The Australian National Maritime Museum’s Information Publication Plan outlines what information the museum proposes to publish, how and to whom the information will be published, and how the requirements of the Freedom Of Information Act are complied with.
The Australian National Maritime Museum (the Museum) is an agency subject to the Freedom of Information Act 1982 (FOI Act) and it is required to comply with its Information Publication Scheme (IPS) provisions.
About This Plan
This plan, prepared in accordance with Section 8(1) of the FOI Act describes how the Museum proposes to implement and administer the IPS in respect of its own information holdings, addressing:
- establishment and administration of the IPS entry
- IPS information architecture
- information required to be published
- other information to be published (optional information)
- accessibility of information to be published, and
- planned reviews, including the compliance review to be conducted under the FOI Act by the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner.
The Museum aims to foster an internal culture in which opportunities for publication of our information holdings are proactively identified, assessed and where appropriate implemented, as part of an implementation of the IPS that not only efficiently meets the requirements of the FOI Act but also enhances performance of our functions and facilitates appropriate public engagement.
Purpose
The purpose of this plan is therefore to show what information the Museum proposes to publish, how and to whom the information will be published and how the requirements of Section 8 IPS of the FOI Act will be otherwise complied with.
Objectives
The Museum's objectives in relation to this plan are to outline appropriate mechanisms and procedures to:
- manage information holdings relevant to the IPS
- proactively identify and publish all information required to be published (s 8(2))
- proactively identify and publish any other information to be published (s 8(4))
- review and ensure on a regular basis that information published under the IPS is accurate, up to date and complete (s 8B)
- ensure that information published under the IPS entry is easily discoverable, understandable and re-useable
- ensure that the format of online content conforms with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (Version 2)
- measure the success of its IPS initiatives.
Establishing and Administering the IPS Entry
The Head of Governance Policy and Reporting is designated by the Museum as the senior officer responsible for leading the compliance with the IPS.
The Museum recognises that ongoing efforts will be required to improve the accessibility of information published. The Museum aims to make IPS documents as easily discoverable and machine-readable as possible, and where documents are prepared primarily for the purpose of publication as part of the IPS, also aims to make them as understandable as possible.
There will be no charge for accessing or downloading information that has been published on the IPS. If information is requested in paper format, or another format, it may be necessary to impose a charge. If charges are necessary for any IPS document which it is impracticable to publish online, the charge will be:
- at the lowest reasonable cost
- to reimburse specific reproduction costs or other specific incidental costs (s 8D(4)).
The Museum will publish on its website a list of any IPS documents that are impracticable to publish online. The website will identify points of contact to arrange access to such documents.
Structure of the IPS
The initial point of entry for online public access to Museum information is the home page.
The IPS information holdings on the website will be published under the following headings:
- Agency plan (s 8(2)(a))
- Who we are (s 8(2)(b) and s 8(2)(d))
- What we do (s 8(2)(c) and s 8(2)(j))
- Our reports and responses to Parliament (s 8(2)(e) and s 8(2)(h)
- Routinely requested information and disclosure log (ss 8(2)(g) and s 11C)
- Consultation arrangements (s 8(2)(f))
- Our priorities (s 8(4))
- Our finances (s 8(4))
- Our lists (s 8(4)), and
- Contact us (s 8(2)(i).
To promote the ease of discovery, comprehensibility and machine-readability of IPS information holdings the Museum will:
- wherever possible, provide online content in a format that can be searched, copied and transformed
- develop and publish a sitemap for its website, to help individuals identify the locations of information published under s 8(2) and s 8(4) and other information
- continue to provide a search function for its website
- develop and provide an alert service to notify subscribers about new publications within the IPS entry or other developments in relation to the Museum's contribution to the IPS
- maintain links to its website, through which this agency plan and the sitemap will be accessible, from the Government Online Directory, and
- invite and respond to community feedback about whether the IPS information holdings (and individual IPS documents) are sufficiently easily discoverable, understandable and machine-readable.
