Public sector information

ALIA believes that government information is a national resource to be developed and preserved in the public interest. The public has a right of access to government information and agencies should guarantee open and timely access to government information regardless of format.

New technologies and developments in e-government have thrown up new challenges relating to the creation, use and dissemination of government publications and information.

ALIA is working with other key organisations to advocate for effective, long-term access to government publications and information, regardless of format. ALIA is concerned with the dissemination of government information; the publishing, distribution, and bibliographical control of and access to government publications, both paper based and electronic; and the continuation of the principle of free access to government information through libraries.

Current issues

Government 2.0 Taskforce on Towards Government 2.0

• ALIA submission to Government 2.0 Taskforce on Towards Government 2.0, August 2009
• Engage: Getting on with Government 2.0 - Report of the Government 2.0 Taskforce
• Government Response to the Report of the Government 2.0 Taskforce

How to find government information

• australia.gov.au
• Parliament of Australia. ParlInfo Search
• Parliamentary Library
• publications.gov.au - Access to Australian government publications
• Sources of Parliamentary information
• includes links to Vice-regal, Commonwealth Parliament, the parliaments of all Australian states and territories, the courts, directories, historical information, world legislatures etc
• Recent Australian Government Publications (GovRAP)
• Trove Australia (National Library of Australia)

ALIA Public Sector Information Advisory Committee

ALIA's Public Sector Information Advisory Committee provides advice and guidelines on public sector information and government publications to the Board of Directors and focuses attention on Australian public sector government information, at federal, state and local level.

In 2010 the committee will focus on:

• continuing to raise the issue of the importance of access to public sector information (including long term access)
• continuing issues in the supply of printed materials
• the importance of access online to parliamentary papers
• how ALIA might support greater accessibility of government information and publications
• how ALIA might provide advice to the Information Commissioner
• coordination with state government library groups, hoping for a te4lecofnerence with these groups later in the year
• an initiative to recognise good developments in access to public sector information.

ALIA e-lists

ALIA e-lists of particular interest to the government publications sector include:

• aliaOZGOVPUBS, an e-list maintained by the ALIA Public Sector Information Advisory Committee for anyone interested in government documents in Australian libraries
• aliaAGLIN, a forum for people interested in Australian government libraries

For all ALIA e-lists, visit http://www.alia.org.au/alianet/e-lists/

ALIA policies on public sector information

Principles of access to government information

Guidelines on dispersal of collections in government agency libraries

Access to online government publications (outcome of Digital Amnesia seminar, 2005)

For all ALIA policies, visit http://www.alia.org.au/policies/

Submissions relating to public sector information

ALIA submission to JCP Inquiry into electronic distribution of the Parliamentary Papers Series, May 2010

ALIA submission to Advisory Group on Reform of Australian Government Administration, December 2009

ALIA submission to Government 2.0 Taskforce on Towards Government 2.0, August 2009

Submission to Freedom of Information (FOI) Reform, May 2009

Submission to Digital Economy Future Directions consultation paper, February 2009

Submission to Infrastructure Australia

Submission to the Review of the Australian Government's use of Information and Communication Technology, July 2008

Inquiry into the Distribution of the Parliamentary Papers Series, October 2005

Proposal for national licenses for online resources, September 2005

Federal government changes to access to government publications announced in the 2003 Federal Budget, June 2003

Senate Inquiry into the Role of Libraries in the Online Environment, August 2002

The ABC's strategies and policy for the archiving and preservation of broadcast materials, December 2001

For all ALIA submissions, visit http://www.alia.org.au/advocacy/submissions/

History of ALIA's advocacy relating to government publications

ALIA response to federal government changes to access to government publications announced in the 2003 Federal Budget, June 2003

New business model for access to and distribution of Australian government publications: A review by the expert group, January 2004

Digital amnesia - the challenges of government online, April 2005
This one-day seminar held on 21 April 2005 was presented by the ALIA and sponsored by the National Library of Australia and the National Archives of Australia. The seminar examined the issues relating to access to and management of government publications online, now and into the future and targeted those responsible for high-level policy regarding publications in governments, both Commonwealth and state/territory.

Ensuring access to government publications, lobbying campaign 2005