Commonwealth Numbered Acts

FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT 1982 No. 3 of 1982 - SECT 8

8. (1) The responsible Minister of an agency shall -

   (a)  cause to be published, as soon as practicable after the commencement
        of this Part but not later than 12 months after that commencement, in
        a form approved by the Minister administering this Act -

        (i)    a statement setting out particulars of the organization and
               functions of the agency, indicating, as far as practicable, the
               decision-making powers and other powers affecting members of
               the public that are involved in those functions;

        (ii)   a statement setting out particulars of any arrangements that
exist for bodies or persons outside the Commonwealth
administration
to participate, either through consultative
procedures,
the making of representations or otherwise, in the
formulation
of policy by the agency, or in the administration by the
agency, of any enactment or scheme;

        (iii)  a statement of the categories of documents that are maintained
in the possession of the agency, being a statement that sets out,
as separate categories of documents, categories of such
documents,
if any, as are referred to in paragraph 12 (1) (b) or (c)
and categories of documents, if any, not being documents so
referred to, as are customarily made available to the public,
otherwise than under this Act, free of charge upon request;

        (iv)   a statement of particulars of the facilities, if any, provided
               by
the agency for enabling members of the public to obtain physical
access to the documents of the agency; and

        (v)    a statement of any information that needs to be available to
               the public concerning particular procedures of the agency in
               relation to Part III, and particulars of the officer or
               officers to whom, and the place or places at which, initial
               inquiries concerning access to documents may be directed; and

   (b)  during the year commencing on 1 January next following the
        publication, in respect of the agency, of the statement under
        sub-paragraph (a) (i), (ii), (iii), (iv) or (v) that is the first
        statement published under that sub-paragraph, and during each
        succeeding year, cause to be published statements bringing up to date
        the information contained in the previous statement or statements
        published under that sub-paragraph.

(2) In approving a form under sub-section (1), the Minister shall have regard,
amongst other things, to the need to assist members of the public to exercise
effectively their rights under this Act.

(3) The information to be published in accordance with this section may be
published by including it in the publication known as the Commonwealth
Government Directory.

(4) Nothing in this section requires the publication of information that is of
such a nature that its inclusion in a document of an agency would cause that
document to be an exempt document.

(5) Sub-section (1) applies in relation to an agency that comes into existence
after the commencement of this Part as if the references in that sub-section
to the commencement of this Part were references to the day on which the
agency comes into existence.