Briefing Ministers and Senior Executives

Queensland’s Right to Information Act 2009 (RTI Act) and Information Privacy Act 2009 (IP Act) create a right of access to government documents and are a key part of ensuring Queensland government is transparent and accountable.

In Queensland, Ministers are responsible to Parliament for the administration of their departments and departments are responsible for giving independent and apolitical advice to assist Ministerial decision making. These collective responsibilities mean that Ministers need to be kept informed of significant decisions, including departmental RTI and IP decisions relevant to their responsibilities.

Reporting to Ministers on RTI or IP applications must not be done in a way that infringes, or appears to infringe, the independence of the decision maker. The Office of the Information Commissioner’s   Protocols for reporting to Ministers and Senior Executives on Right to Information and Information Privacy applications will help guide the development of appropriate briefing practices.

The Enquiries Service can be contacted on 07 3234 7373 or enquiries@oic.qld.gov.au for additional information or assistance, and a range of guidance on the RTI and IP Acts is available on the OIC website.