Right to Know Week NSW – Open by Design
- intouch Magazine
- Sep 24, 2021
- 1 min read
Cessnock City Council is raising awareness about the Government Information (Public Access) Act 2009 (GIPA Act) and your right to access government held information in NSW. This comes ahead of Right to Know Week NSW, running next week from 27 September to 3 October.
Council’s General Manager, Lotta Jackson said she prides herself on leading an organisation that is proactively transparent.
“The theme for Right to Know Week is Open by Design and it’s a fantastic way to capture how we operate. Information must be accessible and we want our people to understand our decision-making and service delivery.
“An open by design approach 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 we have a duty to preserve residents’ right to access information and address any potential obstacles to the release of that information,” she said.
This year marks 10 years of reporting on the operation of the GIPA Act. The introduction of the Act was intended to ensure members of the public have access to the widest possible range of information to give them confidence in government decision-making.
Learn more about Right to Know Week and your information access rights in NSW. You can also visit Council’s website to find out more about how to access information.
