House debates

Wednesday, 12 May 2010

Freedom of Information Amendment (Reform) Bill 2009

Consideration in Detail

Bill—by leave—taken as a whole.

11:24 am

Photo of Anthony ByrneAnthony Byrne (Holt, Australian Labor Party, Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister) Share this | | Hansard source

I present a supplementary explanatory memorandum to the Freedom of Information Amendment (Reform) Bill 2009. I seek leave to move government amendments (1) to (20) together.

Leave granted.

I move:

(1)    Schedule 4, item 34, page 52 (line 21), after “(items 3 and 4)”, insert “, or exempt under section 47 (item 2)”.

(2)    Schedule 4, item 34, pages 52 and 53 (cell at table item 2, column headed “the access grant decision is …”), omit the cell, substitute:

a decision of an agency or Minister to give access to the document (or an edited copy of the document) because:

(a)   the document is neither exempt under section 47, nor conditionally exempt under section 47G; or

(b)  if the document is conditionally exempt under section 47G—access to the document would not, on balance, be contrary to the public interest for the purposes of subsection 11A(5).

Note:                Section 47 deals with documents disclosing trade secrets or commercially valuable information. Section 47G deals with other business documents.

(3)    Schedule 4, item 34, page 61 (line 7), omit “Information Commissioner”, substitute “Australian Information Commissioner”.

(4)    Schedule 4, item 34, page 66 (lines 19 and 20), omit the note, substitute:

Note:   See section 57A for the time within which the application for review must be made to the Tribunal.

(5)    Schedule 4, item 34, page 70 (after line 25), after section 55D, insert:

        55DA Decision-maker must assist Information Commissioner

                 In an IC review, the agency or Minister who made the IC reviewable decision must use the agency’s or the Minister’s best endeavours to assist the Information Commissioner to make his or her decision in relation to the IC review.

(6)    Schedule 4, item 34, page 88 (line 6), omit “An application”, substitute “(1) An application”.

(7)    Schedule 4, item 34, page 88 (after line 18), at the end of section 57A, add:

Time for applying to Tribunal if Information Commissioner declines to review decision

        (2)    Despite subsection 29(2) of the Administrative Appeals Tribunal Act 1975, for the purposes of paragraph 29(1)(d) of that Act, the prescribed time for a person to lodge an application for review of an IC reviewable decision mentioned in paragraph (1)(b) of this section is the period:

             (a)    starting on the day on which the decision by the Information Commissioner under paragraph 54W(b) of this Act is made; and

             (b)    ending on the 28th day after the day on which notice of the decision under paragraph 54W(b) was given to the person under section 54X of this Act.

(8)    Schedule 4, item 42, page 92 (lines 6 to 11), omit subsection (1), substitute:

        (1)    In proceedings under this Part for review of a decision in relation to a request, or in relation to an application under section 48 (a personal records application):

             (a)    if an agency or a Minister applied for the review—the agency or Minister has the onus of establishing that the decision is not justified, or that the Tribunal should give a decision adverse to the applicant in relation to the request or the personal records application; or

             (b)    if the applicant in relation to the request or the personal records application applied for the review—the agency to which, or the Minister to whom, the request or personal records application was made has the onus of establishing that the decision is justified, or that the Tribunal should give a decision adverse to the applicant.

(9)    Schedule 4, item 49, page 96 (line 24), omit “Information Commissioner”, substitute “Australian Information Commissioner”.

(10)  Schedule 4, item 49, page 101 (line 13), omit “Information Commissioner”, substitute “Australian Information Commissioner”.

(11)  Schedule 4, item 50, page 113 (line 4), omit “given”, substitute “give”.

(12)  Schedule 4, item 50, page 115 (lines 4 and 5), omit “Information Commissioner”, substitute “Australian Information Commissioner”.

(13)  Schedule 4, item 58, page 119 (lines 3 to 6), omit the item.

(14)  Schedule 5, heading, page 123 (line 3), omit “Information Commissioner”, substitute “Australian Information Commissioner”.

(15)  Schedule 5, item 3, page 123 (lines 15 to 18), omit the item.

(16)  Schedule 5, item 47, page 129 (lines 18 to 21), omit the item.

(17)  Schedule 6, page 150 (after line 1), after the heading to Part 3, insert:

        Administrative Appeals Tribunal Act 1975

41A  After paragraph 49(1)(c)

Insert:

           (ca)    the Australian Information Commissioner holding office under the Australian Information Commissioner Act 2010; and

41B  Subsection 49(3)

Omit “or (c)”, substitute “, (c) or (ca)”.

(18)  Schedule 7, item 1, page 153 (line 6), omit “Information Commissioner” (last occurring), substitute “Australian Information Commissioner”.

(19)  Schedule 7, item 3, page 154 (lines 20 and 21), omit “Information Commissioner”, substitute “Australian Information Commissioner”.

(20)  Schedule 7, item 3, page 155 (line 7), omit “Information Commissioner”, substitute “Australian Information Commissioner”.

Question agreed to.

Bill, as amended, agreed to.