Published 6 June 2024
The Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) has been elected to the Executive Committee of the International Conference of Information Commissioners (ICIC) following a vote at its latest meeting in Tirana, Albania. Australia now joins its 8-member Executive Committee.
The ICIC is an international body of information commissioners and ombudsmen who foster the protection and the promotion of access to public information as a fundamental pillar of social, economic and democratic governance.
“We strive to achieve the same objectives within the ICIC and it’s a tremendous honour to be able advance these objectives nationally with the support of a powerful and credible international community,” acting Australian Information Commissioner Elizabeth Tydd said.
“Open government is essential to a participative democracy. We are actively building a public sector culture of open government and collectively our mission is to uplift this capability. I look forward to sharing lessons learned as we work to uplift access to information globally and in doing so foster democracy. As a modern democracy, Australia’s leadership in information access is now in the spotlight and we have a great deal to contribute.
“FOI practices must reflect the purpose of the FOI Act – to increase public participation in government processes; increase scrutiny, discussion and comment on government activities and importantly ensure that government information is treated as a national resource and managed for a public purpose. Manifesting these aspirations is key to a healthy democracy built upon engagement and trust.”
