
Contacts
If you would like further information about making a Freedom of Information request, please contact a member of the FOI Team on (02) 6121 6000 or by e-mail to foi@deewr.gov.au.
Further information
The Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet internet site contains additional information about the FOI Act.
Further information about the Department’s handling of FOI applications can be found in the Current DEEWR Annual Report.