Dear Office of the Australian Information Commissioner,

OAIC guidelines indicate that the right of FOI access applies to documents that exist at the time the request is made. Documents released under FOI and published on the rightoknow website indicate that some agencies engage in the practice of adding text to documents about to be released under FOI. The new text varies from FOI file reference numbers or notations in the margin of documents to be released to new text such as “released under FOI” ( or similar) being applied by stamp or other means across the face of each page of documents being released. The conduct does not involve redacting existing text in accordance with the FOI legislation but rather adding text (unrelated to redaction) to existing documents prior to release of those documents under FOI.

I seek administrative access to a copy of any OAIC Guidelines on the practice of adding text - unrelated to redaction - to documents about to be released under FOI. If administrative access is not available then please regard this as an application under FOI.

Yours faithfully,

JS

Dear Raewyn Harlock,

Thank you for your reply.

Like the OAIC I do not have concerns regarding the addition of watermarks, FOI reference numbers, or page numbers to documents prior to release provided the additions are included in the margins or other white space in the documents. This seems to be the practice at the OAIC.

The use of watermarks or stamps that obscure, veil or haze over the text of documents to be released is another matter. What is legible to the keen eye of the authorised officer may be illegible to recipients with less ability to see or discern because of the addition of the watermarks, stamps etc. Such use of watermarks etc (stemming from bureaucrat convenience it would appear) should be discouraged.

Yours sincerely,

JS