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About Right to Know Week NSW 2026
28 September marks the International Day for Universal Access to Information. The United Nations declared this international day in support of the right to seek and receive information encapsulated by Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which is a binding treaty.
The IPC celebrates an annual, week-long celebration around this international day: Right to Know (RTK) Week. Our RTK celebration focuses on raising awareness for the public about their rights and educating NSW agencies on their obligations around accessing NSW government-held information.
RTK Week will run from 28 September to 4 October 2026 and will celebrate the 2026 theme of Upholding Information Integrity in the Digital Age: The Role of Access to Information in Addressing Information Disorder.
IPC has been actively supporting Right to Know Week since 2014 and invites NSW public sector agencies, universities, and councils to collaborate with us to champion public sector transparency.
From the Information Commissioner
I am delighted to be leading this year's Right to Know Week NSW 2026 campaign, which focuses on information integrity and the role that access and availability of government information plays in helping to combat misinformation and disinformation.
In an increasingly complex digital environment, access to reliable and trustworthy information has never been more important. Accurate information supports informed decision-making, strengthens public confidence in institutions, and enables meaningful participation in our democracy. At the same time, the rapid spread of misinformation and disinformation presents significant challenges for governments, organisations and communities alike.
Access to information plays a critical role in addressing information disorder. By making information available, government agencies promote transparency, accountability and public trust. Open access to government information also equips individuals and communities with the tools they need to verify information, understand decisions that affect them, and engage confidently in public discourse.
This Right to Know Week NSW 2026, the IPC invites NSW government departments and agencies, universities, local councils, Ministers’ offices and state-owned corporations to take a proactive step towards providing access to information and combating misinformation and disinformation.
I hope you will join me in celebrating the week.
Emeritus Professor Rosalind Croucher AM FAAL FRSN
IPC CEO and Information Commissioner
What's on?
NSW Right to Know Week 2026 Event
Date: 29 September 2026
Time: 9:30am – 10:30am
(9:00am registrations and 10:30am morning tea and networking)
Location: NSW Parliament Theatrette, Parliament of NSW, 6 Macquarie Street, Sydney NSW 2000
Speakers:
- Emeritus Professor Rosalind Croucher AM, NSW Information Commissioner and CEO (Facilitator).
- Dr Lorraine Finlay, Human Rights Commissioner
- Kate Boyd PSM, Secretary of The Cabinet Office NSW
- Dr Ellen Rock, UNSW Faculty of Law & Justice
Event overview
Information integrity plays a vital role in shaping how people understand, engage with and respond to the issues that affect their lives. In the digital age, information is created and dispersed at a rapid speed, providing greater opportunities for communication and learning. At the same time, this environment has enabled the accelerated spread of misinformation, disinformation and other forms of information disorder.
Our speakers will provide diverse perspectives on information integrity and public trust. Dr Lorraine Finlay, Human Rights Commissioner, will deliver a short address on information integrity and share her insights on the challenges of misinformation and disinformation. Dr Finlay will then join a panel discussion featuring Kate Boyd PSM, Secretary of The Cabinet Office NSW, and Associate Professor Ellen Rock from the UNSW Faculty of Law & Justice.
NSW Information Commissioner and CEO Prof Rosalind Croucher AM will facilitate the panel, addressing the overarching theme of Right to Know Week NSW 2026 and how information integrity plays a vital role in shaping how people understand, engage with and respond to the issues that affect their lives.
Resources
This week, the Information Commissioner has released an updated suite of information access resources to support agencies and the community in understanding and exercising information access rights under the Government Information (Public Access) Act 2009 (GIPA Act).
The resources have been updated as part of the IPC's ongoing publication review program, which aims to improve the accessibility, readability and usefulness of our guidance materials. As part of this work, the resources have been refreshed using plain English principles, with a reduced emphasis on legal and technical language, making them easier to understand and apply in practice.
Fact Sheet - External review by the Information Commissioner
If you are dissatisfied with certain government agency decisions about releasing information, you can apply to the Information Commissioner to review those decisions.
Fact Sheet - Your review rights under the GIPA Act
This fact sheet provides individuals with information about their review rights under the GIPA Act.
Fact Sheet - Authorised proactive release of government information
This fact sheet provides agencies with information on authorised proactive release of government information
Fact Sheet - Client legal privilege and release of government information
This fact sheet assists applicants and agencies in understanding client legal privilege and when this applies when refusing access to information applied for under the GIPA Act.
Fact Sheet - Informal release of information
The informal release of information provides benefits for agencies and citizens, and increases access to information.
Fact Sheet - Guide to section 121 of the GIPA Act for private sector contractors
This fact sheet provides information to contractors that deliver services to the public on behalf of government agencies on how s 121 of the GIPA Act affects them.
Fact Sheet - The role of public sector leaders in supporting the object of the GIPA Act
This fact sheet assists public sector leaders to promote awareness and foster an organisational culture that advances the GIPA Act.
Information Access Guideline 6 - Agency Information Guides
Explains to agencies how to satisfy their obligations to create and update their AIG in accordance with Part 3 Division 2 of the GIPA Act.
Checklist - Agency Information Guide - Self-assessment Checklist
This checklist reflects the Agency Information Guide requirements under the GIPA Act and provides additional guidance to agencies.
Fact Sheet - Managing access to audio visual information under the GIPA Act
AV information is a form of government information and needs to be managed to facilitate release to the public consistent with obligations under the GIPA Act.
Checklist - Unreasonable and substantial diversion of resources
This checklist assists agencies when dealing with an application being potentially an unreasonable and substantial diversion of resources.
2026 Champion Program
This year we continue to run our RTK Champion Program. NSW public sector agencies can join as Champions to help spread the RTK message as well as encourage their own agency and work colleagues to get involved and promote public rights.
Champions of the Program will receive a pack full of digital and printable resources, as well as written content such as newsletter articles, blog posts, social media posts, educational PowerPoint slides and more to make promoting the campaign easy.
Agencies will also be acknowledged as a Champion here on the RTK NSW webpage and via the IPC’s social media where possible.
Right to Know Week NSW 2026 Champions
NSW Government Champions
Biodiversity Conservation Trust
Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water
Department of Communities and Justice
Department of Creative Industries, Tourism, Hospitality and Sport
Department of Customer Service
Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure
Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development
EnergyCo
Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal NSW (IPART)
Local Land Services
NSW Electoral Commission
NSW Environmental Protection Agency
NSW Fair Trading
NSW Local Government
NSW Police Force
NSW State Emergency Service
NSW Treasury
NSW Trustee and Guardian
Premier's Department
SafeWork NSW
Single Digital Patient Record Implementation Authority, NSW Health
State Records NSW
The Cabinet Office
Health Professional Councils Authority
HealthShare NSW
NSW Local Land Services
TAFE NSW
Other celebrations around Australia
Office of the Australian Information Commissioner
Office of the Victorian Information Commissioner
Office of the Information Commissioner Queensland