Right to Information Day 2018

Right to Information Day (RTI Day) will be held on 28 September 2018. RTI Day is an opportunity to confirm our commitment to improving access to information for the community consistent with the Right to Information Act 2009 (RTI Act) and the Information Privacy Act 2009 (IP Act). The RTI Act and IP Act are part of a broader framework supporting us to meet community expectations for a more open, transparent and accountable government.

This year’s theme is 'Trust and Transparency’, which will shift our focus from the right to information principles to the practices that deliver greater openness, transparency and accountability to the public sector. Open government and proactively releasing information builds community trust in the services we deliver.

RTI is more than just a right to access government-held information. We also remain responsible for protecting certain sensitive information from release, including personal information. We must ensure:

up-to-date information is routinely made available to the community and published online.
we find out what information people need and are interested in, and we prioritise making it accessible.
our staff are aware of how people can request information from us, for example through established administrative access processes for specific types of information, and we promote how to access it.
our staff are aware of how we facilitate media information requests by referral to the Manager Marketing and Communications and only through a formal application process as a last resort.
where someone requests information through a formal application process, it is provided to them, unless on balance it is not in the public interest to do so.
we comply with the RTI Act, the IP Act and the Public Records Act 2002 and adopt good practices in all aspects of our work.

We can build better trust through better service delivery and RTI can assist us to do so. All of our staff are required to comply with the RTI Act and the IP Act in all aspects of their work. The Public Trustee of Queensland's administrative access arrangements and the Publication Scheme: http://www.pt.qld.gov.au/site-footer/right-to-information/published-information/ are examples of how we can proactively release information to individuals and the community.

You can find out more about information rights here: www.pt.qld.gov.au/site-footer/right-to-information/ by visiting the Office of the Information Commissioner's website at: www.oic.qld.gov.au to access a range of resources; or by contacting the Public Trustee by email: governance@pt.qld.gov.au