The Information Publication Scheme (IPS) aims to transform the Freedom of Information framework from one that responds to individual requests for access to documents to one that requires agencies to take a proactive approach to publishing information.
Agency Plan
Introduction
The National Indigenous Australians Agency (NIAA) is subject to the Freedom of Information Act 1982 (FOI Act) and must publish a range of information on its website as part of its Information Publication Scheme (IPS). Publishing a range of information held by the NIAA provides transparency about the NIAA’s processes and policies. This Agency Plan describes how the NIAA proposes to publish this information, as required by s 8(1) of the FOI Act.
Purpose
The purpose of this Agency Plan is to:
- assist the NIAA in planning and administering its IPS entry;
- facilitate public consultation about that contribution; and
- show what information the NIAA proposes to publish, how and to whom the information will be published and how the NIAA will otherwise comply with its IPS requirements (s 8(1)).
Objectives
The NIAA’s objectives are to outline appropriate mechanisms and procedures to:
- manage its IPS entry;
- proactively identify and publish all information required to be published (s 8(2));
- proactively identify and publish any other information to be published (s 8(4));
- review and ensure on a regular basis that information published as part of its IPS entry is accurate, up to date and complete (s 8B);
- ensure that information published as part of its IPS entry is easily discoverable, understandable, machine-readable, re-useable and transformable;
- seek to apply the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (Version 2) (WCAG 2.0), as much as possible;
- measure the success of the NIAA’s IPS entry by reference to community feedback and compliance review processes; and
- adopt best practice initiatives in implementing and administering the NIAA’s IPS entry.
Establishing and administering the NIAA’s IPS entry
The NIAA designates its Chief Lawyer as the senior officer responsible for leading the NIAA’s compliance with the IPS. The Chief Lawyer is supported by the Legal Services Branch to:
- maintain and update this Agency Plan;
- support line areas to publish information under the IPS; and
- liaise with line areas to ensure that the information published is reviewed in accordance with s 9(1) of the FOI Act.
All NIAA Senior Executive Staff officers are responsible for ensuring the operational information relevant to their work is published in accordance with the IPS. Each branch of the NIAA is responsible for the day-to-day tasks associated with complying with the IPS, in particular ensuring that published information is accurate, up-to-date and complete.
The NIAA may impose a charge on a person for accessing any IPS document which it is impracticable to publish online:
- at the lowest reasonable cost; and
- to reimburse specific reproduction costs, or other specific incidental costs (s 8D(4)).
These charges will be consistent with charges in the Freedom of Information (Charges) Regulations 2019 and are described at Annexure A.
The NIAA will generally not impose a charge where the reimbursement or incidental cost would be lower than $100.
IPS information architecture
The NIAA IPS entry is published on the NIAA website (www.niaa.gov.au) under the following headings:
- Agency IPS plan (s 8(2)(a))
- Who we are (ss 8(2)(b) and 8(2)(d))
- Our work (s 8(2)(c) and s 8(2)(j))
- Accountability and reporting (ss 8(2)(e) and 8(2)(h))
- Disclosure log (ss 8(2)(g) and 11C)
- Have your say (s 8(2)(f))
- Contact us (s 8(2)(i)).
Other information
To ensure the NIAA IPS entry is easily discoverable, understandable and machine-readable, the NIAA will:
- publish an IPS icon on its website;
- wherever possible, provide online content in a format that can be searched, copied and transformed;
- provide a search function for the NIAA website;
- as far as possible, publish information consistently with WCAG 2.0 requirements and in formats including HTML and RTF (where a person requires an alternative accessible format of a document, it will be provided on reasonable request); and
- invite and respond to feedback about whether the IPS information holdings are sufficiently easily discoverable, understandable and machine-readable, through the FOI Coordinator: foi@niaa.gov.au.
Availability of information
The NIAA will make its IPS entry available to members of the public by:
- making the information available through the NIAA website;
- publishing on the NIAA website a link to another website, from which the information can be accessed or downloaded; and/or
- where the information is impracticable to publish online, publishing on the NIAA website details of how to request access to the information.
