Accessing Council information made easier than ever for the public

03 December 2018

Ipswich City Council has made it easier than ever for the public to access information.

Interim Administrator Greg Chemello said council had made a number of changes to its website pages in accordance with Queensland’s Office of the Information Commissioner and Ministerial Guidelines.

“These changes are part of our goal to provide the community with open and transparent access to information in relation to our services, activities and business operations,” he said.

“We are working towards being more open and accountable, providing equal access to information across all sectors of the community, and ensuring appropriate protection for each individual’s privacy.”

Council provides information to the public in a number of ways via its websites. There are no fees or charges associated with accessing information via council’s Administrative Access Scheme.

Council officers can also provide information on request, subject to legal and policy requirements (privacy).

The public can view documents from the publication scheme, which enables them to learn about council, its services, finances, priorities, decisions, policies, lists and registers.

There are various ways to access other information on the council website. Online services include MyIpswich, Map Search PD OnLine, Media Releases, Open Data Portal and Facts Sheets.

“While Council proactively releases a great deal of information to the community, the Right to Information Act 2009 (Qld) (RTI Act) and Information Privacy Act 2009 (Qld) (IP Act) both provide a formal means of requesting access to information held by council that is not normally publicly available,” Mr Chemello said.

Access to council’s RTI and IP are now easier, while content about accessing information from council will be regularly updated to ensure information, legislation and links are up to date.

Council’s Governance Committee also reported this week that a new, leading practice complaints management framework will be introduced to council from December 2018.

“Tailored to our needs, it will incorporate new policies and procedures approved by council to protect and support all staff. There will be clear functional responsibilities, accountabilities and expertise within council to assess staff complaints, and, if necessary, to investigate,” Mr Chemello said.

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