National Archives of Australia
Information Publication Scheme – Agency plan, May 2011
Contents
Introduction
The National Archives of Australia (the Archives) is an agency subject to the Freedom of Information Act 1982 (FOI Act).As required by s 8(1) of the FOI Act, this Agency Plan describes how the Archives complies with the Information Publication Scheme (IPS) established by the FOI Act.
- In this Plan, information published by the Archives under the IPS is referred to as the IPS information holdings (or as the IPS documents, when referring to individual documents).
The Archives recognises that public sector information is a national resource managed for public purposes.
- The Archives is building and fostering a culture that embraces appropriate proactive disclosure of its information holdings, leading to successful implementation and administration of the IPS
- The Archives monitors how other agencies implement and administer their contributions to the IPS, with a view to adopting best practice in its Agency Plan and its Statement of IPS Information Holdings.
Purpose
The purpose of this Agency Plan is to:
- assist the Archives in planning and developing its contribution to the IPS
- show what information the Archives publishes as IPS information holdings
- show how the IPS information holdings are published
- show how the Archives otherwise complies with the IPS requirements (s 8(1))
- facilitate public consultation about the above aspects.
Objectives
The objectives of this Plan are to outline how the Archives:
- manages its IPS information holdings
- proactively identifies and publishes all information required to be published under the IPS (s 8(2))
- proactively identifies and publishes any optional information (s 8(4))
- reviews and ensures on a regular basis that information published under the IPS is accurate, up to date and complete (s 8B)
- ensures that information published under the IPS is easily discoverable, understandable, machine-readable, re-useable and transformable
- ensures satisfactory conformance with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (Version 2) (WCAG 2.0)
- measures the success of the Archives’ IPS contribution by reference to community feedback and compliance review processes.
Administering the Archives’ IPS contribution
The Archives’ Governance, Risk & Compliance Section (GRC Section) maintains the Archives’ compliance with the IPS. The Assistant Director-General, National Coordination Branch, has overall responsibility.
GRC Section liaises with all Archives branches to:
- identify documents that should form part of the IPS
- identify any IPS documents that are not accurate, up to date or complete
- ensure that IPS documents which are not accurate, up to date or complete are revised in a timely manner.
Members of the public may contact the Archives’ FOI contact officer with comments on the IPS information holdings, particularly where documents are found not to be discoverable, understandable or machine-readable.
The Archives arranges for IPS documents which are not available on the Archives' website to be made available upon request.
The Archives may charge a person for accessing any IPS document which it is impracticable to publish online:
- at the lowest reasonable cost
- to reimburse specific reproduction costs or other specific incidental costs (s 8D(4)).
IPS information architecture
The Archives’ IPS information holdings are published on the Archives’ website under the following headings:
- Agency Plan (ss 8(2)(a)
- Who we are (ss 8(2)(b) and 8(2)(d))
- What we do (ss 8(2)(c) and 8(2)(j))
- Our reports and responses to Parliament (ss 8(2)(e) and 8(2)(h))
- Routinely requested information and disclosure log (ss 8(2)(g) and 11C)
- Consultation arrangements (s 8(2)(f))
- Our priorities (s 8(4))
- Our finances (s 8(4))
- Our lists (s 8(4))
- Contact us (s 8(2)(i)).
- publishes an IPS entry point on its website
- wherever possible, provides online content in a format that can be searched, copied and transformed
- publishes a sitemap for its website, to help individuals identify the location of information published under ss 8(2) and 8(4)
- provides a search function for its website
- establishes links to this Agency Plan and to the sitemap at www.directory.gov.au
- seeks and responds to community feedback about whether the IPS information holdings (and individual IPS documents) are easily discoverable, understandable and machine-readable.
Information required to be published under the IPS
The Archives publishes documents required to be published under the IPS (s 8(2)) in a Statement of IPS Information Holdings.
The Archives publishes these documents under the following headings:
- This includes an organisation chart, the Agency Employment Agreement and information about statutory appointments.
- For statutory appointees, the Archives publishes the name of the person appointed, the length or term of appointment, the position to which the person is appointed (and particulars of the position) and the provision of the Act under which the person is appointed.
- This includes the functions and decision making powers conferred on the Director-General by the Archives Act 1983.
- The Archives also publishes rules, guidelines, practices and precedents relating to these functions and powers.
- This includes links to the Archives’ annual reports tabled in Parliament since 1999.
- This also includes links to published lists of files created, at half yearly intervals.
- This includes information in documents to which the Archives routinely gives access in response to FOI requests.
- The Archives identifies these documents in its disclosure log, published under s 11C of the FOI Act – which requires agencies to publish information contained in documents to which the agency has provided access under the FOI Act.
- This includes information about how and to whom a comment may be submitted by members of the public, where the Archives undertakes public consultation on a specific policy proposal.
- This includes the name, telephone number and an email address for a contact officer, who can be contacted about access to the Archives’ information or documents under the FOI Act. The Archives has established a telephone number and an email address for this purpose that will not change with staff movements.
Optional information to be published under the IPS
The Archives takes into account the objects of the FOI Act (s 8(4)) and includes information in its Statement of IPS Information Holdings that is additional to that required under s 8(2)).
Such optional information is published under the following headings:
Our priorities- This includes corporate and strategic plans, assessments and reviews.
- This includes financial information relating to pay and grading structures, procurement procedures, tendering and contracts.
- This includes agency contracts, grants and appointments, and links to data sets.
- This includes submissions made by the Archives to Parliamentary committees, and other agencies.
- This includes the Archives’ procurement, email and internet usage, harassment, maternity leave and workplace diversity policies.
The Statement of IPS Information Holdings includes a link to other publications not covered by these headings, such as Fact Sheets.
The Statement of IPS Information Holdings notes that some Archives documents are impracticable to publish online. A person seeking access to any of these documents may contact the Archives’ FOI contact officer to arrange access.
- Charges may be imposed for making that information available.
- Charges will be consistent with charges in the Freedom of Information (Charges) Regulations 1982 (which generally apply to access requests under Part III of the FOI Act).
Accessibility under the IPS
The Archives ensures that all information newly published on the Archives website conforms with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (Version 2) (WCAG 2.0) as soon as possible.Where a document is not yet available in an accessible format, it will be made available in an accessible format on request, by contacting the FOI Contact Officer (contact details are provided).
IPS compliance review
The Archives reviews and revises this Agency Plan at least annually.
The Archives reviews the operation of its IPS from time to time and at least every five years, in accordance with guidelines issued by the Information Commissioner.
Annexure A: WCAG 2.0 conformance
All documents available on the FOI page of the Archives website conform with the WCAG 2.0 timetable.
