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Information Publication Scheme Plan (2011)

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Information Publication Scheme Plan


May 2011

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Introduction

  1. Established in 1986, the Australian Human Rights Commission is a statutory organisation that exercises functions under federal laws that govern; age, disability, racial and sex discrimination human rights and equal opportunity and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander social justice.

  2. We also have responsibilities under the Native Title Act 1993 and the Fair Work Act 2009 and are responsible for a number of human right agreements that have been ratified by Australia or to which Australia has committed. These include the:

    1. International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights

    2. Convention Concerning Discrimination in Respect of Employment and Occupation

    1. Convention on the Rights of the Child

    1. Declaration of the Rights of the Child

    2. Declaration on the Rights of Disabled Persons

    3. Declaration on the Rights of Mentally Retarded Persons

    4. Declaration on the Elimination of All Forms of Intolerance and of Discrimination Based on Religion or Belief.

    5. Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities

  3. The Commission has prepared this Information Publication Scheme plan in accordance with section 8(1) of the Freedom of Information Act 1982 (FOI Act).

Purpose

  1. The primary purpose of the plan is to:

    1. Assist the Commission to comply with s 8 (1) of the FOI Act.

    2. Help the Commission put appropriate procedures in place to proactively disclose its information holdings, in accordance with the objects of the FOI Act.

    1. Show what information the Commission proposes to publish (referred to as the IPS information holdings), how and to whom the information will be published and how the Commission will otherwise comply with the IPS requirements (s 8(1)).

Objectives

  1. The Commission's objectives in publishing the plan are to:

    1. manage the information holdings relevant to the Information Publication Scheme.

    2. proactively identify and publish all information required to be published, including this plan (s 8(2)).

    1. proactively identify and publish all optional information (s 8(4)).

    1. review and ensure on a regular basis that information published under the Information Publication Scheme is accurate, up-to date and complete (s 8B).

    2. ensure that information published under the Information Publication Scheme is discoverable, understandable and re-useable.

    3. ensure that the format of online content conforms with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (Version 2).

    4. measure the success of the Commission's Information Publication Scheme.

Establishing an Information Publication Scheme

  1. The Executive Director is responsible for leading the Commission's work on implementing the FOI reforms, including establishing and administering the IPS.

  2. The Executive Director is supported by the IPS Steering Group and IPS Project Team to establish the Commission’s contribution to the IPS by 1 May 2011.

  3. The IPS Steering Group comprises:

    1. The Executive Director

    2. The Project Management Group

    1. The Director, Finance

    1. The Manager, Personnel

    2. The Manager, IT services

    3. The FOI contact person

  4. The IPS Project Team comprises:

    1. The Executive Director

    2. The Director, Policy and Programmes

    3. The FOI contact person

    4. The Web Manager.

  5. The Commission will develop a comprehensive information management framework which will apply to Commission information published under the IPS.

  6. The Commission will develop:

    1. a register of information required or permitted to be published under the IPS by 29 July 2011 and

    2. a 'disclosure log' of information released in response to FOI requests by 6 May 2011.

  7. The Commission will identify information that is required to be published under s 8(2), information that may be published under s 8(4), and information that is made available to the public otherwise than by publication (s 8A(2)) by:
    1. preparing a register of information required or permitted to be published under s 8(2) and 8(4) (the draft Register) by:

      1. auditing documents currently published on the Commission website (www.humanrights.gov.au) and identifying the documents that will form part of the IPS from

      2. creating a list of IPS documents (including those not already published on the Commission website)

      3. compiling a list of links to IPS documents on the Commission’s internal document management system that are not currently published on the Commission website

      4. compiling a set of hard copy IPS documents that are not published on the Commission website and are not available on the Commission document management system

      5. identifying any IPS documents that are not accurate, up to date or complete

      6. nominating a staff member responsible for ensuring a particular IPS document which was not accurate, up to date or complete, is revised by 29 July 2011.

The draft register will:

  1. describe the format of all IPS documents currently published on the Commission websites

  2. contain a link to an alternative format of an IPS document (preferably an RTF (rich text format) version), where the document is only available in Portable Document Format (PDF) on the Commission website

  3. contain a link to an RTF version and, if available, a searchable PDF for IPS documents that are not on the Commission website

  4. identify any other issues that may affect publication of an IPS document on the Commission website.

  1. Each of the Directors of the various teams within the Commission is responsible for the day to day tasks associated with IPS compliance. The IPS project team will manage ongoing administration of the IPS information holdings and will be responsible for implementing, reviewing and revising the Commission plan.

  2. The Commission will continue to utilise the guidelines published by the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) in relation to compliance with the IPS obligations and other information provided within the IPS Network (ICON) established by the Commission.

  3. The Commission will ensure that information published under the scheme is discoverable, understandable, machine-readable, accessible, useable, as well as accurate, up-to-date and complete by utilising the OAIC guidelines in relation to the IPS, the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (Version 2) and by ensuring the implementation of this plan.

  4. The Commission will:
    1. ensure all documents published under the IPS and on its website comply with:

      1. WCAG 2.0 Level A as soon as possible and at least by December 2012 and

      2. WCAG 2.0 Level AA as soon as possible and at least by December 2014.

  5. The Commission may charge a person for accessing any IPS document which it is impracticable to publish online:

    1. at the lowest reasonable cost

    2. to reimburse specific reproduction costs or other specific incidental costs (s 8D(4)).

  6. The Commission will publish on its website a list of any IPS documents that are impracticable to publish online. The website will state that a person seeking access to any of these documents may contact Communications Officer to arrange access.

