The Right to Information Act 2009 (replacing the Freedom of Information Act 1991) commenced on 1 July 2010 and provides for greater access to information held by government bodies by:

  • authorising and encouraging greater routine disclosure of information held by public authorities without the need for requests or applications
  • authorising and encouraging greater active disclosure of information held by public authorities in response to informal requests without the need for applications
  • giving members of the public an enforceable right to information held by public authorities, and
  • providing that access to information held by government bodies is restricted in only limited circumstances which are defined in the Act.

The Department of Police, Fire and Emergency Management is a public authority.


The Right to Information (RTI) office only release information that is not available from another source.


Section 3 of the Act outlines the following objectives:

  • The object of this Act is to improve democratic government in Tasmania
    • by increasing the accountability of the executive to the people of Tasmania
    • by increasing the ability of the people of Tasmania to participate in their governance, and
    • by acknowledging that information collected by public authorities is collected for and on behalf of the people of Tasmania and is the property of the State.
  • This object is to be pursued by giving members of the public the right to obtain information held by the public authorities and Ministers.
  • This object is also to be pursued by giving members of the public the right to obtain information about the operations of Government.
  • It is the intention of Parliament
    • that this Act be interpreted so as to further the object set out in subsection (1), and
    • that discretions conferred by this Act be exercised so as to facilitate and promote, promptly and at the lowest reasonable cost, the provision of the maximum amount of official information.