In an email dated 29 May 2017, you also asked ‘do you know if the Information Commissioner
has ever published any commentary on FOI trends that might be useful? Would gratefully
receive any links/references on that.’
Except for the last Annual Report (2015/16), the OAIC’s Annual Reports contain a chapter
titled ‘Agency freedom of information’. This chapter analyses data collated from across the
Australian government and comments on trends in freedom of information requests during
the relevant year. You can access our Annual Reports from the OAIC’s website at this link -
https://www.oaic.gov.au/about-us/corporate-information/annual-reports/all/.
Disclosure log
Section 11C of the FOI Act requires agencies to publish online documents released to
members of the public within 10 days of release, except if the documents contain personal or
business information that it would be unreasonable to publish.
Because there is no personal or business information in the documents released to you, there
is no reason not to publish them.
I will shortly publish the documents released to you on our disclosure log, which is available
on the OAIC’s website (https://oaic.gov.au/about-us/access-our-information/foi-disclosure-
log/).
If you disagree with my decision
Internal review
You have the right to apply for an internal review of my decision under Part VI of the FOI Act.
An internal review wil be conducted, to the extent possible, by an officer of the OAIC who
was not involved in or consulted in the making of my decision. If you wish to apply for an
internal review, you must do so in writing within 30 days. There is no application fee for
internal review.
If you wish to apply for an internal review, please mark your application for the attention of
the FOI Coordinator and state the grounds on which you consider that my decision should be
reviewed.
Further Review
You have the right to seek review of this decision by the Information Commissioner and the
Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT).
You may apply to the Information Commissioner for a review of my decision (IC review). If you
wish to apply for IC review, you must do so in writing within 60 days. Your application must
provide an address (which can be an email address or fax number) that we can send notices
to, and include a copy of this letter. A request for IC review can be made in relation to my
decision, or an internal review decision.
www.oaic.gov.au |
2
It is the Information Commissioner’s view that it wil usual y not be in the interests of the
administration of the FOI Act to conduct an IC review of a decision, or an internal review
decision, made by the agency that the Information Commissioner heads: the OAIC. For this
reason, if you make an application for IC review of my decision, it is likely that the Information
Commissioner will decide (under s 54W(b) of the FOI Act) not to undertake an IC review on
the basis that it is desirable that my decision be considered by the AAT.
Section 57A of the FOI Act provides that, before you can apply to the AAT for review of an FOI
decision, you must first have applied for IC review.
Applications for internal review or IC review can be submitted to:
Office of the Australian Information Commissioner
GPO Box 5218
SYDNEY NSW 2001
Alternatively, you may submit your application by email to xxx@xxxx.xxx.xx, or by fax on
02 9284 9666.
Yours sincerely
Raewyn Harlock
Assistant Director
Dispute Resolution Branch
23 June 2017
www.oaic.gov.au |
3
