This Publication Plan is for the purpose of the
Information Publication Scheme required by the Freedom of
Information Act 1982.
Introduction
Purpose
-
Background
Objectives
Establishing and administering the ATSB's IPS
contribution
Information
architecture
Information
required to be published
- Agency plan
- Who we are
- What we do
- Our reports and
responses to Parliament
-
Routinely requested information and disclosure log
-
Consultation
- Contact
details
Optional
information
- Our
priorities
- Our
finances
- Our lists
Accessibility under the
IPS
-
Approach to accessibility by commencement of the IPS
-
Approach to accessibility after commencement of the IPS
IPS compliance
review
Introduction
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) is an agency
subject to the Freedom of Information Act 1982 (FOI Act)
and is required to comply with the Information Publication Scheme
(IPS) requirements. The ATSB has prepared this agency plan in
accordance with s 8(1) of the FOI Act.
The agency plan describes how the ATSB proposes to implement and
administer the IPS in respect of its own information holdings, by
addressing:
- establishing and administering the ATSB's IPS contribution
- information architecture
- information required to be published
- other information to be published (optional information)
- accessibility to information published
- compliance review
- better practice initiatives including promoting community
engagement.
Return to top
Purpose
The purpose of this agency plan is to:
- assist the ATSB in planning and developing its contribution to
the IPS
- facilitate public consultation about that contribution
- show what information the agency proposes to publish (referred
to as the IPS information holdings), how and to whom the
information will be published and how the ATSB will otherwise
comply with the IPS requirements under s 8(1) of the FOI
Act.
Background
In July 2010, the Australian Government declared a commitment to
open government, based on a culture of engagement, built on better
access to and use of government held information, and sustained by
the innovative use of technology.
The Government introduced reforms to the Freedom of
Information Act 1982 (FOI Act) to promote a pro-disclosure
culture across government and build a stronger foundation for
greater openness and transparency in government. A
significant change is the introduction of a new information
publication scheme for Australian Government agencies. The
scheme aims to transform the freedom of information framework from
one that responds to individual requests for access to documents to
one that requires agencies to take a proactive approach to
publishing information. The scheme, which commences on
1 May 2011, requires Australian Government agencies
to:
- publish information publication plans
- specifies categories of information that must be published
- provides a means for agencies to proactively publish other
government information.
Return to top
Objectives
The ATSB's objectives are to outline appropriate mechanisms and
procedures to:
(a) manage the IPS information holdings
(b) proactively identify and publish all information
required to be published (s 8(2))
(c) proactively identify and publish any optional
information to be published (s 8(4))
(d) review and ensure on a regular basis that information
published under the IPS is accurate, up-to-date and complete
(s 8B)
(e) ensure that information published under the IPS
is easily discoverable, understandable, machine-readable,
re-useable and transformable
(f) ensure satisfactory conformance with the Web
Content Accessibility Guidelines (Version 2) (WCAG
2.0)
(g) measure the success of the ATSB's IPS
contribution by reference to community feedback and compliance
review process
(h) adopt best practice initiatives in implementing and
administering the ATSB's contribution to the IPS
(i) other specific agency objectives.
a) Manage the IPS Information
Holdings
Currently the ATSB is largely compliant with the
requirements of the IPS. Substantial amounts of information
within the scope of the scheme are already available on the ATSB website.
That information is provided by individual units within the ATSB
and posted to the website by dedicated website officers within
Communication and Governance. This plan links to:
- all information holdings currently published; and
- information on how access may be obtained to material that may
not be available online but able to be provided to the public.
b) Proactively identify and
publish all information required to be published
The ATSB's Legal Team has proactively worked
with line areas to identify all of the information that is required
to be published as part of the IPS. More broadly the ATSB has
formed an Information Management Working Group to advise the
Executive Management Team on information management reforms,
including FOI.
c) Proactively identify
and publish any optional information to be published
Optional information of the ATSB, other than
that which is currently published, has been identified with the
appropriate line areas of the ATSB. Decisions on publication
of other information will be made on a case by case basis in
consultation with the area responsible for that information and on
advice from the Legal Team.
d) Review and ensure on a
regular basis that information published under the IPS is accurate,
up-to-date and complete
The ATSB has in place review mechanisms for all
the information it currently publishes on its website and also
regularly reviews all other information that will be relevant to
the IPS. All information that is to be published is cleared
by the appropriate areas and vetted for accuracy and
completeness. The ATSB has also formed an Information
Management Working Group that will regularly review the information
provided under the IPS and ensure that it is accurate, up-to-date
and complete.
e) Ensure that information
published under the IPS is easily discoverable, understandable,
machine-readable, re-useable and transformable
The ATSB plan links to:
- all information required to be published under the IPS;
- that is currently available online; or
- information on how the public can obtain information not
published under the IPS or is currently available online.
