Access to information on the administration of Parliament
The Parliament has amended the Parliamentary Service Act 1999 to confirm the intention of Parliament that all parliamentary departments are excluded from the application of the Freedom of Information Act 1982 (FOI Act). The effect of the amending legislation is that from Friday 28 June 2013 the FOI Act is taken not to apply and not to have ever applied to the parliamentary departments and persons who hold, or perform duties of, an office established under the Parliamentary Service Act.
The Department of the House of Representatives, the Department of the Senate and the Department of Parliamentary Services are excluded from the application of the FOI Act, under s. 68A of the Parliamentary Service Act.
The Parliamentary Budget Office is exempt from the application of the FOI Act, under s. 7(1) and Division 1 of Part I of Schedule 2 of the FOI Act.
Information for the parliamentary departments is available through the website: