It is a requirement of the Guidelines issued under section 93A of the Freedom of Information Act 1982 by the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner that the AIHW publish in its annual report information about:
- the organisation and functions of the AIHW
- its decision-making powers that affect the public
- its arrangements for public participation in the formulation of policy
- the categories of documents that are in the possession of the AIHW
- how these documents can be accessed by the public, including facilities to obtain physical access, access procedures and initial contact for inquiries.
Organisation and functions of the AIHW
Chapter 2 Governance and management of the AIHW's Annual report 2010–11 provides details of the organisational structure, functions and decision-making arrangements of the AIHW.
The main function of the AIHW is to collect, analyse and disseminate information and statistics related to health and welfare. The decision-making powers of the AIHW therefore have minimal effect on members of the public.
Arrangements for public participation in policy formulation
The composition of the AIHW Board is prescribed in s. 8 of the AIHW Act (see Appendix 1). Provision is made for membership of the AIHW Board by a range of people and representatives of bodies outside the Australian Government sphere.
The AIHW consults with a wide range of stakeholders through its membership of national committees (see Appendix 5).
The AIHW has established a number of topic-specific steering committees, which include bodies and persons from outside the Commonwealth administration, to advise the AIHW on its major reports.
The membership of the AIHW Ethics Committee, as prescribed by AIHW Ethics Committee Regulations 1989, includes a range of community representatives.
The statutory role of the AIHW does not include the responsibility for formulating Commonwealth health or welfare policy.
Views and comments from members of the public and bodies outside the Commonwealth on the AIHW's policies and guidelines or on its administration can be directed, in writing, to:
The Director
Australian Institute of Health and Welfare
GPO Box 570
Canberra ACT 2601
Categories of documents maintained
Documents available to the public upon payment of a fee
The AIHW does not hold any documents of this type.
Documents available for purchase by the public
Under the AIHW Act, the AIHW has a responsibility to publicly report information about the health and welfare status of Australians and the services they receive.
Printed copies of the AIHW's publications may be bought through the AIHW's website or from its contracted distributor CanPrint on 1300 889 873.
Other documents made available to the public on request free of charge
AIHW publications and media releases are available as electronic file downloads free of charge on the AIHW website at www.aihw.gov.au.
Facilities provided to enable the public to physically access documents
Facilities will be provided by the AIHW to enable members of the public to obtain physical access to the AIHW's documents, on an 'as needed' basis.
Freedom of information enquiries
A request for access to documents under the Freedom of Information Act 1982 must be made in writing and include an address in Australia to which notices can be sent.
To enable a prompt response and to help the AIHW meet its obligations under the Freedom of Information Act 1982, applicants should provide as much detail as possible about the documents they are seeking. A telephone number or an email address should also be included in case AIHW officers need any clarification. Applicants may be liable to pay charges at rates prescribed by the Freedom of Information (Charges) Regulations 1982. There is no application fee.
Enquiries about submitting a formal request under the Freedom of Information Act 1982 should be directed to:
email
Formal requests should be sent to the:
FOI Contact Officer
Information Governance Unit
Australian Institute of Health and Welfare
GPO Box 570
Canberra ACT 2601
In accordance with the Electronic Transactions Act 1999, freedom of information requests may be mailed to .
Freedom of information requests received
Under the Freedom of Information Act 1982 there was one request and no internal review requests made during 2010–11. The request received was completed during the year.
Data held by the AIHW
In relation to data held by the AIHW:
- Cost recovery is the underlying policy for all prices charged by the AIHW. The AIHW will charge clients for responding to requests for ad hoc information or data on a cost recovery basis.
- The AIHW makes available, through its website, unidentifiable aggregated data in a a number of online-accessible data holdings (see 'SD3 Enhancing data access, protecting privacy').
- Data that are collected under the AIHW Act is protected by the confidentiality provisions (s. 29) of that Act, and the Privacy Act 1988 where the data are personal information.
- Information Privacy Principle 5 in the Privacy Act 1988 requires the AIHW to maintain and provide a written record to the Australian Privacy Commissioner of the extent and nature of the classes of personal information it holds. The Act also requires the Privacy Commissioner to compile and publish these returns in the personal information digests on the Office of the Privacy Commission website www.privacy.gov.au.
Freedom of information enquiries
Enquiries regarding access to documents under the Freedom of Information Act 1982 should be directed to the:
FOI Contact Officer
Information Governance Unit
Australian Institute of Health and Welfare
GPO Box 570
Canberra ACT 2601
Phone 02 6244 1107.