International Access to Information Day 2024
On 28 September every year we celebrate International Access to Information Day (IAI Day). The 2024 UNESCO appointed theme for IAI Day is ‘Mainstreaming Access to Information and Participation in the Public Sector’.
IAI Day raises awareness of every individual's right of access to government-held information; and the public sector’s responsibility to release information if it is in the public interest to do so.
Democracies are strengthened when the community can regularly provide input into, and help shape, government decision-making in an impactful way. This is known as mainstreaming public participation in government.
Mainstreaming access to information and participation in the public sector go hand-in-hand. When the community can access government-held information in a timely and efficient manner, it helps individuals and the wider community to stay informed, reduces misinformation and it empowers people to make decisions about matters affecting them.
IAI Day is a timely reminder for public sector agencies to review how they proactively release information to the community. This helps create a public sector culture of mainstreaming access to information, builds greater trust between the community and government, and encourages public participation.
It is also an opportunity for agencies to reaffirm their commitment to upholding information access rights and improving access to information for the community, consistent with Queensland’s Right to Information Act 2009 and the Information Privacy Act 2009.
Show your support for IAI Day 2024 and the importance of information access rights!
We encourage you to join the IAI Day conversation on social media and use the following hashtags:
#IAID2024 #AccessToInfoDay #RTI #RightToKnow #PublicParticipationInGov
IAI Day resources
Resources relevant to IAI Day theme
- The culture of implementing Freedom of Information in Australia, Monash University report (June 2024)
- The operation of Commonwealth Freedom of Information (FOI) laws – Parliament of Australia (December 2023)
- Open Government Partnership: Mainstreaming public participation - Three examples from the field
- Global Conference on Universal Access to Information 2024, Ghana – Concept note
Other resources for government
- RTI myths - busted
- Admin access checklist
- Administrative release of information
- How to review and measure your agency's progress in implementing RTI
- What citizens’ legal rights to information and privacy mean for CEOs (PDF, 112.15 KB)
- What does the RTI Act mean to me as a public sector employee?
