The Information Commissioner Bill 2010 (IC Bill) and the Freedom of Information Amendment (Reform) Bill 2010 (FOI Bill) were recently introduced by Parliament. These proposed changes to freedom of information laws are aimed at better public access to Government information.

The IC Bill proposes that the Information Commissioner should have broad discretionary powers when assessing the merit of decisions taken by Ministers and other Government agencies. The Privacy Commissioner needs approval from the Information Commissioner before issuing any privacy rules.

Another important purpose of the FOI Bill is to create more transparency in the Government. This is at the heart of these reforms. These initiatives are also focused at engaging and empowering citizens. It is endeavored that these Bills will improve the relationship between the private and public sectors – mutually benefitting both.

The current Commonwealth Ombudsman, Professor John McMillan AO has been appointed as the new Information Commissioner in February 2010. The two Bills received Royal Assent in May 2010. The Bills are now officially the Australian Information Commissioner Act 2010 (AIC Act) and the Freedom of Information Amendment (Reform) Act 2010 (FOI Reform Act).

It remains to be seen how far these Bills will deliver as promised. However, these reforms will test the government’s commitment to sharing public sector information and will also depend on the use we make of it.