Information publication scheme

Part II of the Freedom of Information Act 1982 (FOI Act) establishes an Information Publication Scheme (IPS) for Australian Government agencies.

ACIAR provides the following information in accordance with the IPS and will continue to identify and publish information accessible through this website.

The ACIAR Information Publication Plan

Introduction

The Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR) is the Australian Government’s specialist agricultural research-for-development agency, within the Australian aid program.

The purpose of ACIAR is to contribute to reducing poverty and improving the livelihoods of many in the Indo-Pacific region through more productive and sustainable agriculture emerging from collaborative international research.

The ACIAR Information Publication Plan outlines details of ACIAR’s commitment to providing proactive access to information where appropriate.

Purpose

The purpose of the plan is to:

  • Comply with section 8(1) of the FOI Act
  • Assist the planning and development of the ACIAR IPS
  • Initiate processes to proactively discover and disclose ACIAR’s documents, in accordance with the objectives of the FOI Act
  • Facilitate public consultation on ACIAR’s response to the IPS

Objectives

The objectives of this plan and the IPS are to:

  • Manage ACIAR’s documents with relevance to the IPS
  • Proactively identify all information required to be published, including this plan, under section 8(2) of the FOI Act
  • Review and ensure on a regular basis that information published under the IPS is accurate, up-to-date and complete (section 8B of the FOI Act)
  • Ensure that information published under the IPS is discoverable, understandable and re-usable
  • Ensure that online content conforms with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (Version 2) (WCAG 2.0)
  • Publish all identified information on the ACIAR website, regularly review the material and update as required 
  • Measure the community uptake and other aspects of ACIAR’s IPS

Establishing ACIAR’s IPS contribution

ACIAR is committed to providing information to the public about its functions and activities that is useful, relevant, up to date and accurate. ACIAR currently provides:

  • information published on the agency website
  • printed publications and other material available to the public
  • responses to information requests from the public and research and academic organisations.
  • responses to FOI requests

ACIAR’s IPS will proactively identify and publish information that will assist the public to understand and engage with the activities and decisions of the agency.

Roles and responsibilities

The General Manager Corporate will be supported by the Outreach team and by officers across the agency to establish ACIAR’s contribution to the IPS. This includes

  • auditing documents currently published on the ACIAR website and identify the documents that will form part of the IPS
  • creating a list of IPS documents (including those not already published on the ACIAR website)
  • identification of any IPS documents that are not accurate, up to date or complete
  • nominating suitable staff members to take responsibility for ensuring particular IPS documents which are not accurate, up to date or complete, are revised.

The agency will engage in better practice initiatives to engage with the community about ACIAR’s contribution to the IPS.

Information architecture

ACIAR will publish its IPS information holdings on its website. To enhance consistency for public users of the IPS, the ACIAR IPS will be accessed via the Freedom of information link from the ACIAR home page. To ensure that the IPS information holdings (and individual IPS documents) are easily discoverable, understandable and re-usable, ACIAR will:

  • publish FOI links on the homepage of its website, which will link to the IPS and FOI sections of the website
  • wherever possible, provide online content in a format that can be searched, copied and transformed
  • provide a search function for its website
  • establish links to this agency plan
  • seek and respond to community feedback about IPS information holdings.

ACIAR will make its IPS documents:

  • available on the IPS section of the website either through a link from the IPS section or published in the IPS section directly
  • available for reuse under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Australia licence as far as possible
  • searchable both on content and metadata
  • fully accessible under best practice standards.

Information required to be published

ACIAR will publish documents required to be published under the IPS (s 8(2)) in the IPS section of the website. ACIAR will publish these documents under the headings listed above:

  • Who we are
  • What we do
  • Our reports
  • Routinely requested information
    • this will include information in documents to which the agency gives access in response to FOI requests
    • the agency will clearly identify these documents in its disclosure log, published under s11C of the FOI Act - which requires agencies to publish information contained in documents to which the agency has provided access under the FOI Act.
  • Consultation
    • this will include information about how and to whom a comment may be submitted by members of the public, where ACIAR undertakes public consultation on a specific policy proposal.
  • Contact information
    • this will include an email address for a contact officer, who can be contacted about access to ACIAR’s information or documents under the FOI Act.
  • Optional information
    • ACIAR will publish on the IPS section of its website other information that it holds (in addition to the information published under s 8(2)), taking into account the objects of the FOI Act (s 8(4)).
    • ACIAR will publish additional information following these criteria, as necessary:
      • Key stakeholders seek or expect ACIAR to provide information
      • Information is important or useful to the Australian public or the international development community
      • The Australian public requires the information to engage effectively with the Australian Government
      • Information will promote greater transparency or accountability
      • The information is not sensitive, private or excluded from publication under the Freedom of Information Act 1982.

Review

ACIAR will review and revise this agency plan regularly as required.

ACIAR will review the operation of its IPS from time to time and at least every five years, in accordance with the guidelines issued by the Information Commissioner about IPS compliance review.

For more information on the new information publication requirements please go to www.oaic.gov.au.