The IPC holds an annual, week-long celebration around International Day for Universal Access to Information on 28 September. Right to Know Week (RTK) NSW takes place from 29 September – 5 October this year.
The theme for 2025 is Ensuring access to environmental information in the digital age.
The IPC is focusing on educating NSW agencies and the public about the connection between transparency and public participation under the Government Information (Public Access) Act 2009 (GIPA Act) this RTK Week.
In the digital age, environmental information should be easy to find, use and act on. For individuals, access to environmental information is not just a right but a powerful tool for civic engagement, safety and wellbeing. It allows communities to understand how developments and policies affect their environment, and how to advocate for fair access to green spaces and participate in decisions that shape their neighbourhoods.
By making this information publicly available, NSW government agencies help to ensure that environmental management is transparent, evidence-based, and accountable to the communities it affects.
Right to Know Week supports NSW public sector agencies to explore opportunities to provide access to more government information, as well as to better understand their obligations. This year the IPC is encouraging agencies to make environmental information freely available online unless there is a compelling reason not to. Agencies can also use digital tools – such as interactive maps, dashboards and mobile apps – to present data in formats that are accessible and easy to understand.
Watch below a welcome to Right to Know Week from the Information Commissioner and CEO, Emeritus Professor Rosalind Croucher AM
Panel event
Right to Know Week NSW 2025 Panel Discussion
30 September 2025
To mark the week, the Information Commissioner will be holding a panel event to discuss the 2025 theme.
As NSW continues to feel the effects of increasing environmental uncertainty, ensuring public access to reliable and transparent information is more critical than ever. This event will explore how government, including local councils, and communities can proactively share and engage with environmental data and information including from climate resilience and land use planning to disaster recovery and emerging health risks.
This panel discussion will include perspectives from both academia and government, and examine the role of open data and proactive release of information, supporting emergency management, and empowering future generations. Join us for a timely conversation on how environmental information can be made more accessible, actionable, and courageous in the digital age.
Your information access rights in NSW
In NSW there is a legally enforceable right to request access to government information. NSW laws create an open government framework for the public sector and a presumption that information is available unless there is an overriding public interest against its disclosure.
The IPC can assist the public to understand how they can access government-held information. Learn more in our information access resources for individuals.
You can also learn more about what’s on this Right to Know Week here.
