Continuing order of the Senate - Indexed lists of
departmental and agency files
(1) There be laid on the table, by each minister in the Senate, in respect
of each department or agency administered by that minister, or by a minister in the House
of Representatives represented by that minister, by not later than the tenth day of the
spring and autumn sittings, a letter of advice that an indexed list of the titles of all
relevant files, including new parts of existing files, created in the preceding six months
commencing on 1 January and on 1 July, respectively, has been placed on the Internet.
(2) Each department and agency shall provide, on its Internet home page, access to an
indexed list of the titles of all relevant files, including new parts of existing files,
created from 1 January 1998 in the central office of that department or agency
(departments and agencies may choose to maintain online an indexed list of all new files
created from that date or to maintain online an indexed list of, as a minimum, the most
recent year’s file creations).
(3) For the purposes of this resolution:
"autumn sittings"means the period of sittings of the Senate
first commencing on a day after 1 January in any year;
"indexed list"means a list in which file titles may
be grouped by classifications used internally within departments or agencies, such as
"policy", "legislation", "advisings", etc.
"relevant files" includes files relating to the policy
advising functions of the department or agency, including any relating to the development
of legislation and other matters of public administration, but need not include:
(a) files transferred to the Australian Archives;
(b) case related files (e.g., personal representations or dealing with the personal
affairs of departmental or agency clients or taxpayers); and
(c) files essentially related to the internal administration of the department or
agency (e.g., staff or personnel matters);
"spring sittings" means the period of
sittings of the Senate first commencing on a day after 31 July in any year; and
"title" means the name or title of the file, excluding any
part of that name or title which would necessarily disclose commercially confidential,
identifiably personal or national security matters.
(4) This order is of continuing effect.
(30 May 1996 J.279, amended 3 December 1998 J.265 )
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