Commonwealth Numbered Acts

FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT 1982 No. 3 of 1982 - SECT 21

21. (1) An agency which, or a Minister who, receives a request may defer the
provision of access to the document concerned -

   (a)  if the publication of the document concerned is required by law -
until the expiration of the period within which the document is
required to be published;

   (b)  if the document concerned has been prepared for presentation to
Parliament or for the purpose of being made available to a particular
person or body or with the intention that it should be so made available
- until the expiration of a reasonable period after its preparation for it
to be so presented or made available;

   (c)  if the premature release of the document concerned would be contrary
to the public interest - until the occurrence of any event after which or
the expiration of any period of time beyond which the release of the
document would not be contrary to the public interest; or

   (d)  if a Minister considers that the document concerned is of such general
public interest that the Parliament should be informed of the contents
of the document before the document is otherwise made public - until
the expiration of 5 sitting days of either House of the Parliament.

(2) Where the provision of access to a document is deferred in accordance with
sub-section (1), the agency or Minister shall, in informing the applicant of
the reasons for the decision, indicate, as far as practicable, the period for
which the deferment will operate.

(3) Sub-section 55 (1) does not apply in relation to a deferment under
paragraph (1) (d) of this section.