The Museum will, so far as appropriate, make its IPS information holdings available for reuse on open licensing terms. There may be documents that are required to be published under the IPS where a third party has intellectual property rights. In these circumstances, members of the public may need to seek permission of a third party copyright owner in order to re-use the material.
Under existing policies, all online publication is to take into account WCAG 2.0 requirements. As far as possible, information will be published in formats including HTML and RTF, or printed information will be provided on reasonable request.
Information Required to be Published Under the IPS (S 8(2)
The Museum will publish documents required to be published under the IPS (s 8(2), or links to the documents, in the Freedom of Information section of the website under the following headings.
Agency plan (s 8(2)(a))
The IPS section will house a copy of this plan or its most up-to-date successor.
Who we are (s 8(2)(b) and s 8(2)(d))
The IPS section will include links to an organisation chart (within the annual report), information about employment with the Museum including the latest Employment Agreement and information about statutory appointments.
For relevant statutory appointments, the Museum will publish the name of the person appointed, the length or term of appointment, the position to which the person is appointed (and particulars of the position) and the provision of the Act under which the person is appointed.
What we do (s 8(2)(c) ands 8(2)(j))
Information about the functions and powers of the Museum and its Council together with information about its programs and services are included on our website and within the Annual Report.
Our reports and responses to Parliament (s 8(2)(e) and s 8(2)(h))
This will include links to the full texts of annual reports tabled in Parliament, strategic plans and file lists.
Routinely requested information (s 8(2)(g) and s 11C)
This will include information in documents to which access is routinely given in response to FOI requests. The Museum will list 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.
Consultation (s 8(2)(f))
If the Museum undertakes public consultation on a specific policy proposal then this section will include information about how and to whom a comment may be submitted by members of the public.
Contact us (s 8(2)(i))
The Museum will establish generic telephone numbers and email addresses for members of the public to use for contact about access to information or documents under the FOI Act. These will not change with staff movements.
Other Information to be Published (S 8(4)
The Museum may from time to time publish on the IPS section of its website select other information that it holds (in addition to the information published under s 8(2), that is not subject to exemption, taking into account the objects of the FOI Act (s 8(4)). Optional information will be published under the following headings.
Our priorities
This may include operational plans, assessments and reviews.
Our finances
This may include financial information relating to pay and grading structures, procurement procedures, tendering and contracts.
Our lists
This may include agency contracts, grants and appointments.
Our submissions
This may include submissions to Parliamentary committees and other agencies.
Our policies
This may include Council charters and operational policies covering such matters as procurement, email and internet usage, harassment, maternity leave, workplace diversity and the Procedures for Determining Breaches of the Code Of Conduct.
Accessibility Under the IPS
The Museum is currently migrating the content of its website to a new platform that conforms with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (Version 2) (WCAG 2.0) AA. The migration will be completed mid-late in 2024. Museum information is currently published in PDF format but PDFs will be converted to HTML by June 2024.
Going forward the Museum will publish any new IPS documents in both PDF and HTML as soon as they are available for publication. From the completion of the website migration to a WCAG 2.0 compliant platform, all new IPS documents will conform to the WCAG 2.0
IPS Compliance Review (S 8F) and Other Reviews
The Museum will review and update this plan at least annually. It will also review the operation of its IPS at least once every five years in conjunction with the Information Commissioner.
Contacting the Museum About its Information and IPS Entry
Requests for information can be made to:
The Freedom of Information Contact Officer
Australian National Maritime Museum
2 Murray Street
PYRMONT NSW 2009
Telephone (02) 9298 3777
Email foi@sea.museum
Other comments and queries on or in relation to the Museum's IPS information holdings may also be made to foi@sea.museum as a default point of contact, in addition to any other points of contact provided in or in relation to particular documents. Public comments and queries will be referred to the appropriate line area within the Museum for timely response.