Freedom of Information (FOI) Update
Duration: Half DayInvestment: $410 incl GST
Delivery: Face 2 Face & Webinar
(Delivery methods are subject to change)
Target Audience
Governance staff, Records management staff and CEO's
Overview
The Freedom of Information (Miscellaneous) Amendment Bill 2020 (FOI Amendment Bill) proposes the most extensive changes to South Australia’s freedom of information (FOI) laws since the Freedom of Information Act 1991 (FOI Act) was enacted nearly 30 years ago. The changes range from small miscellaneous amendments to much more significant reforms which bring the FOI Act more closely into alignment with other jurisdictions which underwent similar reforms roughly a decade ago.
Key Learnings
The FOI Amendment Bill which has now been introduced into Parliament. Some of the key proposals are as follows:- “Proactive disclosure” requirements, whereby certain agencies specified in a policy to be issued by the Premier will be obliged to publish regularly requested information (e.g. credit card statements, travel expenditure) without any person needing to make an FOI application for that information;
- “Disclosure log” requirements, whereby specified agencies will need to maintain publicly available records detailing specified information regarding FOI applications made to the agency;
- Amendments to the objects of the FOI Act and the public interest balancing test, designed to create a presumption in favour of disclosure in some cases;
- Increasing time limits for dealing with applications and internal reviews;
- Providing further grounds and clarity regarding the circumstances in which an agency can refuse to deal with an application;
- Stronger powers for the Ombudsman as external reviewer, including the power to refer a matter back to the agency for a new determination.
Facilitator
Felice D’Agostino, Principal – Governance and Regulatory Services – Norman Waterhouse Lawyers
Felice assists and provides advice to local authorities on a wide variety of matters involving statutory interpretation, administrative law, governance, public administration, freedom of information, and public integrity. She has extensive experience in delivering high quality training seminars, workshops and conferences across her many specialisations.
The Norman Waterhouse Local Government team is the largest of its kind in the State and is widely recognised as the leader in the provision of advice and representation to the local government sector in South Australia.
Additional Information
LGA Training intends to provide training on the amendments to the FOI Act after the Bill passes the Parliament and before the changes commence.What ‘Delivery Options’ are available for this session?
If a session is scheduled, the delivery options can be found below in the location field of the ‘Upcoming Workshops’ section. (Address = Face 2 Face delivery, Webinar = Virtual delivery)
No ‘Dates’ scheduled?
Complete our ‘Enquiry Form’ to be added to our waitlist and notified of upcoming dates.
Are you eligible for a ‘Group Discount’?
If you have 5 or more Members/staff from your council interested in a scheduled course, you may be eligible for a group discount. Request a ‘Group Discount eQuote’.
Interested in having this program brought ‘In-House’ to your council?
Check your eligibility by requesting an ‘In-house eQuote’.
For further information about the content of this program, please contact LGA Training on 8224 2000 or at training@lga.sa.gov.au.
Please understand that by registering, you are accepting our policy conditions. For a copy of our policies, please click here.
