Information Publication Scheme plan

The PSR Agency is an independent statutory agency, established under Part VAA of the Health Insurance Act 1973,which sets out our role, powers and processes.

Our statutory role is to protect patients and the community from the risks of inappropriate practice. This also protects the integrity of the Medicare program, services provided under the Child Dental Benefits Schedule (CDBS) and the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS).

We must comply with the:

• Freedom of Information Act 1982 (FOI Act)
• Information Publication Scheme (IPS) requirements.

As required by section 8(1) of the FOI Act, this plan describes how we propose to implement and administer our IPS, including:

• purpose and objectives
• administration
• information architecture
• publication of required and other information
• review processes.

Purpose

The purpose of this plan is to:

• help us plan and develop our IPS
• show the information we intend to publish, how and for whom (in line with section 8(1))
• show how we will comply with all other IPS requirements.

This plan outlines appropriate procedures to:

• manage our IPS entry, including identifying and publishing all required information (section 8(2)), and identifying appropriate ‘other information’ to be published
• regularly review our published information to ensure it is accurate, current and complete (section 8B)
• ensure that the published information is easily discoverable, understandable, machine-readable, re-useable and transformable
• ensure that our online content conforms to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG 2.0 AA)
• measure the success of our IPS.

The PSR Executive Officer oversees the agency's IPS, to ensure that it is implemented, maintained and compliant with the FOI Act.

We will be as proactive as possible in publishing both required and optional information. Initially, we will publish all mandated information, and our aim is to publish all possible information to fully disclose the documents we use in our functions and decision-making.

In line with the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner’s guidelines, we will regularly update and maintain the information framework and be prepared for the Commissioner’s audit in the 5-year review period.

We will publish documents required under section 8(2) on the IPS page of our website (www.psr.gov.au). Our IPS content will be published under the headings listed in the next section.

To ensure that our IPS entry (and individual IPS documents) are easily discoverable, understandable and machine-readable, we have:

• placed an IPS link on our homepage
• a plan to apply appropriate metadata to online content (in line with AGLS Metadata Standard AS 5044-2010) as soon as reasonably practicable
• wherever possible, provided online content in a format that can be searched, copied and transformed
• updated our website sitemap to help users locate published information
• included a search function in our website
• done work to ensure that our website achieves WCAG 2.0 compliance within the required timeframes.

We will, as far as possible, make our IPS information holdings available for reuse on open licensing terms.

Required information

Agency plan (s 8(2)(a))

• a link to this document.

Who we are (ss 8(2)(b) and 8(2)(d))

• a link to the PSR organisation chart and pay and grading structures
• information about statutory appointments
• information about statutory appointees, including the person’s name, the appointment term, their position and details about the Act under which they are appointed.

What we do (ss 8(2)(c) and 8(2)(j))

• an outline of the functions and powers of the PSR Director, Committees and Determining Authority
• any rules, guidelines, practices and precedents relating to these functions and powers.

Our reports and responses to Parliament (ss 8(2)(e) and 8(2)(h))

• recent annual reports tabled in Parliament.

Routinely requested information and disclosure log (ss 8(2)(g) and 11C)

• information in documents that we routinely provide in response to FOI requests
• information published under section 11C of the FOI Act.

Consultation arrangements (s 8(2)(f))

• information about how the public can comment if we conduct public consultation on a specific matter.

Contact us (s 8(2)(i))

• a phone number and contact form for people to contact us about accessing our information or documents.

Other information

On the IPS section of our website, we will publish other information on top of the required information listed above (taking into account section 8(4) of the FOI Act).

We will publish as much information as possible to comply with the FOI Act and in the interests of full disclosure.

Our priorities (s 8(4))

• corporate and strategic plans, assessments and reviews.

Our finances (s 8(4))

• financial information relating to pay and grading structures, procurement procedures, tendering and contracts.

Our lists (s 8(4))

• agency appointments. 

Our submissions (s 8(4))

• our submissions to parliamentary committees, the Productivity Commissioner, the Australian Law Reform Commission and other agencies.
• Our policies (s 8(4))
• our relevant corporate policies.

In addition, we will publish a link to other publications not covered by these headings, such as articles, case law and guides.

We will ensure that all information is accurate and current at the time of publication. We will review our IPS regularly to maintain an accurate register of information.

Our aim is to be transparent and open with the public about our decision-making processes. We will take into account any comments about this plan and change it as appropriate.

Use the contact form on our website or write to:

FOI Coordinator
PO Box 74
Fyshwick ACT 2609

(02) 6120 9100