Have your say on proposed changes to South Australia's Freedom of Information laws.

What is being decided? 

Our Freedom of Information laws are being updated to make sure they keep pace with changes in technology and other legislative changes interstate.

This draft Bill aims to:

• Strengthen the public's rights to know
• Make it easier for government agencies to meet their Freedom of Information requirements

More than 40 changes are proposed to the Freedom of Information Act 1991, including:

• Mandating the proactive disclosure of government information
• Reinforcing the presumption in favour of disclosure
• Increasing the Ombudsman’s powers when reviewing Freedom of Information determinations by government agencies
• Updating the Act to reflect electronic communications and electronic information management and storage methods
• Extending the time agencies have to deal with an application from 30 days to 45 days to help reduce the number of 'deemed refusals'
• Clarifying the Act to make it clear that applications are taken to apply to documents that are in existence as at the day of application
• Setting clearer limits around what is considered an unreasonable request for access

You can find out more about the changes in the What are the changes? tab.

Get involved

We want to hear your feedback on the proposed changes to South Australia's Freedom of Information laws to ensure they strike the right balance in the community.

To have your say, review the proposed changes and the Draft Bill and email your written submission to LLPSubmissions@sa.gov.au.

How can your input influence the decision? 

Your feedback will be reviewed and considered for the final draft of the Bill and will inform how South Australia's Freedom of Information laws will look in the future.

What are the next steps? 

Once consultation on the proposed changes has finished, the Bill will be introduced to Parliament for consideration early next year.

A copy of the final Bill will be published on this site once it has been introduced to Parliament. 

Contact

For more information contact LLPSubmissions@sa.gov.au

Closing date: 5pm Friday January 24 2020