The NIAA will comply with the Intellectual property principles for Commonwealth entities by encouraging the public use of, and easy access to, material the NIAA publishes to its IPS entry. This will further the purpose of informing and advising the public of the NIAA’s policies and activities. The NIAA will, so far as appropriate, make its IPS information holdings available for reuse on open licensing terms.
Where a third party has intellectual property rights in material required to be published under the IPS, members of the public may need to seek the permission of that third party to reuse the material. More information about this can be found in the NIAA’s Copyright and Disclaimer webpage.
Best practice approaches
The NIAA will adopt best practice approaches identified through:
- feedback provided by members of the public;
- better practice guidelines and advices published by the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner;
- consultations held with other government agencies and departments; and
- internal compliance review processes.
Feedback on the NIAA’s IPS holdings can be forwarded to:
The FOI Coordinator
National Indigenous Australians Agency
GPO Box 2191
CANBERRA ACT 2601
Email: foi@niaa.gov.au
Information required to be published under the IPS
The NIAA IPS entry is published on the NIAA website (www.niaa.gov.au) under the following headings:
- Agency IPS plan
The Agency plan (s 8(2)(a)). - Who we are
This section will include the NIAA’s structure (including an organisation chart) and information about the senior management team. - Our work
The NIAA will publish operational information that helps it exercise its functions or powers to make decisions or recommendations that affect the public, such as rules, guidelines, practices and precedents about those decisions or recommendations. This section will also include information about the areas of focus of the agency. - Accountability and reporting
This section will include links to information the NIAA has tabled in Parliament, or routinely gives to Parliament, including the NIAA Annual Report, Senate Orders and information about statutory appointments referred to in s 8(2)(d). - Agency FOI disclosure log
This section will include a link to information which the NIAA routinely provides access to in response to FOI requests, and the NIAA FOI Disclosure Log, which will include information that has been released under the FOI Act. - Have your say
This section will include information about consultations for the public to comment on specific policy proposals. - Contact us
This section will provide the contact details for members of the public to use to contact the NIAA, including about access to documents under the FOI Act.
Other information to be published under the IPS
From time to time the NIAA will publish other information under the IPS section of its website (in addition to the information published under s 8(2)), taking into account the objects of the FOI Act (s 8(4)).
Individual line areas will identify what other information is to be published under the IPS and organise for its publication.
IPS compliance review
The NIAA will review the operation of the IPS from time to time, and at least every five years, in accordance with the guidance issued by the Australian Information Commissioner.
The NIAA will adopt the following criteria for measuring its performance:
- Agency plan: has the NIAA published a comprehensive plan for its IPS compliance?
- Governance and administration: does the NIAA have appropriate governance mechanisms in place to meet its IPS obligations, including a sound information management framework?
- IPS document holdings: has the NIAA reviewed its document holdings to decide what information must be published under section 8(2) of the FOI Act, and information that can be published under section 8(4) of the FOI Act? Is the NIAA’s IPS entry accurate, up-to-date and complete?
- IPS information architecture: does the NIAA have a publication framework in place and has it taken the necessary steps to ensure that information in its IPS entry is easily discoverable and accessible to the Australian community?
- Agency compliance review: does the NIAA have appropriate processes, systems and resources in place to monitor and review its IPS compliance and make necessary improvements to its IPS implementation?
Annexure A
Administrative charges for documents not available on the website
| Format | Charges |
|---|---|
| Photocopy | 10 cents per page |
| Copy (other than photocopy) | $4.40 per page |
| Copy of the document in the form of a computer tape or a computer disk | an amount not exceeding the actual costs incurred by the NIAA in producing the copy |
| Copy of the document to be sent to the applicant by post or delivered to the applicant | an amount not exceeding the actual costs of postage or delivery |
Feedback on our IPS
Feedback can be sent to:
Email: foi@niaa.gov.au
Post:
The FOI Coordinator
National Indigenous Australians Agency
GPO Box 2191
CANBERRA ACT 2600
You can find out more about the IPS on the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner website.