IPC GIPA Tool - Proactive release and informal release questions
Read the document below or download it here: IPC GIPA Tool - Proactive release and informal release questions September 2024
Enhancements to the IPC GIPA Tool
The Information and Privacy Commission (IPC) has implemented enhancements to the IPC GIPA Tool to enable agencies to voluntarily provide information on the annual review of its proactive release program to the IPC. The enhancement involves adding some questions on proactive release to the GIPA Report functionality within the GIPA Tool.
Collecting this information will assist agencies in documenting their proactive release practices. The IPC has also published guidance for agencies on Proactive Release Programs including a set of self-assessment questions.
This follows last year’s enhancement to add questions to the GIPA Tool on informal release. The responses to these questions were incorporated into IPC’s Report on the Operation of the GIPA Act for 2022/23. To assist agencies in preparing responses, a copy of the questions for both proactive and informal release are shown below.
Questions on proactive release
Below is a list of the questions on proactive release that were included in the IPC GIPA Tool in 2024.
- Did your agency carry out a review of its Proactive Release Program under Section 7(3) of the Act? YES/NO
- Did your agency make a decision to proactively release additional government information as a result of its annual review? YES/NO
- Please provide details of the information that was made publicly available as a result of your agency’s annual review. Please be as specific as possible (that is, not just “plans”, “policies”, “factsheets”):
- Did your agency publish a register of the information that it makes publicly available as a result of its annual reviews? YES/NO
- Did your agency take any of the following steps as part of its annual review? (more than one answer permitted)
- establish a working group to identify additional information that could be proactively released
- undertake a survey of staff to identify additional information that could be proactively released
- analyse agency data on applications for access to information, to identify trends and documents that could be released proactively
- engage with stakeholders to establish information release priorities (e.g. through community surveys, workshops and consultation processes)
- attestations by team leaders that they reviewed information in their area that may be suitable for proactive release
- a briefing to the chief executive and/or executive leadership team recommending what, if any, additional information be proactively released
- follow a policy/procedure on how your proactive release program is reviewed
- none of the above
- Were any of the following kinds of government information proactively released as a result of your agency’s annual review? (more than one answer permitted)
- information about the use or planned use of artificial intelligence by the agency
- information about the use or planned use of automated decision-making by the agency
- additional information about how members of the public could participate in the formulation of the agency’s policy and the exercise of the agency’s functions
- none of the above
- Please provide below any other details about your agency’s review of its proactive release program that will be included in its annual report, as required by section 125 of the GIPA Act and section 8(a) of the GIPA Regulation?
Questions on informal release
Below is a list of the questions on informal release that were included in the IPC GIPA Tool in 2023 and reported on in the previous Report on the operation of the GIPA Act 2023/24.
- Number of Informal Access requests received by the Agency in the Reporting Period?
- Number of Informal Access requests decided by the Agency in the Reporting Period?
- Number of informal access requests decided within 20 business days of receipt?
- Number of informal access requests decided and notice in writing given to the applicant?
- Number of information access requests decided by outcome:
- Access granted in full
- Access granted in part
- Access refused in full
- Referred to a formal access application
- Conditions imposed
- Number of information access request by information type:
- Personal information of the requestor
- Personal information of another person
- Business information
- Financial information
- Other
- Number of information access requests by type of condition imposed:
- Period of time to access information condition.
- View Access only condition.
- Limitation on use of information condition
- Other
- Number of instances that the information released informally was then proactively released publicly by the Agency
For more information
Contact the Information and Privacy Commission NSW (IPC):
Freecall: 1800 472 679
Email: ipcinfo@ipc.nsw.gov.au
Website: www.ipc.nsw.gov.au
NOTE: The information in this flowchart is to be used as a guide only. Legal advice should be sought in relation to individual circumstances.
