FOI Commissioner’s Decision was Published Online

The Information Commissioner, Mr Timothy Pilgrim wrote in the 

decision:

“Giving Mr He access to the documents that I have found to be conditionally exempt under s 47C would not, on balance, be contrary to the public interest.”

Mr Pilgrim referred to the Guidelines issued by the Australian Information Commissioner under the FOI Act, in particular the information that ‘the FOI Act promotes disclosure. Specifically, that disclosure will:

“inform the community of the Government’s operations, including, in particular, the policies, rules, guidelines, practices and codes of conduct followed by the Government in its dealings with members of the community

“reveal the reason for a government decision and any background or contextual information that informed the decision.”

Mr Pilgrim concluded:

"I believe the disclosure of the information will assist to inform the community of how government operates. In particular, I believe it will assist the community in understanding that their correspondence or submissions to the Office of the Prime Minister may not always be brought to the personal attention of the Prime Minister."