NSW Information Commissioner promotes importance of open, transparent government during Right to Know Week 2014

Media release - NSW Information Commissioner promotes importance of open, transparent government during Right to Know Week (28 Sept – 5 Oct) (PDF, 237kb)

NSW Information Commissioner Elizabeth Tydd will be promoting the rights of the NSW community to access government information and the importance of open, transparent government during Right to Know Week 2014.

This year, NSW’s Right to Know themes include:

• Open government information: know your rights
• Celebrating five years of the Government Information (Public Access) Act 2009 (GIPA Act) in NSW

“The Information and Privacy Commission NSW (IPC) is pleased to be driving the Right to Know Week initiative to raise awareness in our community that people have a legal enforceable right to access government information” said Ms Tydd.

Kicking off with International right to Know Day on Sunday 28 September, Ms Tydd has led a proactive campaign to encourage NSW public sector agencies, universities and regional councils to sign on as official partners and spread the message of open government to their stakeholders and communities, with over 20 agencies now on board.

To commence Right to Know Week, Ms Tydd will be speaking at a free Open Government Community of Practice event on Monday, 29 September at Parliament House, along with the Minister for Finance and Services, the Hon. Dominic Perrottet MP and NSW Customer Service Commissioner Mike Pratt.

“I welcome the opportunity to spread the message of advancing a system of responsible and representative government that is open, accountable, fair and effective. These are the key objects of the GIPA Act which provides citizens with the right to access most government information held by government agencies, state-owned corporations, local councils, ministers and their staff, and universities,” said Ms Tydd.

For more information about Right to Know Week 2014 please visit www.ipc.nsw.gov.au and follow us on Twitter #RTK2014 for current updates.

To request an interview with Ms Tydd please contact Kate Jobling, (02) 8071 7018 or 0435 961 691.