Annual Report 2007-2008: Appendix 3 - Freedom of Information
Review Freedom of Information requests and internal review decisions handled by the Commission during the 2007-08 reporting period, including six initial access
Summary
During 2007-08, HREOC received six initial requests for access to documents under the Freedom of Information Act. HREOC was also asked to conduct an internal review of one of those decisions.
Appendix 3 Freedom of Information
The Freedom of Information Act gives the general public legal access to government documents.
Freedom of Information statistics
During 2007-08, HREOC received six initial requests for access to documents under the Freedom of Information Act. HREOC was also asked to conduct an internal review of one of those decisions.
Of the six initial requests for information, five were brought by individuals seeking access to documents relating to themselves.
A total of six applications and one internal review were processed in this financial year.
Categories of documents
Documents held by HREOC relate to:
- administration matters, including personnel, recruitment, accounts, purchasing, registers, registry, library records and indices;
- complaint handling matters, including the investigation, clarification and resolution of complaints;
- legal matters, including legal documents, opinion, advice and representations;
- research matters, including research papers in relation to complaints, existing or proposed legislative practices, public education, national inquiries and other relevant issues;
- policy matters, including minutes of Commission meetings, administrative and operational guidelines;
- operational matters, including files on formal inquiries; and
- reference materials, including press clippings, survey and research materials, documents relating to conferences, seminars and those contained in the library.
Freedom of Information procedures
Initial enquiries about access to HREOC documents should be directed to the Freedom of Information Officer by either telephoning (02) 9284 9600 or by writing to:
Freedom of Information OfficerHuman Rights and Equal Opportunity CommissionGPO Box 5218Sydney, NSW 2001
Procedures for dealing with Freedom of Information requests are detailed in section 15 of the Freedom of Information Act. A valid request must:
- be in writing,
- be accompanied by a payment of $30 application fee,
- include the name and address of the person requesting the information, and
- specify the documents to be accessed.