Ensuring Compliance
Education is a key focus of RTI Consultants. It is vital that all government employees are trained on their obligations and responsibilities under the Right to Information Act 2009 and Information Privacy Act 2009 to ensure compliance with Queensland’s information access and privacy system.
Types of Training offered
General Staff Training
While government employees may not be directly involved in information access processing or managing privacy complaints, they must still comply with these pieces of legislation. The RTI Act places obligations on employees to maintain proper records and provide information subject to information access requests. The IP Act requires all government employees collect, use, disclose and store personal information of individuals in accordance with the privacy principles.
To assist government employees in understanding and complying with these obligations, I have created two 15 minute training videos. These can be purchased via a yearly licence or individually per staff member.
Yearly Licence
Purchase a licence to use the videos for a year. Videos can be watched by agency employees an unlimited number of times and can be used in induction processes.
Individual Purchase
Videos can be individually purchased for staff. The videos must be streamed on the RTI Consultants website.
RTI Practitioner training
The RTI Act and IP Act are complex and it’s important that practitioners maintain, improve and broaden their knowledge and expertise in these pieces of legislation. Investing in continuing professional development for practitioners ensures the accurate application and implementation of the government’s information access system to Queenslanders.
I have created training courses on all aspects of the legislation. As a previous practitioner, I understand the unique difficulties that come with processing RTI applications at an agency level including, compliance with statutory timeframes and internal briefing requirements. My training offers realistic solutions and recommends efficient practices.
I have created training for all levels of practitioners, beginner, intermediate and advanced. All training can be tailored to your agency and can be delivered face to face or via webinar.
In 2021, our practitioner training portal will launch with a range of online training courses available for practitioners for a monthly subscription fee.
General Training
- Introduction to the RTI Act and IP Act – an introductory course for new decision makers
- Scopes – creating scopes and understanding them.
- Validity training – covering the validity requirements of the RTI Act and IP Act and what to do if the requirements are not met.
- The RTI Act or the IP Act? – which Act should be applied to an access application and how to advise an applicant to apply under a different Act.
- Charges Estimate Notices – covering why we charge, the amount we charge, how to keep charges at a minimum and the effects on processing periods.
- Consultation – covering why you consult, when you consult and how you consult.
- Refuse to deal and neither confirm nor deny – covering when/how you apply the refuse to deal provisions and the neither confirm nor deny provision.
Exemptions
Training courses are held on all exemptions in schedule 3 of the RTI Act, guiding decision makers on how to apply the exemption, when to apply the exemption and recent case law on the exemption.
- Cabinet exemptions
- Executive Council information
- Information briefing an incoming Minister
- BCC Establishment and Coordination Committee information
- Budgetary information for local government
- Information revealing particular sovereign communications
- Contempt of court or parliament
- Information subject to legal professional privilege
- Breach of confidence
- National or State security information
- Law enforcement or public safety information
- Investment incentive scheme information
Public Interest Test Factors
Training courses are held on all the public interest factors in schedule 4 of the RTI Act, guiding decision makers on how to apply the factor, when to apply the factor and recent law on the factor.
- The public interest factors favouring disclosure part 1 (includes irrelevant factors)
- The public interest factors favouring disclosure part 2
- The business affairs course (includes the non-disclosure factors and public interest harms relating to business affairs of third parties and agencies)
- Non-disclosure factors and public interest harms part 1
- Non-diclosure factors and public interest harms part 2
Technical Training Courses
These courses focus on the technical aspects of RTI/IP decision making.
- Statutory interpretation in the RTI Act and IP Act
- Decision writing workshop – applicant and third party decision notices
- How to apply the public interest test
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