Contents
What is the Right to Information?Why do we have a Right to Information Act?
How do I get access to Information?
How do I make an RTI application?
What will we do once we have your application?
Right to Information Manual and Guidelines
Related Acts and Regulations
The Right to Information Act 2009 commenced on 1 July 2010 and provides for greater access to information held by government bodies by:
- authorising and encouraging greater routine disclosure of information held by public authorities without the need for requests or applications
- authorising and encouraging greater active disclosure of information held by public authorities in response to informal requests without the need for applications;
- giving members of the public an enforceable right to information held by public authorities; and
- providing that access to information held by government bodies is restricted in only limited circumstances which are defined in the Act.
The Office of Tasmanian Assessment, Standards and Certification is a public authority.
Section 3 of the Act includes this statement of the objectives of the Act:
- (1) The object of this Act is to improve democratic government in Tasmania -
- (a) by increasing the accountability of the executive to the people of Tasmania; and
(b) by increasing the ability of the people of Tasmania to participate in their governance; and
(c) by acknowledging that information collected by public authorities is collected for and on behalf of the people of Tasmania and is the property of the State.
(3) This object is also to be pursued by giving members of the public the right to obtain information about the operations of Government.
(4) It is the intention of Parliament -
- (a) that this Act be interpreted so as to further the object set out in subsection (1); and
(b) that discretions conferred by this Act be exercised so as to facilitate and promote, promptly and at the lowest reasonable cost, the provision of the maximum amount of official information
The Office of Tasmanian Assessment, Standards and Certification is committed to providing the community with open and transparent access to information about its services and activities. This means that we will routinely make information available, which will assist the public in understanding what it is we do and how we do it.
This may be done via our website, through publications (e.g. handbooks, or guidelines) and via reports.
Some information is not released in this way, either because it is not of general public interest or because it is information the Office would need to assess against the exemptions in the Right to Information Act 2009 prior to disclosure.
You may find information from the Office of Tasmanian Assessment, Standards and Certification in the following ways:
Direct from Office
- Search the TASC website
- Look at our publications - Reports and Data
- Give the Office a call on 03 6165 6000
- Email the Office on enquiries@tasc.tas.gov.au
- For our detailed procedure about disclosure for various types of information please see Right to Information - Scope of Information Generated
Through the Service Tasmania Network
- Look at the Service Tasmania Website - www.service.tas.gov.au
- Visit a Service Tasmania Office near you
- Call Service Tasmania on 1300 13 55 13
- Contact Service Tasmania via their online form - www.service.tas.gov.au/contact/ask/
Via Tasmania Online
- Search for the information on Tasmania Online (it may be available from another source) - www.tas.gov.au
Through the Tasmanian Archives and Heritage Office (TAHO)
If it is old information it may be deposited with the Tasmanian Archives and Heritage Office.- Have a look at the TAHO system - http://www.linc.tas.gov.au/global/aboutlinc/information/taho
- Call TAHO on 03 6233 7488
- Email TAHO on taho@education.tas.gov.au
If you have been unable to obtain access to information, or have been denied information, through your normal dealings with the Authority, you may wish to make an application under the Right to Information Act 2009.
You can submit a Right to Information Act 2009 Application Form via Personal Information Protection and Your right to Information
or by writing. Address your application to:
- Right to Information Officer
Department of Education
GPO Box 169
Hobart TAS 7001
Or email: legal.services@education.tas.gov.au
- - You are in financial hardship - we take that to mean that you are on income support payments (we would usually ask to see evidence that you are in receipt of Centrelink or veterans affairs payments);
- You are a member of parliament and the application is in connection with your official duty;
or
- You are able to give us information which shows that what you are seeking is intended to be used for a purpose that is of general public interest or benefit.
- We will check your application to make sure we have the information we need and that you have paid the application fee (or we will waive the fee).
- We may transfer your application to another public authority if we do not believe we are best placed to provide you with the information.
- Before your application is accepted, we may need to contact you to ask you about your application. This will help us to understand your request.
- Once we have taken these steps, an officer will assess your application against the Right to Information Act 2009 and let you know the outcome of that process in writing.
- You will be notified of the decision on your application for assessed disclosure as soon as practicable, but in no more than 20 working days of the application being accepted.
- If your request is complex, or requires a large amount of information, we may ask you to give us more time.
- If there is a need to consult with a third party about their business affairs or about their personal information, more time is automatically given and we will let you know the outcome as soon as practicable, but no later than 40 working days; we will let you know if this is happening.
- If your application, or part of it, is refused, then we will give you reasons why we did not provide the information, together with details about your right to seek a review of the decision. To make a request to review our decision, write to:
- Principal Officer
Right to Information
Office of Tasmanian Assessment, Standards and Certification
GPO Box 333
HOBART TAS 7001
- If the officer assessing your request does not get back to you in the timeframe allowed, you can assume that we have refused your application and you are able to make an application for review to the Ombudsman if you so choose. Some information on reviews by the Ombudsman can be found on the Office of the Ombudsman's website.
The Manual and Guidelines will provide you with a little more detail about making requests under the RTI Act and how such requests are processed by the agency receiving them.
These are available on the Office of the Ombudsman's website.
You can view, download and print the following Acts and Regulations made available by the Tasmanian Legislation Online website:
Right to Information Act 2009
Right to Information Regulations 2010
