education and training 

The education and promotion strategy provides the strategic framework for how our education and promotion activities support the OIC's mission to promote a greater public awareness and understanding of open govement and support agency compliance with the Govenment Information (Public Access) Act 2009 (GIPA Act).

Download an overview of the strategy.  

further education for agencies on the GIPA Act 

The OIC offers general awareness and specific education sessions for agencies to assist them in having a better understanding of the provisions of the GIPA Act.

To enquire about education sessions offered by the OIC please complete the request form.

Justine McHarg, Education and Promotion Officer, will then contact you to discuss the available options.

Training related to the GIPA Act is also delivered by a number of external providers. Whilst the OIC is happy to assist in providing a list of external providers we do not provide endorsement for these training providers.  

e-learning

The OIC has developed a number of e-learning modules to educate the public and agencies about their rights and responsibilities under the GIPA Act. 

oic public smalle-learning for public & community

oic agencies icon smalle-learning for agencies  

in-house workshops

Training for frontline staff and managers is to be developed during 2011-2012.

The half-day session will be customised and delivered by OIC staff, or by in-house agency trainers as train-the-trainer modules and will include agency specific case studies and scenarios. 

A maximum number of 12 attendees will enable adequate opportunities for interaction in a series of group activities.

The training will incur a fee, applicable travel and other associated expenses. An agreement is to be entered into with the agency prior to the delivery of in-house workshops.

Further modules will be developed in 2011-2012 for Information Access staff (and other specialist areas). 

seminar series

The OIC is providing regular free interactive seminars for Right to Information Officers.

In a recent survey conducted by the OIC, Right to Information Officers showed interest in the following key topics:

  • How to apply the public interest test
  • The overlap between information and privacy rights
  • Copyright and compliance with GIPA
  • Review processes
  • Consulting with third parties

Each seminar will be promoted to Right to Information Officers for registration prior to the event. 

seminar resources

The OIC will proactively release resources once the seminar has been completed.

Seminar one - Applying the Public Interest Test

How to apply the public interest test (PDF, 1.1MB)

Applying the public interest test - a snapshot (PDF 71KB)

ADT decision - Richards v Commissioner, Corrective Services (PDF 114KB)

Seminar two - The overlap between access and privacy rights

Seminar resource (PDF 1.4MB)

Processing requests for personal information (PDF 106KB)

Guideline 4: personal information as a public interest consideration under GIPA (PDF 137KB)

Frequently asked Questions and Answers

1. Can you explain any differences in the definitions of the term personal information in the Privacy legislation and the GIPA Act?
2. How do you balance the provisions of 3(a) and (b) of the Table in section 14 of the GIPA Act with section 5 of the Privacy and Personal Information Act?
 3. Could the panel advise the best way to proceed when an application for internal review is received under PPIPA and deals with information which contains a mix of both personal and health information?
 4. Can the panel give guidance on public interest factors in favour of disclosure when a GIPA access application is for personal information the disclosure of which would breach an information protection principle?
 5. What can you do about the disclosure of incomes of senior level staff and executive remuneration contracts?
 6. How far away are we from having one regime?
 7. What are the alternatives to disclosing personal information eg. Redaction, view only (when do I need to consult?
 8. Are there any special requirements for access applications for personal information from relatives on behalf of an intellectually disabled family member?
 9. How do I know when to give out personal information informally and when to require formal application?
 10. Does legislation apply to volunteers?

education and promotion reports

The OIC proactively releases reports on our education activities and provide evaluations of the effectiveness of our strategies.