Information Law Insights

25 July 2008

Welcome to the July edition of Information Law Insights, in which we look at the new Federal Government's plans for FOI reforms which were announced this week.

We'll also look at

some other FOI developments;
how to deal with subpoenas;
what to do when data security is breached; and
the perils of Facebook.

FOI reforms back on the boil

By Caroline Bush.

The Rudd Government is moving ahead with reforms to the FOI Act, says Caroline Bush.

Data goes missing - who you gonna call?

By Mark Sneddon and David Kwong.

Agencies might have clear rules on how they handle data, but what happens if their security fails? Does anyone have to be told? Mark Sneddon and David Kwong look at what should be done now, and what might lie ahead for data breach notification.

How and when to set aside subpoenas and object to inspection

By Caroline Bush and Xuelin Teo.

Caroline Bush and Xuelin Teo look at when an application may be made to have a subpoena set aside and when you can object to inspection of documents.

Waiver of fees: when does public interest favour waiver?

By Avinesh Chand and Caroline Bush.

To what extent should a decision-maker look at the nature and content of the documents when considering whether to reduce or not to impose charges for the processing of an FOI application, ask Avinesh Chand and Caroline Bush.