Your Rights to Government Information are changing

From Thursday 1 July 2010, the new Government Information (Public Access) Act 2009 (GIPA Act) will replace the Freedom of Information Act.

The GIPA Act applies to all NSW government agencies, including local councils, state-owned corporations, Ministers and their staff.

The GIPA Act creates new rights to information that are designed to meet community expectations of more open and transparent government.  It encourages the routine and proactive release of government information, limited only by legitimate public interest considerations.

An Office of the Information Commissioner has been established and the Government has announced that Deidre O'Donnell has been appointed as the state's first Information Commissioner.  The Information Commissioner is an independent champion of open government in NSW, reporting directly to Parliament and subject to oversight by a Joint Parliamentary Committee.

The GIPA Act requires all government agencies to proactively release information on their website, while providing appropriate protection for individuals' privacy.  Through this new legislation, Gosford City Council has made a commitment to provide access to information held unless on balance it is contrary to the public interest to provide that information. 

Council advises the community to carefully read all documentation as Council is required, under this new Act, to make certain information public. Due to this reason, it is important to note that signatures are not required for all documents.

To access information held by Gosford City Council visit Council's new Access to Information Website. We welcome any feedback you may have.

If the information you require is not located on the website, contact Council's Customer Service Centre on 4325 8222.

For further information on the new Government Information (Public Access) Act please visit the Office of Information Commission (OIC) website at www.oic.nsw.gov.au

For written requests, please download the following Formal or Informal forms.