Consistent with the Declaration of Open Government, the ATSB is
pursuing opportunities to make its information more easily
accessible, reusable and machine readable.
f) Ensure satisfactory
conformance with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines
(Version 2) (WCAG 2.0)
WCAG 2.0 conformance is required on all websites
owned and/or operated by government. Content should be
created in ways that support and maximize accessibility.
The ATSB is working towards achieving the
deadlines set by Government for WCAG 2.0 compliance.
ATSB Reports are published in PDF and Word formats. Content
created before October 2010 may contain non-descriptive ALT
text on images and link to PDFs that are not fully
accessible. The Information Commissioner is aware that
complete WCAG 2.0 compliance may not be practicable in respect
of legacy documents, that is, documents created prior to the
enactment of this requirement. If a person is unable to
access any document on the ATSB website in the format required they
can contact the ATSB and arrange access in a suitable format.
g) measure the success of the
ATSB's IPS contribution by reference to community feedback and
compliance review process
The ATSB will regularly review the IPS
information it either publishes or to which it provides a means of
obtaining access. The ATSB will also actively seek feedback
from users of ATSB FOI and IPS resources.
h) adopt best practice
initiatives in implementing and administering the ATSB's
contribution to the IPS
The ATSB will continue to meet its IPS
obligations and the commitments outlined in this agency plan
by:
- maintaining a robust information asset management
framework
- publishing on an ongoing basis information to the public by
maintaining an information register and disclosure log
- maintaining standard operating procedures for processing FOI
requests including a prompt to ensure that the information released
is reflected in the disclosure log. The ATSB will also
monitor and review the agency plan whenever changes or additions
are made to www.atsb.gov.au these are reflected in
the Plan;
- identifingon an ongoing basis any information required to be
published or optional to be published or is otherwise readily
available;
- reviewing on a quarterly basis/half yearly whether all material
has been captured and update the Plan and the Website
accordingly;
- ensuring that the information published continues to be
discoverable, accessible, useable, as well as accurate and
up-to-date;
- reviewing on a quarterly or half yearly basis the information
published to ensure all information is being captured;
- providing a facility for members of the public to provide
feedback on the information and the means of publication;
- ensuring the information about any charges to be imposed and
how they will be calculated continues to be published
- continually updating and developing the agency plan, including
through:
- regular review of
the material published and information produced to ensure
capture
- the ATSB
Information Management Working Group reviewing on a half yearly
basis the agency plan as part of the ATSB overall Information
Management Plan
- otherwise
observing best practice as demonstrated by other Commonwealth
Agencies and in conjunction with any further Guidelines as may be
issued by the OAIC.
i) Other specific agency
objectives
The ATSB's function is to improve safety and
public confidence in the aviation, marine and rail modes of
transport through excellence in:
- independent investigation of transport accidents and other
safety occurrences
- safety data recording, analysis and research
- fostering safety awareness, knowledge and action.
In discharging its function the ATSB recognizes
the importance of making as much information as possible available
to industry and the travelling public. This commitment must
be balanced with ensuring the protection of information that is
covered by privacy legislation or by the restricted information
provisions of the Transport Safety Investigation Act
2003.
Return to top
Establishing
and administering the ATSB's IPS contribution
Martin Dolan, Chief Executive Officer/Chief Commissioner is
responsible for leading the agencies work on implementing FOI
reforms, including establishing and administering the IPS.
The ATSB has an existing information asset management framework
that it considers meets the requirements of the IPS. The ATSB
will be reviewing that framework against known parameters for
delivering robust information asset management.
This agency plan is in itself an information register of the
information required or permitted to be published under the
IPS. This plan has a link to a Disclosure Log. In
addition the ATSB will undertake an audit of current information
that falls into the definitions provided by the OAIC for
information that is required to be published under s 8(2),
information that may be published under s 8(4), and
information that is made available to the public otherwise than by
publication (s8A(2)). The result of this audit will form the
ATSB's IPS Register within its Plan.
Through focused and targeted consultation the ATSB has
comprehensively reviewed its information and has identified the
material that it is required to publish under s 8(2),
information that may be published under s 8(4) and information
that is made available other than by publication. Links to
this information are published in this agency plan.
The ATSB is currently expanding its search criteria for material
on the website in order that a greater range of material can be
identified. Links to all material currently published on the
website are being provided on the ATSB's dedicated webpage.