  7. The list of impracticable to publish documents will include indicative charges that may be imposed for making that information available and an explanation for the charge. These charges will be consistent with charges in the Freedom of Information (Charges) Regulations 1982 (which generally apply to access requests under Part III of the FOI Act).

Information architecture

  1. The Commission will publish its IPS information holdings on its website in accordance with this plan (except where this is impracticable).

  2. The IPS information holdings that are available on the Commission website will be published under the following headings:

    • Commission plan (ss 8(2)(a)

    • Who we are (ss 8(2)(b) and 8(2)(d))

    • What we do (ss 8(2)(c) and 8(2)(j))

    • Our reports and responses to Parliament (ss 8(2)(e) and 8(2)(h))

    • Routinely requested information and disclosure log (ss 8(2)(g) and 11C)

    • Consultation arrangements (s 8(2)(f))

    • Our priorities (s 8(4))

    • Our finances (s 8(4))

    • Our lists (s 8(4))

    • Contact us (s 8(2)(i)).

  3. To ensure that the IPS information holdings (and individual IPS documents) are easily discoverable, understandable and machine-readable, the Commission will:

    • publish an IPS icon on the homepage of its website, which will link to the IPS section of the website

    • design and publish an IPS entry point on its website

    • wherever possible, provide online content in a format that can be searched, copied and transformed

    • publish a sitemap for its website, to help individuals identify the location of information published under ss 8(2) and 8(4)

    • provide a search function for its website

    • establish links to this plan and to the sitemap at www.directory.gov.au

    • enable community feedback about whether the IPS information holdings (and individual IPS documents) are easily discoverable, understandable and machine-readable.

  4. The Commission will make its IPS documents available on the IPS section of the website in two ways:

    1. documents that were published on the Commission website before 1 May 2011 will be made available through a link from the IPS section

    2. documents that were published on the Commission website on or after 1 May 2011 will be published in the IPS section.

Information required to be published

  1. The Commission will publish documents required to be published under the IPS (s 8(2)) in the IPS section of the website at www.humanrights.gov.au

  2. The Commission will publish these documents by 29 July 2012.

  3. The Commission will publish these documents under the following headings:

(a) The Commission plan

(b) Who we are

  • This will include an organisation chart, the Commission Employment Agreement and information about statutory appointments.

  • For statutory appointees, the Commission will publish the name of the person appointed, the length or term of appointment, the position to which the person is appointed (and particulars of the position) and the provision of the Act under which the person is appointed.

(c) What we do

  • This will outline the functions and decision making powers of the Australian Human Rights Commission, Human Rights Commissioner, Disability Discrimination Commissioner, Race Discrimination Commissioner, Sex Discrimination Commissioner and the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner.

  • The Commission will also publish rules, guidelines, practices and precedents relating to these functions and powers. This includes guidelines issued under s 11(1)(n) of the Australian Human Rights Commission Act 1986, s 53(1(f) of the Age Discrimination Act 2004, s 67(1)(k) of the Disability Discrimination Act 1992, s 20(d) of the Race Discrimination Act 1975 and s 48(1)(ga) of the Sex Discrimination Act 1984.

(d) Our reports and responses to Parliament

  • This will include the full text of the Commission’s recent annual reports (2008–2009 and 2009–2010) tabled in Parliament.

(e) Routinely requested information

  • This will include information in documents to which the Commission routinely gives access in response to FOI requests.

  • The Commission will clearly identify these documents in its disclosure log, published under s 11C of the FOI Act – which requires agencies to publish information contained in documents to which the Commission has provided access under the FOI Act.

(f) Consultation

  • This will include information about how and to whom a comment may be submitted by members of the public, where the Commission undertakes public consultation on a specific policy proposal.

(g) Contact us

  • This will include the name, telephone number and an email address for a contact officer, who can be contacted about access to the Commission’s information or documents under the FOI Act. The Commission will establish generic telephone numbers and email addresses for this purpose that will not change with staff movements.

Optional information to be published under the IPS

  1. The Commission will publish on the IPS section of its website other information that it holds (in addition to the information published under s 8(2)), taking into account the objects of the FOI Act (s 8(4)).

  2. The Commission will publish these documents by 1 January 2012.

  3. Optional information will be published under the following headings:

(a) Our priorities

  • This will include corporate and strategic plan.

(b) Our finances

  • This will include financial information relating to pay and grading structures, procurement procedures, tendering and contracts.

(c) Our submissions

  • This will include submissions made by the Commission to Parliamentary committees and other inquiries.

(d) Our policies

  • This will include the Commission’s procurement, email and internet usage, harassment, maternity leave and workplace diversity policies, our Reconciliation Action Plan and Disability Action Plan.

Administering the Commission IPS

  1. The Commission will:

    1. maintain a robust information asset management framework

    2. publish, on an ongoing basis, information to members of the public by maintaining an information register and disclosure log

    3. identify, on an ongoing basis, any information that is required to be published under s 8(2) - information that must be published

    4. identify, on an ongoing basis, any information that may be published under s 8(4) - optional information

    5. identify, on an ongoing basis, any information that is already otherwise available (s8A(2))

    6. ensure the information published continues to be discoverable, accessible, useable, as well as accurate, up-to-date and accessible

    7. ensure the information about any charges to be imposed and how they will be calculated continues to be published (ss 8D(4) and 8D(5))

Review

  1. The Commission will review and revise this plan annually. This will coincide with the Commission’s strategic planning process.

  2. The Commission will review the operation of its IPS from time to time and at least every five years.