Freedom of Information

Freedom of Information (FOI) legislation is intended to give people a right to access documents held by Government, and to apply for information about their personal affairs to be changed if they believe it is inaccurate.

The Freedom of Information Act 1992 (Qld) provides the legislative authority for implementation of FOI. The Freedom of Information Unit for the Department of the Premier and Cabinet deals with applications for access or amendment to documents and provides advice on FOI matters.

Statement of Affairs 2006-2007 (see DPC Annual Report 2006-2007, page 104 - pdf)

Administrative Access

The Department of the Premier and Cabinet (DPC) is committed to the principles of accountability and transparency in government and in simplifying access to information for members of the public.

To provide greater flexibility to obtain certain types of information held by DPC, an administrative access facility has been introduced which will enable quick and informal release of routine and general information to individuals and provide an alternative to the formal FOI process.

Privacy

The Freedom of Information Unit is also responsible for Privacy within the Department of the Premier and Cabinet.

The Queensland Government is committed to protecting the privacy of people's personal information in the delivery of Government services and the conduct of government business.

Queensland's privacy scheme adopts the 11 Information Privacy Principles contained in the Commonwealth Privacy Act 1988.

The Queensland Government's Policy on Privacy is set out on a document called "Information Standard 42".

The Department of the Premier and Cabinet has developed a Privacy Plan to ensure that personal information held by the Department is responsibly collected and managed in accordance with the 11 Information Privacy Principles.

Charge Waiver

Under the Freedom of Information legislation, applicants seeking access to documents may also apply to have processing charges waived on the ground of 'financial hardship'.

Individual applicants and non-profit organisations must meet defined criteria to be considered to be in 'financial hardship'. Applications for charge waiver are made to the FOI Unit of the Department from which applicants seek access to documents.

Decisions on financial hardship for individuals are made by those departments.  Decisions on financial hardship for non-profit-organisations are  made by The Deputy Director-General, Governance, Department of the Premier and Cabinet. 

Statement of Affairs

The Department of the Premier and Cabinet's Statement of Affairs 2006-2007 is a means by which staff and the public can access information contained in the Departments 2006-2007 Annual Report about the structure, function, policies and procedures of the Department. It will also tell you how to access or amend information held by the Department of the Premier and Cabinet under FOI.