Right to Know Week aims to encourage both public sector agencies and citizens to improve applied knowledge of the Government Information (Public Access) Act 2009 (GIPA Act), and to raise awareness of a person’s right to access government held information in NSW.
Right to Know Week NSW runs from 27 September – 3 October 2021. The theme is Open by Design: integrity through greater transparency and accountability in government.
‘Open by design’ recognises that information is a vital asset to both government and citizens, as information informs government service delivery and decision-making.
Citizens need to respond to government and their access to information empowers them to do so. Citizens expect government decision-making to be open, transparent and accountable.
As a NSW public sector agency, NSW Ambulance has a duty to preserve citizens’ right to access information and addressing any potential obstacles to the release of information will ensure that the right to access information is preserved from the outset.
This year marks 10 years of reporting on the operation of the GIPA Act The introduction of the GIPA Act was intended to ensure that members of the public have access to the widest possible range of information to give them confidence in government decision-making.
There has never been a more important time to consider the right of citizens to access government information and to reflect our prevailing environment in which real-time data and swift decision-making is both required and expected of governments.
Learn more about Right to Know Week, and your information access rights in NSW.