Section 94 of the Freedom of Information Act 1982 (FOI Act) allows the Governor‑General to make regulations that are necessary or convenient for the functioning of the FOI Act. There are two current sets of freedom of information (FOI) regulations.
Freedom of Information (Charges) Regulations 1982
The Freedom of Information (Charges) Regulations 1982 outline how agencies or ministers can charge for providing access to documents under the FOI Act. For more information about FOI charges, see FOI Fact Sheet 7 — Charges.
Freedom of Information (Miscellaneous Provisions) Regulations 1982
The Freedom of Information (Miscellaneous Provisions) Regulations 1982:
- set timelines for when ministers and agencies must provide information to the Australian Information Commissioner for the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner’s (OAIC) annual report
- declare one agency to be a prescribed authority for the purposes of the FOI Act (meaning that the agency is subject to the FOI Act)
- declare who the principal officers of some prescribed authorities are for the purposes of the FOI Act.
