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Cook Shire Publications Scheme

From 1 July 2009 the Right to Information Act 2009 "the Act" replaced the Freedom of Information Act 1992 and the Information Privacy Act 2009 replaced Queensland's administrative privacy regime IS42 and IS42A. This has occurred as a result of a review of the Freedom of Information Act 1992 by Dr David Solomon. Download The Solomon Report 2.84MB

The right to information effectively means increased public access to government information. The Queensland Government has recognised the need for a "push model" of proactively releasing information to the public sector rather than waiting for the public to "pull" information out under legislation. It has been suggested that the use of the Act be used as a last resort to access information.

The Premier has directed that all agencies publish a publication scheme that explains the information that the public can access. This scheme sets out classes of information and the terms on which council will make this information available

Our publication scheme describes and categories information routinely available. It has been developed to give the community great access to information and publications held and published by Cook Shire Council.

Information not covered by the publication scheme

Not all the information the council publishes is detailed in the publication scheme. Information that is not published can be requested under the Right to Information Act. Any such request will be considered under the provisions of the Right to Information Act and the Information Privacy Act. Application forms and guidelines can be accessed, downloaded and printed from the website of the Officer of the Information Commissioner, Queensland using the link below:

Information that is exempt

The Right to Information Act sets out a range of information that is exempt from publication. If you make a request for information that the council considers to be exempted, we will advise you of the reasons for the exemptions.

Charges for information

There will be no charge for examining any publication scheme information contained on the council's website. However, there may be a charge if a large volume of printed material is required. You will be told about any photocopying charges at the time of your request.

The cover price will be charged for any publications produced by the council for sale. Charges will be kept under review and there is no intention to charge for material that has previously been available for free.

Feedback on the publication scheme

Your comments are highly valued and any feedback you provide will be used as part of the review to make improvements to the publication scheme.

Any comments, compliments or complaints should be addressed to:

Chief Executive Officer
Cook Shire Council
PO Box 3
Cooktown QLD 4895
Email: mail@cook.qld.gov.au

Publication scheme focus areas

1. About Us (who we are and what we do).

Agency information, location and contacts, constitutional and legal governance and historical information.

2. Our Services (the services we offer).

A description of the services offered by the agency, including advice and guidance, booklets and leaflets, transactions and media releases.

3. Our Finances (what we spend and how we spend it).

Financial information relating to projected and actual income and expenditure, tendering, procurement and contracts

4. Our Priorities (What our priorities are and how we are doing).

Strategy and performance information, plans assessments, inspections and reviews.

5. Our Decisions (how we make decisions).

Policy proposals and decisions, decision-making processes, internal criteria and procedures and consultations.

6. Our Policies (our policies & procedures).

Current written protocols for delivering our functions and responsibilities.

7. Our Lists (lists & registers).

Information held in registers required by law and other lists and registers relating to the functions of the agency.

Outdated or missing information

Please report any broken links, outdated information, or missing document that you believe should be listed in the above, directly to Cook Shire Council. Contact Council.

Information Commissioner

The Information Commissioner is responsible for enforcing the operation of the publication scheme. In the case of a failure to deliver information through the scheme, you may also complain directly to the Information Commissioner at any time. Contact details are as follows:

Postal address: PO Box 10143
Adelaide Street
Brisbane Qld 4000
Phone: 07 3234 7373
Fax: 07 3005 7150
Email: enquiries@oic.qld.gov.au
Website www.oic.qld.gov.au

ABN: 45 425 085 688

10 Furneaux Street Cooktown, Qld 4895

Mail: PO Box 3 Cooktown, Qld 4895

Email: mail@cook.qld.gov.au

Phone: (07) 4082 0500

Fax: (07) 4082 0588

Hours: 8.45am-4.45pm Monday to Friday