New Freedom of Information Legislation passed

Mon, 27 Jul 2009 14:11:19 +1100

The NSW Government has passed new legislation that will repeal the Freedom of Information Act 1989 (NSW) and replace it with a new Act. The new Act, titled the Government Information (Public Access) Act 2009 (NSW) No 52 might make it easier to gain access to government information for the public.

The NSW Parliamentary Library has written an E-Brief titled "FOI update - proposed reforms in NSW" by Gareth Griffith outlining the major provisons in the new legislation and what it hopes to achieve.

The Government Information (Information Commissioner) Act 2009 (NSW) No 53 empowers the government to appoint a Commissioner to oversee the administration of this new legislation.

Just recently, the Premier indicated that it is his intention to give the Attorney-General responsibility rather than maintaining overall responsibility himself. Matthew Moore has written about the new legislation in the Sydney Morning Herald. For other articles in which Matthew Moore explores the deficiencies of this new legislation, you could do a search on Proquest ANZ Newstand. You need to register as a client of the State Library. Type in "Matthew Moore" and set the date to April 2009 to the current date.

HSC Legal Studies: News Watch - Law Reform

New Freedom of Information Legislation passed