The ATSB will also take the following steps:
- ensuring that published information has high quality metadata
through implementation of the Australian Government Locator Service
(AGLS) Metadata Standard. The use of standardised metadata
schemas such as AGLS, in conjunction with a suitable
metadata-enabled search engine will be investigated as part of the
ATSB proposed project (via a RFT) to engage a strategic partner to
work collaboratively with the ATSB to implement an EDRMS
solution. Stage 1 of this project is to conduct and
deliver a capability maturity assessment, needs analysis and
collaborative approach development of the ATSB's electronic
document and recordkeeping management, including online information
management services
- applying search engine optimisation strategies to ensure that
all published information can be indexed by search engines.
As present, the ATSB uses 'Funnelback-Indexing tool for
keysearches' and 'Umbraco Content Management System'
- publishing the agency's information asset register to enable
both internal and external users of information to identify the
available information resources from a single source.
From 1 May 2011, the ATSB's ongoing compliance with
the IPS will be coordinated by the ATSB's Legal Team. The
Legal Team will manage ongoing administration of the IPS
information holdings and will be responsible for implementing,
reviewing and revising the agency plan.
As part of managing the ongoing administration of the IPS
information holdings, a Guide to publishing information under
the IPS will be developed for ATSB staff. The guide
will:
- describe processes to be followed internally to ensure the
accuracy, currency and completeness of published information
- assist staff to identify on an ongoing basis any required or
optional information to be published under the IPS
- describe the process for publishing information.
The ATSB will lead better practice initiatives to engage with
the community about the ATSB's contribution to the IPS. These
include:
- issuing a media release announcing the launch of the IPS
- making IPS documents as easily discoverable, understandable and
machine-readable as possible
- inviting members of the public to contact the FOI contact
officer via the ATSB website with comments on the IPS information
holdings, particularly where documents are found not to be
discoverable, understandable or machine-readable
- publishing a feedback form on the IPS section of the ATSB
website inviting users' comments.
The ATSB will also arrange ATSB IPS documents, which are not
available on the ATSB website, to be made available upon
request.
The ATSB may charge a person for accessing any IPS document
which it is impracticable to publish online:
- at the lowest reasonable cost
- to reimburse specific reproduction costs or other specific
incidental costs (s 8D(4)).
The ATSB will publish on its website a list of any IPS documents
that are impracticable to publish online. The website will
state that a person seeking access to any of these documents may
contact the ATSB to arrange access.
The list of documents will include indicative charges that may
be imposed for making that information available and an explanation
for the charge. These charges will be consistent with charges
in the Freedom of Information (Charges) Regulations 1982
(which generally apply to access requests under Part III of the FOI
Act).
The ATSB will be imposing access charges on a case by case
basis. These will be assessed on the following basis:
- The ATSB will publish freely accessible information on our
website. The ATSB may charge 10c a page plus postage costs to
produce a hard copy of documents, or in certain circumstances the
actual cost incurred of reproducing a document.
- Charging on a full cost-recovery basis will reflect the cost of
the resources used in producing the service. For example, where it
is appropriate to fix a charge for producing a document by
computer, the actual cost where the ATSB uses its own
computer facilities will include:
- the cost of labour
directly (that is, readily and specifically associated with the
production of an output)
- the cost of materials and
services directly consumed in the production process
- an appropriate share of
indirect labour costs, both cash and accruing
- accommodation costs
- a share of indirect
materials and services
- capital costs, including
depreciation, imputed interest on working capital and a return on
non-current assets employed, based on current values.
If the ATSB has to use outside computer
facilities, the amount charged by the ATSB for production will
be based on actual costs. For example, the time spent by officers
when making arrangements for an applicant to hear a recording or
view a film or videotape (or making copies of a recording, film
CD-ROMs or videotape) would be charged. That amount will be
calculated on an hourly rate (pro rata), based on the salary of the
officer performing the task, plus any additional cost for
overheads.
Where the actual cost of providing the access is
likely to be high (for example, where production of the documents
requires the use of an external computer facility) the person
seeking the information will be advised in advance.[1]
Return to top
Information architecture
The ATSB will publish its IPS information holdings to members of
the public either on its website, via links on its website or by
advising other details of how the information may be obtained.
The IPS information holdings that are available on the ATSB
website, will be published under the following headings:
- Agency plan (ss 8(2)(a))
- Who we are (ss 8(2)(b) and 8(2)(d))
- What we do (ss 8(2)(c) and 8(2)(j))
- Our reports and responses to Parliament (ss 8(2)(e) and
8(2)(h))
- Routinely requested information and disclosure log (ss 8(2)(g)
and 11C)
- Consultation arrangements (s 8(2)(f))
- Our priorities (s 8(4))
- Our finances (s 8(4))
- Our lists (s 8(4))
- Contact us (s 8(2)(i))
To ensure that the IPS information holdings (and individual IPS
documents) are easily discoverable, understandable and
machine-readable, the ATSB will:
- publish an IPS icon on the homepage of its website, which will
link to the IPS section of the website
- design and publish an IPS entry point on its website
- wherever possible, provide online content in a format that can
be searched, copied and transformed
- publish a sitemap of its website, to help individuals identify
the location of information published under ss 8(2) and 8(4)
- provide a search function for its website
- provide an alert service to notify subscribers of new
publications under the IPS or other developments in relation to the
ATSB's contribution to the IPS
- establish links to this agency plan and to the sitemap at www.directory.gov.au
- seek and respond to community feedback about whether the IPS
information holdings (and individual IPS documents) are easily
discoverable, understandable and machine-readable.
