2013-2014-2015 

 

The Parliament of the 

Commonwealth of Australia 

 

THE SENATE 

 

 

 

 

Presented and read a first time 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Freedom of Information Amendment 

(Requests and Reasons) Bill 2015 

 

No.      , 2015 

 

(Senator Ludwig) 

 

 

 

A Bill for an Act to amend the Freedom of 

Information Act 1982, and for related purposes 

   

   

 

 

No.      , 2015 

Freedom of Information Amendment (Requests and Reasons) Bill 2015 

i 

 

Contents 

1 

Short title ........................................................................................... 1

 

2 

Commencement ................................................................................. 1

 

3 

Schedules ........................................................................................... 2

 

Schedule 1--Amendments

 

3

 

Freedom of Information Act 1982

 

3

 

 

 

 

 

No.      , 2015 

Freedom of Information Amendment (Requests and Reasons) Bill 2015 

1 

 

A Bill for an Act to amend the Freedom of 

1 

Information Act 1982, and for related purposes 

2 

The Parliament of Australia enacts: 

3 

1  Short title 

4 

 

  This Act may be cited as the Freedom of Information Amendment 

5 

(Requests and Reasons) Act 2015. 

6 

2  Commencement 

7 

 

(1)  Each provision of this Act specified in column 1 of the table 

8 

commences, or is taken to have commenced, in accordance with 

9 

column 2 of the table. Any other statement in column 2 has effect 

10 

according to its terms. 

11 

 

12 

   

   

 

 

2 

Freedom of Information Amendment (Requests and Reasons) Bill 2015 

No.      , 2015 

 

Commencement information 

Column 1 

Column 2 

Column 3 

Provisions 

Commencement 

Date/Details 

1.  Sections 1 to 3 

and anything in 

this Act not 

elsewhere covered 

by this table 

The day this Act receives the Royal Assent. 

 

2.  Schedule 1 

The day after the end of the period of 3 

months beginning on the day this Act 

receives the Royal Assent. 

 

Note:  

This table relates only to the provisions of this Act as originally 

1 

enacted. It will not be amended to deal with any later amendments of 

2 

this Act. 

3 

 

(2)  Any information in column 3 of the table is not part of this Act. 

4 

Information may be inserted in this column, or information in it 

5 

may be edited, in any published version of this Act. 

6 

3  Schedules 

7 

 

  Legislation that is specified in a Schedule to this Act is amended or 

8 

repealed as set out in the applicable items in the Schedule 

9 

concerned, and any other item in a Schedule to this Act has effect 

10 

according to its terms. 

11 

Amendments  Schedule 1 

   

 

 

No.      , 2015 

Freedom of Information Amendment (Requests and Reasons) Bill 2015 

3 

 

Schedule 1

--Amendments 

1 

   

2 

Freedom of Information Act 1982 

3 

1  Subsection 4(1) 

4 

Insert: 

5 

working day, in relation to a requirement in a provision of this Act 

6 

to publish information, means a day that is not: 

7 

 

(a)  a Saturday; or 

8 

 

(b)  a Sunday; or 

9 

 

(c)  a public holiday in the place where the function of publishing 

10 

the information under the provision is to be performed. 

11 

2  Paragraph 11C(3)(b) 

12 

Omit "downloaded; or", substitute "downloaded.". 

13 

3  Paragraph 11C(3)(c) 

14 

Repeal the paragraph. 

15 

4  Subsection 11C(7) 

16 

Repeal the subsection. 

17 

5  After section 11C 

18 

Insert: 

19 

11D  Publication of requests and reasons 

20 

Scope 

21 

 

(1)  This section applies if a person makes a request referred to in 

22 

paragraph 11A(1)(a) for access to a document of an agency or an 

23 

official document of a Minister (whether or not the document or 

24 

official document exists), other than a request for access to the 

25 

person's personnel records (within the meaning of section 15A). 

26 

Schedule 1  Amendments 

   

 

 

4 

Freedom of Information Amendment (Requests and Reasons) Bill 2015 

No.      , 2015 

 

Publication 

1 

 

(2)  If the agency or Minister decides to give the person access to the 

2 

document in accordance with this Act, the agency or Minister must 

3 

publish the request and the reasons for the decision before the end 

4 

of 10 working days after the day the person is given access to the 

5 

document. 

6 

 

(3)  If the agency or Minister decides to give the person access to an 

7 

edited copy of the document in accordance with section 22, the 

8 

agency or Minister must: 

9 

 

(a)  publish the request, and the notice under subsection 22(3), 

10 

within 10 working days after the day the decision is made; 

11 

and 

12 

 

(b)  if the person makes a request under subsection 22(4) for the 

13 

agency or Minister to give the person a notice in accordance 

14 

with section 26 in relation to the request--publish the notice 

15 

given in accordance with section 26 within 10 working days 

16 

after the notice is given. 

17 

 

(4)  If the agency or Minister decides not to give the person access to 

18 

the document in accordance with this Act (and does not decide to 

19 

give the person access to an edited copy of the document in 

20 

accordance with section 22), the agency or Minister must: 

21 

 

(a)  publish the request within 10 working days after the day the 

22 

decision is made; and 

23 

 

(b)  publish the notice given in accordance with section 26 in 

24 

relation to the request within 10 working days after the notice 

25 

is given. 

26 

 

(5)  The agency, or the Minister, must publish (without charge) the 

27 

request, reasons or notice to members of the public generally on a 

28 

website by: 

29 

 

(a)  making the request, reasons or notice available for 

30 

downloading from the website; or 

31 

 

(b)  publishing on the website a link to another website, from 

32 

which the request, reasons or notice can be downloaded. 

33 

Amendments  Schedule 1 

   

 

 

No.      , 2015 

Freedom of Information Amendment (Requests and Reasons) Bill 2015 

5 

 

Certain information to be removed 

1 

 

(6)  The agency or Minister must, before publishing a request, reasons 

2 

or a notice under this section, remove from the request, reasons or 

3 

notice any of the following information: 

4 

 

(a)  information that would, at the time the request, reasons or 

5 

notice is to be published, cause the request, reasons or notice 

6 

to be an exempt document; 

7 

 

(b)  personal information about the person who made the request; 

8 

 

(c)  personal information about any other person, if it would be 

9 

unreasonable to publish the information; 

10 

 

(d)  information about the business, commercial, financial or 

11 

professional affairs of any person, if it would be 

12 

unreasonable to publish the information; 

13 

 

(e)  other information of a kind determined by the Information 

14 

Commissioner under subsection 11C(2), if it would be 

15 

unreasonable to publish the information. 

16 

6  Application 

17 

 

The amendments made by this Act apply in relation to requests referred 

18 

to in paragraph 11A(1)(a) of the Freedom of Information Act 1982 that 

19 

are made on or after the day this item commences. 

20