2004-2005-2006 The Parliament of the Commonwealth of Australia HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES Presented and read a first time Freedom of Information Amendment (Abolition of Conclusive Certificates) Bill 2006 No. , 2006 (Ms Roxon) A Bill for an Act to amend the Freedom of Information Act 1982 and for related purposes [Page Break] 1 Short title ...................................................................................................... 1 2 Commencement ............................................................................................ 1 3 Schedule........................................................................................................ 2 Schedule 1--Amendments 3 Part 1--Amendments of the Freedom of Information Act 1982 3 1 Subsection 3(1) 3 2 Part IV--Exempt documents 3 (31A) Object of this Part .............................................................................. 3 3 Subsections 33(2), (3), (4) 4 4 Subsections 33A(2), (2A), (3), (4), (4A) 4 5 Subsections 34(2), (3), (4), (5) 4 6 Subsections 35(2), (3), (4), (5) 4 7 Subsections 36(3), (4) 4 8 Section 36A 4 9 Paragraph 53(a) 4 10 Subsection 58(3) 4 11 Subsection 58(4) 4 12 Subsection 58(5) 5 13 Subsection 58(5A) 5 14 Section 58A 5 15 Section 58B 5 58B Constitution of Tribunal for purposes of proceedings under subsection 58(4)................................................................................. 5 i Freedom of Information Amendment (Abolition of Conclusive Certificates) Bill 2006 [Page Break] 17 Paragraph 58C(2)(a) 5 18 Subsection 58C(2A) 6 19 Section 58E 6 20 Subsections 64(3), (4) 6 21 Subsection 64(4A) 6 22 Section 65 6 Part 2--Application 6 23 Application 6 Freedom of Information Amendment (Abolition of Conclusive Certificates) Bill 2006 No. , 2006 ii [Page Break] 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 A Bill for an Act to amend the Freedom of 19 Information Act 1982 and for related purposes 20 21 The Parliament of Australia enacts: 22 23 1 Short title 24 This Act may be cited as the Freedom of Information Amendment 25 (Abolition of Conclusive Certificates) Act 2006. 26 2 Commencement 27 This Act commences on the day it receives the Royal Assent. 28 29 Freedom of Information Amendment (Abolition of Conclusive Certificates) Bill 2006 1 [Page Break] 1 Each Act that is specified in a Schedule to this Act is amended or 2 repealed as set out in the applicable items in the Schedule 3 concerned, and any other item in a Schedule to this Act has effect 4 according to its terms. 5 6 2 Freedom of Information Amendment (Abolition of Conclusive Certificates) Bill 2006 [Page Break] Schedule 1--Amendments 2 Part 1--Amendments of the Freedom of Information 3 Act 1982 4 1 Subsection 3(1) 5 Repeal the subsection, substitute: 6 (1) The object of this Act is to extend as far as possible the right of the 7 Australian community to access to information that is in the 8 possession of the Government of the Commonwealth, and is 9 therefore a national resource, by: 10 (a) creating a general right of access to information in 11 documentary form in the possession of Ministers, departments 12 and public authorities; and 13 (b) enabling the community to participate in the policy, 14 accountability and decision-making processes of government 15 by opening the activities of Government to scrutiny and 16 discussion, and thereby increasing Government 17 accountability; and 18 (c) creating a right to bring about the amendment of records 19 containing personal information that is incomplete, incorrect, 20 out of date or misleading. 21 2 Part IV--Exempt documents 22 Before section 32, insert: 23 (31A) Object of this Part 24 (1) The object of this Part is to provide that the general right of access 25 to information in documentary form in the possession of Ministers, 26 departments, and public authorities, is limited only by exceptions 27 and exemptions necessary for the protection of essential public 28 interests and the private and business affairs of persons in respect 29 of whom information is collected and held by departments and 30 public authorities. 31 Freedom of Information Amendment (Abolition of Conclusive Certificates) Bill 2006 3 [Page Break] 1 Minister or to the Government, or to a Minister and the 2 Government, shall not, of itself, amount to an essential public 3 interest. 4 3 Subsections 33(2), (3), (4) 5 Repeal the subsections. 6 4 Subsections 33A(2), (2A), (3), (4), (4A) 7 Repeal the subsections. 8 5 Subsections 34(2), (3), (4), (5) 9 Repeal the subsections. 10 6 Subsections 35(2), (3), (4), (5) 11 Repeal the subsections. 12 7 Subsections 36(3), (4) 13 Repeal the subsections. 14 8 Section 36A 15 Repeal the section. 16 9 Paragraph 53(a) 17 Repeal the paragraph. 18 10 Subsection 58(3) 19 Repeal the subsection, substitute: 20 (3) Where there is a claim of exemption in respect of a document under section 21 33 or 34, the powers of the Tribunal, constituted in accordance with section 22 58B, may review the decision and determine such question in relation to 23 that claim as is provided for in subsection (4). 24 11 Subsection 58(4) 25 Repeal the subsection, substitute: 26 4 Freedom of Information Amendment (Abolition of Conclusive Certificates) Bill 2006 [Page Break] 1 decision refusing to grant access to a document in accordance with a 2 request, being a document that is claimed to be an exempt document under 3 section 33 or 34, the Tribunal shall review the decision refusing to grant 4 access and determine the question whether the exemption is necessary for 5 the protection of an essential public interest. 6 12 Subsection 58(5) 7 Repeal the subsection. 8 13 Subsection 58(5A) 9 Repeal the subsection. 10 14 Section 58A 11 Repeal the section. 12 15 Section 58B 13 After section 58A, omit "58B Constitution of Tribunal for purposes of 14 proceedings under subsection 58(4), (5) or (5A)". Insert: 15 58B Constitution of Tribunal for purposes of proceedings under 16 subsection 58(4) 17 16 Subsection 58B(1) 18 Omit "(5) or (5A),". 19 17 Paragraph 58C(2)(a) 20 Repeal the paragraph, substitute: 21 (a) may hold in private the hearing of any part of the proceeding 22 during which evidence or information is given, or a document is 23 produced, to the tribunal by: 24 (i) an agency or an officer of an agency; 25 (ii) a Minister or a member of the staff of a Minister; or 26 (iii) a member, an officer, or a member of the staff, of a body 27 referred to in subsection 7(1) or the person referred to in that 28 subsection; and 29 Freedom of Information Amendment (Abolition of Conclusive Certificates) Bill 2006 5 [Page Break] 1 Repeal the subsection. 2 19 Section 58E 3 Repeal the section. 4 20 Subsections 64(3), (4) 5 Repeal the subsections. 6 21 Subsection 64(4A) 7 Omit "(1), (2) or (4)," substitute: 8 "(1) or (2),". 9 22 Section 65 10 Repeal the section. 11 12 Part 2--Application 13 23 Application 14 15 The amendments made by this Act do not affect proceedings in a court 16 or a tribunal that commenced before the commencement of this Act. 17 18 ------------------ 19 20 6 Freedom of Information Amendment (Abolition of Conclusive Certificates) Bill 2006