In November 2008, PIAC made a submission in response to the NSW Ombudsman’s Discussion paper about the operation of the Freedom of Information Act 1989 (NSW). 

The NSW Government released draft reforms in May 2009. The government proposed replacing the existing Freedom of Information Act 1989 (NSW) with a new act – the Government Information (Public Access) Act – that would make a number of fundamental changes to the regime, including:

• introducing a general presumption that it is in the public interest for documents to be released

• enabling requests for a person’s own information will be dealt with under privacy legislation

• creating a new independent Information Commissioner with oversight of the new legislation

Many of PIAC’s recommendations to the Ombudsman and the government were incorporated into the new legislation that came into effect on 1 July 2010.