Informal release is a new way of releasing government information under the Government Information (Public Access) Act 2009 which came into effect from 1 July. The other release categories are: mandatory disclosure, proactive disclosure, and formal access request (FAR - previously known as FOIs).
Informal release provides Roads and Maritime Services with greater flexibility. Once the decision has been made to release information under 'informal release,' Roads and Maritime Services can decide in what format it is to be given. A simple example is collating information and releasing a spreadsheet. A more complex example may see an encrypted file released so that it can be read but not manipulated and used for other purposes.
A fundamental change of the new legislation is a shift in the definition of 'information'. Under FOI Roads and Maritime Services released government 'documents,' whereas under the GIPA Act, we refer to government 'information,' rather than documents. This shift is deliberately aimed to make information more available and accessible and is particularly important in understanding the new 'informal release' category.
A further option for Roads and Maritime Services under 'informal release' is that we can specify for what purpose the information is to be used. For example, we may provide some research results but can specify that these cannot be used for commercial use.
It is important to note that these options are not available to Roads and Maritime Services when releasing information under a 'formal access request'.
Following an informal request, Roads and Maritime Services can then decide whether or not to make this information readily available for general public access.
Enquiries or requests for information should be directed to your Roads and Maritime Services Regional GIPA Liaison Officer.