Right to Know Week NSW 2022
Right to Know Week NSW 2022
Artificial Intelligence, e-Governance & Access to Information:
Next steps in NSW digital government
26 September - 2 October 2022
About Right to Know Week
28 September marks International Access to Information Day, which recognises citizen rights around the world to access government information. This right is encapsulated under Article 19 of the United Nations’ Declaration of Human Rights.
In recognition of this day, NSW celebrates Right to Know (RTK) Week, educating public sector agencies and citizens on the Government Information (Public Access) Act or GIPA Act and raising awareness about citizens’ rights to access government held information. RTK Week will take place from 26 September – 2 October 2022 and will celebrate the theme of Artificial Intelligence, e-Governance and Access to Information: Next steps in NSW digital government.
IPC has been actively supporting Right to Know Week since 2014 and collaborates with several Right to Know Champions across various NSW public sector agencies, universities, and councils to promote this campaign.
See this video from UNESCO about the right to access information:
From the Information Commissioner
Government service delivery in NSW is increasingly digital, and more information is being collected, stored and applied using digital technology.
These services allow citizens to have more convenient transactions with government and are changing the way government handles information, and should make it easier for citizens to access government information.
The Right to Know remains crucial in this digital age. As governments continue to provide digital solutions to citizens including the use of Artificial Intelligence in decision-making, there is a requirement to preserve and promote the public interest, accountability, transparency and citizens’ right to information.
NSW has embraced a digital transformation into e-Government and that transformation must be accompanied by e-Governance to ensure government remains accountable and transparent. Government has a duty to use new technologies to enable citizens to access information and participate in government decision-making. E-Governance is the digital realisation of an open, accountable participative democracy.
Elizabeth Tydd
IPC CEO, Information Commissioner
NSW Open Data Advocate
What's On
UNESCO event: The role of e-Governance & Artificial Intelligence in promoting inclusive approaches for Access to Information
Date: Wednesday 28 September 2022
Time: 5:00 pm - 6:30 pm AEST
Format: In person and virtual
About: Within the framework of the celebrations of the International Day of Universal Access to Information 2022, this panel will define the role of e-Governance and Artificial Intelligence, while exploring how to turn them into allies for promoting inclusive approaches for access to information.
Speakers:
- Moderator: Mr David Banisar, Article 19 expert (UK)
- Mr Zahid Abdullah, Federal Information Commissioner of Pakistan (Pakistan)
- Ms Elizabeth Tydd, Information Commissioner, New South Wales (Australia)
- Ms Allison Cohen, Applied AI Lead, Mila - Quebec Institute of Artificial Intelligence. Professor at University of Montreal. Researcher at OBVIA (Canada)
- Mr Martuza Ahmed, Chief Information Commissioner, Information Commission (Bangladesh)
- Ms Laura Neuman, Director of the Rule of Law Program, Carter Centre (USA) - joining by video
Solomon Lecture 2022
Date: Wednesday 28 September 2022
Time: 10:30 am - 12:00 pm
Format: In person and virtual
About: Mr Ian Hamm, Chair of the Stolen Generations Reference Group at The Healing Foundation will be presenting on 'The importance of truth through Aboriginal eyes'.
In this talk, Ian will look information through the eyes of the Aboriginal community at a macro and micro level. He will discuss truth telling and its implications for Australia as a nation and what benefits it brings us all (macro), and also discuss the importance of knowing your own story through the eyes of the stolen children (micro) in trying to make sense of your life.
Resources
Modern democratic governments allow citizens to participate in decision-making and they must be accountable. By harnessing technology, governments can be more participatory and more accountable. In this way, e-Government can evolve into e-Governance.
Increasingly, government information is held digitally, and this information and other data is used to make important decisions about services and policies. These decisions can also be made using technology including AI. e-Governance requires governments to tell citizens what information they have and how decisions are made, including decisions that are informed by AI.
Information Access Self-assessment Tool
The Self-assessment Tools enable agencies to conduct an assessment of their systems and policies that ensure their compliance with privacy and information access requirements.
The tools enable agencies to:
- assess compliance against key privacy and information access requirements
- link to IPC guidance that promote better practices and enhance compliance
- generate dashboard reports detailing agency compliance levels
- more precisely identify areas where improvements are required and
- develop comprehensive plans to improve compliance with privacy and information access requirements.
Digital Restart Fund: assessing information access and privacy impacts
With the widespread increase in digital service delivery by government, the IPC has reviewed diverse digital projects from a range of agencies involving both government and non-government providers. These projects can contribute to better more effective outcomes through digital service delivery. They can also impact access information and privacy rights.
It is essential that agencies consider their obligations under the Government Information (Public Access) Act 2009 (GIPA Act) when developing or applying new technologies and using data to inform decision-making.
This fact sheet provides guidance to agencies on the release of information in relation to the use of automated decision-making systems.
The GIPA Act places various obligations on agencies within NSW in respect of the publication and release of the information that they create and hold. The GIPA Act also provides rights for persons to apply for access to government information.
These rights remain applicable where government uses technology to provide services and inform decisions.
Fact Sheet - Digital records and the GIPA Act
This fact sheet has been developed to provide guidance about the definition of record, in particular digital records under the GIPA Act and what it means for agencies. The fact sheet also outlines the importance of agencies maintaining good digital recordkeeping practices to ensure it is able to comply with its legislative obligations.
Fact Sheet - Timeframes and extensions for deciding access applications under the GIPA Act
This fact sheet is intended to assist applicants and agencies in understanding the requirements of section 57 of the GIPA Act.
Fact Sheet - Creating new records under the GIPA Act
This fact sheet aims to provide guidance on the creation of a new record under section 75 of the Government Information (Public Access) Act 2009 (GIPA Act).
Open access information under the GIPA Act – agency requirements
Open access information is to be publicly available free of charge on the agency’s website (unless to do so would impose unreasonable additional costs on the agency).
Fact Sheet - What is an agency?
The GIPA Act provides the public with a right to access government information held by agencies.
Fact Sheet - What is the public interest test?
Under the GIPA Act, all government agencies must disclose or release information unless there is an overriding public interest against disclosure.
Accordingly, when deciding whether to release information, decision makers must commence the public interest test from the position of acknowledging the presumption in favour of disclosure of information.
2022 Champion Program
This year we will again be running the RTK Champion Program. NSW public sector agencies can join as Champions to help spread the RTK message as well as encourage their own agency and work colleagues to get involved and promote citizen rights.
Champions of the Program will receive a pack full of digital and printable resources, as well as written content such as newsletter articles, blog posts, social media posts, educational powerpoint slides and more to make promoting the campaign easy.
Agencies will also be acknowledged as a Champion here on the RTK NSW webpage and via the IPC's social media where possible.
RTK 2022 Champions:
Council, University & State-Owned Corporations
NSW Government agencies
Data.NSW
Department of Communities and Justice
Department of Customer Service
Department of Planning and Environment
Department of Premier and Cabinet
Department of Regional NSW
Fire and Rescue NSW
Independent Review Office
Legal Aid NSW
Local Land Services
Long Service Corporation
NSW Education Standards Authority
NSW Environmental Protection Agency
NSW Fair Trading
NSW Treasury
NSW Trustee and Guardian
Revenue NSW
SafeWork NSW
Service NSW
State Insurance Regulatory Authority
The Personal Injury Commission
Other jurisdictions
