Freedom of information
This statement is provided in accordance with section 8 of the Freedom of Information Act 1982 (FOI Act).
Section 8 of the FOI Act requires each agency to publish detailed information about the way it is organised; its powers; the kinds of decisions made; arrangements for public involvement in work of the agency; documents held by the agency; and how members of the public can access these documents.
Access to records under the FOI Act
Members of the public may apply for access to documents under the FOI Act. In many cases, the information being sought is freely available at the Australia Council website.Requests for access to information under the FOI Act must be in writing, include a $30 application fee and be addressed to:
Chief executive officer
Attention: Manager, legal and compliance
Australia Council
PO Box 788,
Strawberry Hills NSW 2012
To request access to documents, visit the Australia Council’s offices at 372 Elizabeth Street, Surry Hills NSW, or call 02 9215 9000 or 1800 226 912 toll-free during normal business hours. The offices are wheelchair accessible.
Categories of documents
The Australia Council has extensive documentary holdings in hard copy and electronic form. These include:- documents relating to policy development and program administration, including reports, briefings, correspondence, minutes, submissions, statistics and other documents
- reference material used by staff including guidelines and manuals
- audio and visual records held as part of its cultural development activities
- relevant Commonwealth legislation
- Australia Council Corporate Plan 2006–2010
- Australia Council policies (National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Arts, Arts in a Multicultural Australia, Regional Arts Development, Young People and the Arts).
Facilities for access
If it approves access, and after full payment of any charges is received, the Australia Council will provide copies of the documents concerned. Alternatively, applicants may arrange to inspect certain documents at the Australia Council offices at the above address. For applicants living outside NSW, documents can be viewed at the nearest regional office of the National Archives of Australia (Adelaide, Brisbane, Canberra, Darwin, Hobart, Melbourne, Perth or Townsville).
The application fees and charges for FOI requests are determined in Schedules to the FOI (Fees and Charges) Regulations. Charges may be remitted on request if their imposition would cause undue financial hardship or release of the documents is in the general public interest. A decision not to remit the charges must be made within 30 days of a request being made.