Public exhibtion open

Central Coast Council has prepared a draft Proactive Release of Information Policy to increase transparency and make it easier for the community to access information.

The draft policy outlines how Council will assess information for proactive release where there is a public interest in disclosure and where release is not prevented by privacy, copyright or other legislation.

In simple terms, this means Council will publish more information upfront, rather than waiting for people to request it. This supports open and transparent decision-making and reduces the need for formal access requests.

What this means for you

  • Easier access to commonly requested information

  • Fewer delays compared to formal requests

  • Greater transparency about Council decisions

3.1. In applying this Policy Council will:

3.1.1. Promote the principle that information held by Council is a public resource and proactively releasing information to the public fosters democratic government that is open, accountable, fair and effective.

3.1.2. Regularly review its information and assess the relevance of the information to the public and where there is a public interest in favour of disclosure, determine if, on balance, those considerations outweigh the public interest considerations against disclosure.

3.1.3. Keep a register of all information that is proactively released and available to the public.

4.1. The criteria that will be used to consider the proactive release of information includes, but is not limited to, whether:

4.1.1. The information is regularly requested by the public (either through the GIPA Act or outside the GIPA Act)

4.1.2. The release of the information would contravene another State or Commonwealth legislative provision

4.1.3. There is a public interest against disclosure as per Table 14 of the GIPA Act

4.1.4. The information requires consultation with any third party

4.1.5. Where there is a public interest against disclosure can the release of information be facilitated by redacting or withholding information

4.1.6. The release of information would take unreasonable time and resourcing to enable its publication

Make a submission

To learn more and share your feedback on the draft Policy, you can:

Central Coast Council collects information on the Your Voice Our Coast website to understand community views and help inform Council decisions. Providing information is voluntary. If you provide feedback anonymously, Council will not be able to contact you further.

Your feedback will be accessed by authorised Council officers and may be shared within Council, and with Council’s agents and contractors, where lawful and necessary to support Council functions and service delivery. Any written feedback may also be de-identified and published in reports.

Your personal information will be kept in Council's Information Management System in accordance with the relevant legislation. Council's address is 2 Hely Street Wyong NSW 2259. Your information will also be held by Open Point (the Your Voice Our Coast platform provider) and Council recommends you read their privacy statement.

You may access, correct or update your personal information by visiting Council’s website, contacting Council's Privacy Contact Officer on 02 4306 7900 or by sending an email to ask@centralcoast.nsw.gov.au.

Information is managed in line with:

For more information, view our Privacy Policy.