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In accordance with section 8 of the Freedom of Information
Act 1982 (the FOI Act), this appendix contains information
about FOI procedures and access to departmental documents. Information
is provided also about access to documents of an archival nature,
in accordance with the Archives Act 1983 (the Archives
Act), the Archives Regulations and the Royal Commissions Act
1902.
FOI procedures and initial contact points
Applicants seeking access under the FOI Act to documents in the
possession of the department should forward a $30 application fee
and apply in writing to:
The FOI Coordinator
Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet
3-5 National Circuit
Barton ACT 2600
Requests may also be lodged via email to FOIrequest@pmc.gov.au.
The FOI Coordinator is available between 9.00 am and 5.00 pm Monday
to Friday and can be contacted by telephone on (02) 6271 5849 or
by fax on (02) 6271 5776. Information about lodging requests is
also available from the department’s website at <www.pmc.gov.au>.
If applicants are dissatisfied with a decision made under the
FOI Act, they may apply to the Secretary of the department seeking
an internal review, which is subject to a $40 application fee.
Once the application fee is received, an officer of the department
who is at least one level above that of the initial decision maker
will conduct the review.
The department, if it approves access, will provide copies of
documents after it has received payment of any charges which apply.
Alternatively, applicants may arrange to inspect documents at the
department’s Barton office if the documents lend themselves
to this form of access.
Table 12 Categories of documents held by the department
|
Category |
Description |
| Cabinet documents |
These documents relate to the business
of the Cabinet and include:
- documents that have been submitted to the Cabinet
- official records of the Cabinet.
|
| Executive Council documents |
These documents relate to the business
of the Executive Council and include:
- documents that have been submitted to the Executive
Council
- official records of the Executive Council.
|
| Documents of royal commissions and
major inquiries |
The department is official custodian
for the records of completed royal commissions and a number
of major government inquiries. |
| Representations to the Prime Minister |
The Prime Minister receives a large
number of written representations each year. They concern
every aspect of government policy and administration. |
| Working files |
The department holds files dealing
with policy and administration in all areas in which the
Australian Government is involved. The documents in these
files include correspondence, analysis and policy advice
by departmental staff, comments on Cabinet submissions and
drafts of these and other documents. |
| Documents on internal departmental
administration |
These documents include personnel
records, organisation and staffing records, financial and
expenditure records, and internal operating documentation
such as office procedures, instructions and indexes. |
| Programme documents |
The department holds documents relating
to grants, which it provides to various organisations and
individuals under the programmes it administers. |
| Documents open to public access
subject to a fee or charge |
The department holds no documents
in this category. |
| Documents available for access or
purchase subject to a fee or other charge |
The department holds no documents
in this category. |
| Documents customarily available
free of charge upon request |
The department holds and makes available
on request (free of charge) a range of documents including:
- research documents
- policy statements
- executive summaries
- Council of Australian Governments communiqués
- the department’s information technology strategic
plan.
The department’s annual report and selected other documents
relating to the department are available through the internet
at <www.pmc.gov.au>. |
Access to archival records
Public access to archival records
Under section 40 of the Archives Act, members of the public may
apply to the National Archives of Australia (NAA) for access to
records in the current open period, that is, records which are
more than 30 years old. Generally, departmental documents in the
custody of the NAA are not subject to the FOI Act. People seeking
access to the archival records of this department should make their
requests directly to the NAA.
Special access provisions of the Archives Act
Subsection 56(2) of the Archives Act and Archives Regulation 9
provide that Commonwealth records, not otherwise available for
public access under the Archives Act, may be made available to
a person in accordance with arrangements approved by the Prime
Minister.
Under the arrangements, approved in December 1988, special access
may be available to:
- former Governors-General, former ministers and former senior
officials who wish to ‘refresh their memories’ of
records which they personally dealt with while in office
- authorised biographers of those above
- people connected with the Government of the Commonwealth who
have deposited their personal records in the custody of the NAA
- people preparing for publication major works that are considered
to be of national importance.
People seeking special access to the records of this department
should contact the department at the address given above for the
FOI Coordinator.
Royal commission records
Because of the Prime Minister’s responsibility for the Royal
Commissions Act 1902, the department exercises administrative
control of the records of most completed royal commissions. It
therefore handles requests by other Australian Government agencies,
state government bodies and members of the public for access
to closed period and exempt records. People seeking access to
such records should contact the department at the address given
above for the FOI Coordinator. Requests for access to royal commission
records more than 30 years old should be directed to the NAA.
Archival Cabinet documents
In January 2003 the department released Cabinet records from 1972
and Cabinet notebooks from 1952 to the public through the NAA.
Digital images of the notebook pages and transcripts prepared by
the NAA can be viewed on its website at <www.naa.gov.au>.
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