Publication Scheme

From 1 July 2009 the Right to Information Act 2009 ('the Act') replaced the Freedom of Information Act 1992.  The Information Privacy Act 2009 replaced Queensland's administrative privacy regime IS42 and IS42A.  This followed a review of the Freedom of Information Act 1992 by Dr David Solomon.

Right to information effectively means increased public access to government information. The Queensland Government has recognised the need for a "push model" rather than a "'pull model'', i.e. releasing information to the public sector rather than waiting for the public to use legislation to access information. It has been suggested that the Act be used as a last resort to access information.

All agencies must publish a publication scheme that explains the information the public can access. This scheme sets out classes of information and the terms on which Council will make this information available.

Recommendation 108 of Dr Solomon's Report calls for the traditional Statement of Affairs under section 18 of the Freedom of Information Act 1992 to be replaced by the adoption of a publication scheme which will include:

  • Council's statement of principles underlying the scheme;
  • the classes of information that Council will make available through the scheme;
  • an information disclosure log indicating information released in relation to information requests, and
  • how you can access the information and who to contact in relation to the publication scheme.

The classes of information that Council will make available through the publication scheme will not generally include information that is:

  • Prevented by law from disclosure or is exempt under the Act;
  • information in draft form;
  • Information that is no longer readily available because it is contained in archives or is difficult to access for similar reasons.

Information not covered by the publication scheme

Not all the information Council publishes is detailed in the publication scheme. Information that is not published can be requested using the Right to Information application form on the Right to Information page. Your request will be considered under the provisions of the Right to Information Act 2009.

Information that is exempt

The Right to Information Act 2009 sets out a range of information that is exempt from publication. If you make a request for information which Council considers to be exempt, Council will advise you of the reasons for the exemptions.

Charges for information

There is no charge for examining any publication scheme information contained on Council's website. However there may be a charge if a large volume of printed material is required. You will be told about any photocopying charges at the time of your request.

A cover price will be charged for any publications produced by the Council for sale. Charges will be kept under review and there is no intention to charge for material that has previously been available for free.

Feedback on the publication scheme

Your comments are highly valued and any feedback you provide will be used as part of the review to make improvements to the publication scheme.

Any comments, compliments or complaints should be addressed to:

Chief Executive Officer
Cassowary Coast Regional Council
70 Rankin Street
(PO Box 887)
Innisfail, Qld 4860

The RTI Act requires Council to publish a 'publications scheme' list on its website. Information on the publication scheme is grouped into several classes.  The publication scheme provides for administrative release of documents. A list of documents is available here.  Although most documents are freely available there may be charges incurred for some information.

Information Commissioner

The Information Commissioner enforces the operation of the publication scheme. In the case of a failure to deliver information through the scheme, you may contact the Information Commissioner at any time:

Postal address
PO Box 10143
Adelaide Street
Bisbane Qld 4000

Ph: 07 3234 7373
Fax: 07 3005 7150
Email: enquiries @oic.qld.gov.au
URL: www.oic.qld.gov.au

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