关于信息自由-OfficeoftheAustralianInformationCommissioner.doc

English Translation About freedom of information 关于信息自由 The Freedom of Information Act 1982 (FOI Act) provides a legally enforceable right of access to government documents. It applies to Australian Government ministers and most agencies, although the obligations of agencies and ministers are different. Freedom of Information Act 1982 （《1982年信息自由法》，简称FOI Act）提供了依法查阅政府文档的可执行权利。虽然各政府机构和部长的职责各不相同，但此法规适用于澳大利亚政府的各部长和大多数机构。 Why FOI is important FOI为什么非常重要 The Australian Parliament first considered introducing freedom of information (FOI) legislation in the 1970s. In 1979, a Senate committee report outlined three reasons why FOI is important: 澳大利亚议会在20世纪70年代开始考虑制订信息自由（FOI）法规。1979年，参议院的一个委员会的一份报告概括了FOI三方面的重要性： FOI allows individuals to see what information government holds about them, and to seek correction of that information if they consider it wrong or misleading. FOI允许个人查阅政府所持有的有关他们的信息；如果他们认为这些资料是错误的或误导的，可以设法改正。 FOI enhances the transparency of policy making, administrative decision making and government service delivery. FOI提高了政策制订、行政决策和政府服务的透明度。 A community that is better informed can participate more effectively in the nation’s democratic processes. 社区获得了较充分的信息，就可以更有效地参与国家的民主进程。 These reasons are still valid today. More recently, a fourth reason for FOI has emerged — there is greater recognition that information gathered by government at public expense is a national resource and should be available more widely to the public. This idea was explicitly recognised through the reforms to the FOI Act in 2010 and the creation of the information policy function of the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC). 这些理由至今仍然有效。最近， FOI有了第四个理由：更多的人赞同，政府花费了公共开支而收集来的信息是国家资源，应该更广泛地让公众使用。这个观念已经在 reforms to the FOI Act in 2010 （《2010年信息自由法》改革）中得到明确认同，并确立了澳大利亚信息专员办公室（OAIC）的信息政策职能（information policy function） 。 What is covered by FOI FOI的范围是什么？ The FOI Act promotes government accountability and transparency by providing a legal framework for individuals to reques