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Government Data Management

Australia releases principles on open public sector information

By Clarice Africa | 25 May 2011

The Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) has released the government’s eight principles on open public sector information as part of its commitment to lead the development and implementation of the national information policy framework to promote a secure and open government.

The Principles on open public sector information rests on the democratic premise that public sector information is a national resource that should be available for community access and use.

According to the Australian Information Commissioner, John McMillan, the principles were developed by the OAIC through a process of public consultation which draws on considerable work both in Australia and overseas that defines standards and principles to shape government information management practices.

“These Principles set out the central values of open public sector information – that it be freely available, easily discoverable, understandable, machine-readable and reusable,” McMillan said in an official statement.

“A free flow of information between government, business and the community can also stimulate innovation to the economic and social advantage of the nation,” he said.

The new principles include the following:

1.Open access to information - a “default position” which indicates that information held by Australian Government agencies is a valuable national resource, and if there is no legal need to protect the information it should be open to public access. Under principle 1, agencies should use information technology to disseminate public sector information, by applying a presumption of openness and by adopting a proactive publication stance.

2.Engaging the community – under principle 2, the government requires agencies to engage the community in online policy design and service delivery by employing Web 2.0 tools and other emerging applications.

3.Effective information governance – Principle 3 highlights the leadership role of a senior executive ‘information champion’ or knowledge officer in the agency in directing information management and governance.

4.Robust information asset management – principle four outlines salient points on effective information management for agencies, which includes maintaining an asset inventory, protecting information from unauthorised use, training human resources, and many more.

5.Discoverable and useable information – the Australian Government recognises the economic and social value of enhancing the sharing of public sector information, under principle 5, the government requires that information be easily discovered and used by the community and other stakeholders by ensuring that information published online is in an open and standards-based format and is machine readable.

6.Clear reuse rights - The economic and social value of public sector information is enhanced when it is made available for reuse on open licensing terms. The Guidelines on Licensing Public Sector Information for Australian Government Agencies require agencies to decide licensing conditions when publishing information online.

7.Appropriate charging for access - The Freedom of Information Act requires agencies to facilitate public access to information at the lowest reasonable cost. This principle applies when information is provided upon request or is published by an agency. Other Acts also authorise charges for specific documents or information access.

Agencies can reduce the cost of public access by publishing information online, especially information that is routinely sought by the public. Charges that may be imposed by an agency for providing access should be clearly explained in an agency policy that is published and regularly reviewed.

8. Transparent enquiry and complaints processes – Under principle 8, Agency decision making about information publication should be made transparent. This can be supported, within the agency’s information governance framework, by an enquiry and complaints procedure for the public to raise issues about agency publication and access decisions.

The procedure should be published, explain how enquiries and complaints will be handled, set timeframes for responding, identify possible remedies and complaint outcomes, and require that written reasons be provided in complaint resolution.

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