The ATSB will, so far as possible, makes its IPS information
holdings available for reuse on open licensing terms.
Where the ATSB has deposited or published IPS documents under a
scheme such as the Commonwealth Library Deposit and the National
Sound and Film Archive, the ATSB will publish on its website
information about the deposits (including links where
available).
Return to top
Information
required to be published
The ATSB is publishing the following information. Most,
but not all of the information is available on www.atsb.gov.au
Agency plan
Who we are
Please see the following links:
What we do
This includes information about the functions of the ATSB and
its decision making powers. The following links will take you
to those parts of the ATSB website where the functions and powers
of the ATSB are explained in greater depth:
The following links will take you to mode-specific information
covering Aviation, Marine and Rail investigations:
The following link will take you to details of ATSB
Research:
The following link will take you to details of Frequently Asked
Questions about the ATSB which are intended to assist with an
understanding of its functions and operations:
In undertaking its functions the ATSB relies on operational
information, which includes policies and procedures, guidelines and
operational tools. The primary link for this information
is:
That is supported by the documents listed in the following
link:
If you wish to obtain access to that material then please follow
the directions provided. Access charges may apply.
Our reports and
responses to Parliament
Routinely
requested information and disclosure log
The following links will take you to the type of information
most commonly sought from the ATSB. If you are unable to
source the material you seek, then you are invited to request the
specific information needed, by emailing us at atsbinfo@atsb.gov.au
Routinely request information will include information in
documents to which ATSB routinely gives access in response to FOI
requests.
The ATSB will clearly identify these documents in its disclosure
log, published under s 11C of the FOI Act which requires agencies
to publish information contained in documents to which the agency
has provided access under the FOI Act.
The following is the Disclosure Log for all FOI requests
received from 1 May 2011. If you wish to have access to the
material that has been disclosed, please forward your request to ATSBinfo@atsb.gov.au
The Disclosure Log also references information to which the ATSB
routinely has given access in response to FOI requests.
Access charges may apply for the provision of documents to
you.
Consultation
This will include information about how and to whom a comment
may be submitted by members of the public, where the ATSB
undertakes public consultation on a specific policy proposal.
Details of the public consultation that the ATSB is
currently conducting.
Contact
details
Contact details for access to the ATSB's information or documents
under the FOI Act.
Return to top
Optional information
The ATSB publishes the following optional information[2] at the weblinks
provided:
Our
priorities
- The ATSB Annual Plan (forthcoming)
Our finances [3]
Our lists [4]
Return to top
Accessibility under the
IPS
Approach
to accessibility by commencement of the IPS
The ATSB will ensure that all online information it is required
to publish under the IPS (s 8(2)) conforms with the Web
Content Accessibility Guidelines (Version 2) (WCAG 2.0) on
commencement of the IPS (1 May 2011).
The ATSB will ensure that optional information published on its
website conforms with WCAG 2.0.
The ATSB's dedicated IPS section of its website will state that
where a document is not yet available in an accessible format, it
will be made available in an accessible format on request, by
contacting the ATSBinfo@atsb.gov.au
Approach
to accessibility after commencement of the IPS
From commencement of the IPS, the ATSB will publish any new IPS
documents as soon as they are available for publication.
The ATSB will ensure that all information newly published on the
ATSB website conforms with the WCAG 2.0 as soon as possible.
Return to top
IPS compliance review
The ATSB notes that the Information Commissioner has the
specific function of reviewing, with agencies, the operation of the
IPS. The ATSB would propose, however, to review the operation
of its IPS within 12 months of 1 May 2011.
The ATSB will use the following to measure the ATSB's success in
complying with the IPS requirements:
- feedback from the public is positive as to the information
published or information explaining how material can be
accessed
- number of complaints received regarding access or readability
or useability of the material
- Information Commissioner review shows no major compliance
issues
- reduce formal requests under the FOI Act as a result of more
accessible published information.
[1] Based on
current guidelines
[2] This
information is priorities (corporate and strategic plans,
assessments, inspections and reviews)
[3]
Information relating to pay and grading structures, procurement
procedures, tendering and contracts
[4] Lists of
files, agency contracts, grants and appointments, disclosure logs,
data sets
