The Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) has responsibility for regulating and providing advice on the operation of the Freedom of Information Act 1982 (FOI Act). The FOI Act is the legislative basis for open government in Australia and covers Australian Government ministers and most agencies.
Individuals have rights under the FOI Act to request access to government documents. This includes documents containing information about them or about government programs, policies and decisions. In some circumstances individuals can also ask Ministers and agencies to correct or add a note to any information they hold about them.
The FOI Act also requires agencies to publish specified categories of information, and allows them to proactively release other information.
This section is concerned with the FOI Act as it applies across the Australian Government. Information about making a freedom of information (FOI) request to the OAIC is available on the Access our information page.
