Under subsection 8A(1) of the Freedom of Information Act 1982 (FOI Act) (as in force from 1 May 2011), the ‘operational information’ of an agency is;
“information held by the agency to assist the agency to perform or exercise the agency’s functions or powers in making decisions or recommendations affecting members of the public (or any particular person or entity, or class of persons or entities)”.
Such information can include:
- Documents available to agency officers to assist them make decisions or recommendations under legislation or schemes that the agency administers;
- The decision or recommendation concerns a right, privilege or benefit of a member of the public, or an obligation, penalty or detriment to which a person may be subject;
- The document is in the nature of a manual, or contains an interpretation, rule, guideline, practice or precedent, including a letter of advice; the particulars of a scheme administered by the agency; a statement as to how legislation or a scheme will be administered or enforced; or a procedure followed by the agency in investigating breaches or evasions of legislation and schemes.
The documents listed as operational information, where they have not been published for downloading on AFMA‘s website, can be made available to members of the public by contacting AFMA‘s Freedom of Information Coordinator.
Charges may apply where requests are made for information that is already available for downloading from AFMA‘s website.
Information Publication Scheme charges
Charges may apply when requests are made for information already available from AFMA’s website.
The decision to charge is discretionary, if it is decided that a charge will apply the charge will be calculated as set out in the below table:
| Item number | Format | Charges |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Photocopy | 10 cents per page |
| 2 | Copy of a document in the form of a computer tape or a computer disk | An amount not exceeding the actual costs incurred by AFMA in producing the copy |
| 3 | A document that is an article or thing from which sounds or visual images are capable of being produced | An amount not exceeding the actual costs incurred by AFMA |
| 4 | Copy of the document to be sent to the applicant by post or delivered to the applicant | An amount not exceeding the cost of postage or delivery |
| 5 | Copy (other than photocopy) | $4.40 per page |
If you have a query about a particular document, in the first instance, please refer to the contact details outlined in the document listing.
Other general enquiries about operational information should be made to:
Freedom of Information Contact Officer
Australian Fisheries Management Authority
Box 7051
CANBERRA BUSINESS CENTRE ACT 2610
Telephone: (02) 6225 5555 or email foi@afma.gov.au
For a listing of AFMA‘s operational information, please see our fisheries management papers.