Report on the operation of the Government Information (Public Access) Act 2009: 2016 - 2017

View the full report or download it here Report - Report on the operation of the GIPA Act 2009: 2016-17 

Ms Elizabeth Tydd, NSW Information Commissioner, CEO of the Information and Privacy Commission NSW (IPC), and NSW Open Data Advocate, has released the 2016/17 Report on the operation of the Government Information (Public Access) Act 2009 (GIPA Act), which has been tabled in Parliament.

Under section 37 of the Government Information (Information Commissioner) Act 2009 (GIIC Act), the Information Commissioner is required to provide to Parliament with an annual report on the operation of the GIPA Act

The Report examines the performance of over 200 government agencies, provides important guidance to policy makers and agency heads, and promotes greater transparency for the NSW community.

The Report indicates that practices across all sectors regulated by the GIPA Act vary, and there are both positive trends and some issues for agencies and the IPC to address in order to realise the objects of the GIPA Act in advancing an open, accountable and fair democratic system of government. 

Future Focus and Priorities

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The following graphic provides information on the IPC’s priorities and future focus for 2017/18.

Launch of interactive GIPA agency dashboard

One important initiative highlighted in to Report is the launch in March 2018 of a public-facing interactive dashboard. Using publicly available agency-level GIPA data and improved data visualisation tools, the dashboard will allow agencies and the public to quickly and easily display agency and sector performance across eight key metrics. 

The IPC’s provision of Open Data in the form of an agency dashboard will assist agencies in monitoring application volumes and facilitate a more timely application of resources to meet demands. The dashboard will:

• improve transparency and greater understanding by agencies and the NSW community about GIPA operations;
• enable agency leaders to monitor compliance, and uphold their statutory responsibilities; 
• improve visibility and self-assessment of performance of GIPA Act obligations;
• allow agencies to compare their performance against peers to seek improvements in compliance, efficiency and performance reporting;
• encourage greater collaboration between agencies on areas of common interest such as timeliness; and
• offer enhanced engagement opportunities for the community.