IPC Continuous Disclosure Policy

Read the document below or download it here: IPC Continuous Disclosure Policy, updated December 2023

Purpose

This Policy outlines the disclosures the Information and Privacy Commission (IPC) will publish to ensure transparency and openness of decision-making and regulatory and corporate functions. 

For the purpose of this Policy, Continuous Disclosure is defined as publishing information on performance, promotion of information access and privacy legislation, expenditure of public funds and any other information that would be of interest to members of the public.

It is best practice for public sector agencies to be accountable and transparent to the public for their use of public funds and resources. This increases the public’s confidence in the integrity of government.

This Policy seeks to align with the Internal Controls and Governance 2023 Report published by the Audit Office of NSW.

Disclosures

The IPC is responsible for the administration of information access and privacy legislation in NSW. The IPC will actively promote best practice for agencies in fulfilling their obligations and citizens’ rights under this legislation.

The IPC will proactively release information on performance, expenditure of funds and its role as a regulator in the following disclosures:

• Information on our regulatory activities, e.g. Report on the Operation of the Government Information (Public Access) Act 2009 (GIPA Act), Regulatory Framework and Plan, Quarterly Reports, Compliance Reports, Case Notes and Guidelines/Fact Sheets
• Information on our corporate functions, e.g. Agency Information Guide, Service Charter, Corporate Policies and Procedures, Audit and Risk Committee
• Information on our performance, e.g. Annual Report, Strategic Plan, Quarterly Performance Reports and Community Awareness Surveys
• Information on expenditure of funds, e.g. Financial Statements, Contracts Register and Payment Performance reported in public reports
• Information on our stakeholder engagement, e.g. Resources for Agencies and Citizens, Quarterly Bulletins, Annual Report, Key Campaigns, Presentations by Commissioners at Public Forums and Right to Information and Privacy Practitioners Network Meetings  
• Information on the promotion of our legislation – Media Releases, Social Media, Animations, videos, E-learning modules, Publications, Resources, Self-Assessment Tools and Complaint Forms
• Information on Open Government, Open Data and Public Participation – Open Government National Action Plans, Information Access Jurisdictional Statistics, Agency Dashboards and Open Data policies.

Publication of disclosures

Disclosures will be made on the IPC website and in hard copy reports or any other medium deemed appropriate.

To promote access to government information under the GIPA Act, the IPC proactively provides information on its website and outlines how citizens can make requests for government information to the IPC. The IPC has in place a Right to Information Officer and maintains a Contracts Register and Disclosure Log consistent with the requirements of the GIPA Act.

The IPC website also provides information for citizens on how to make complaints to the IPC with respect to an agency’s actions in respect to information access and privacy legislation.

Depending on the nature of the information, it may be disclosed to the NSW Government prior to public release.

Areas outside the scope of the Continuous Disclosure Policy include:

• access applications made by individuals under the GIPA Act;
• complaints made by individuals to the IPC;
• information relating to the Complaint Handling functions of the IPC;
• information that is subject to commercial or NSW Cabinet confidentiality;
• information subject to legal privilege or other restriction; and
• personal information about individuals.