This one looks relevant to Linkers as well. Jan
>Hosting what the Govt wont: Delimiter establishes AGD FoI mirror >Author: Renai LeMay >Published: November 19, 2013 >Source: >http://delimiter.com.au/2013/11/19/hosting-govt-wont-delimiter-establishes-agd-foi-mirror/ > > >Technology media outlet Delimiter today revealed it would establish a >free file-serving mirror of PDF documents published under Freedom of >Information laws by the Attorney-Generals Department and relevant to >the technology sector, in the wake of confirmation by the department >that it has removed such documents from its website. > >Under the Freedom of Information Act, all government departments and >agencies covered by the legislation must provide a way for the public to >access documents which any party has requested under the legislation. >This means that if individuals make FoI requests of government >organisations, that that information will eventually reach the public >domain and be accessible to all. > >Almost all Federal Government organisations including some government >business enterprises such as NBN Co interpret the act to mean that >they must publish documents released under the FoI act in a disclosure >log on their website. The Attorney-Generals Department, which contains >FoI oversight as part of its portfolio, has historically done this. > >However, the department recently removed PDF documents relating to FoI >requests from its website, forcing those seeking access to the documents >to email or otherwise communicate with it directly. This has >substantially reduced access to a number of sensitive documents. > >[A linked article explains that the AGD removed the PDF documents >because they did not meet accessibility guidelines.] > >The issue of FoI with respect to the Attorney-Generals Department is >particularly pertinent for technologists because the issues the >department is working on with respect to copyright reform, Internet >piracy, data retention and telecommunications surveillance are key >issues of interest for Australias technology sector. The department >often publishes important FoI documents relating to these issues. > >Because of these reasons, Delimiter can today confirm it will establish >a mirror of PDF documents published by the Department under Freedom of >Information laws. The mirror will be established on a page on >Delimiters website over the next several weeks and will publish PDF >documents released by the Department as it releases them. > >The mirror will not seek to replicate all of the documents which the >Department releases under FoI laws, but will publish those documents >which are relevant in some way to the Australian technology industry and >technical readers. > >Initially, the mirror will seek to publish all documents of this nature >which the Department has released in 2013. This year the Department has >published important FoI documents relating to issues such as the >classification of video games, surveillance programs such as PRISM, data >retention and surveillance, hacking and Internet security and copyright >reform associated with the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement. > >As a first step, today Delimiter releases three key documents publicly >which the Department has declined to host on its own website. While we >have paper copies of these documents, wed like to thank Twitter user >@FOIcentric for supplying them to us in electronic form, to save us >scanning them in. @FOIcentric also acquired the documents from the >department under FoI laws. > >The documents relate to briefs to the Attorney-General and the Secretary >of the Attorney-Generals Department about data retention and industry >consultations on Data retention, as well as the PRISM program operated >by the US National Security Agency. They relate to FoI requests >FOI13/062 and FOI13/132. The documents are: > >- - Talking points on PRISM surveillance allegations (2.4MB) >http://delimiter.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/177256776-FOI-release-PRISM-XKEYSCORE-FOI-FOI13-132.pdf > >- - Equipping Australia Against Emerging and Evolving Threats Discussion >Paper (1.4MB) >http://delimiter.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/184665550-AGD-Data-Retention-Equipping-Australia.pdf > >- - Industry consultation on a mandatory data retention regime (35.2MB) >http://delimiter.com.au/foi/184765124-Australian-Attorney-General-s-Department-Brief-on-Industry-Consultation-on-a-Mandatory-Data-Retention-Regime.pdf > >These documents have previously been examined by Crikey in several >articles published in early October. The first article states: > >[http://www.crikey.com.au/2013/10/03/revealed-attorney-generals-drive-for-data-retention-law/?wpmp_switcher=mobile] > > > The Attorney-Generals Department began pushing for a two-year > > data retention regime virtually the moment the Rudd government was > > elected, newly obtained documents reveal, and the Departments > > secretary appears to have misled a Senate committee about his own > > role in the development of the plan. > >The second article states: > >[http://www.crikey.com.au/2013/10/04/a-g-foi-investigation-how-data-retention-was-derailed/] > > > The haste of the Attorney-Generals department in seeking to push > > through a data retention regime prior to the 2010 election ... >...snip... > >... inquiry > > forced a change of tack from the department toward public > > consultation??which the Labor government baulked at. > >Delimiter believes the publication of these documents is important due >to the aims of the FoI legislation. The site of the Australian >Information Commissioner states with regard to why FoI legislation is >important: > >The Australian Parliament first considered introducing freedom of >information (FOI) legislation in the 1970s. In 1979, a Senate committee >report outlined three reasons why FOI is important: FOI allows >individuals to see what information government holds about them, and to >seek correction of that information if they consider it wrong or >misleading. FOI enhances the transparency of policy making, >administrative decision making and government service delivery. A >community that is better informed can participate more effectively in >the nations democratic processes. > >These reasons are still valid today. More recently, a fourth reason for >FOI has emerged there is greater recognition that information gathered >by government at public expense is a national resource and should be >available more widely to the public. This idea was explicitly recognised >through the reforms to the FOI Act in 2010 and the creation of the >information policy function of the Office of the Australian Information >Commissioner (OAIC). > >Additionally, as a publication published by a private corporation, >Delimiter is not subject to the accessibility guidelines which the >Attorney-Generals Department has cited as a reason for not publishing >these documents itself. Melbourne, Victoria, Australia [email protected] Sooner or later, I hate to break it to you, you're gonna die, so how do you fill in the space between here and there? It's yours. Seize your space. ~Margaret Atwood, writer _ __________________ _ _______________________________________________ Link mailing list [email protected] http://mailman.anu.edu.au/mailman/listinfo/link
