Privacy
We promote a culture of privacy that values and protects personal information. It is supported by the steps we take to ensure compliance with the Privacy Act 1988 (Privacy Act) and the Privacy (Australian Government Agencies – Governance) APP Code 2017, which include the Australian Privacy Principles and the Notifiable Data Breach Scheme. We also undertake privacy impact assessments (PIA) and through these measures we identify, manage and mitigate any privacy concerns and impacts that may arise in our proposed and current projects and activities.
Our Privacy Policy is available at www.airservicesaustralia.com/privacy-policy During 2022-23, Airservices was impacted by the cyber incident reported by law firm HWL Ebsworth (HWLE). HWLE notified the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner of the eligible data breaches identified by Airservices in respect of its records, in accordance with whole of government arrangements. Airservices did not receive any complaints made under the Privacy Act during the year.
Freedom of Information (FOI)
We are required to publish information as part of the Information Publication Scheme (IPS) in accordance with the Freedom of Information Act 1982 (FOI Act).
Our FOI disclosure log lists information that has been released in response to FOI access requests. The disclosure log and IPS are available at www.airservicesaustralia.com/aboutus/freedomof-information Information is not published on the disclosure log or the IPS if it:
- contains personal or business details, rendering it unreasonable to publish
- is exempt from release under the FOI Act
- has been published or released outside the FOI Act
During 2022-23, we received a total of 33 applications under the FOI Act consisting of 31 primary requests and 2 requests for internal reviews. The Information Commissioner also notified of us of 2 applications for review of prior Airservices decisions.
Over this same timeframe we finalised a total of 43 applications under the FOI Act consisting of 41 primary requests and 2 internal reviews. The Information Commissioner also notified us that they had finalised consideration of 2 applications for review of Airservices decisions.
Commonwealth ombudsman activity
In November 2021, the Commonwealth Ombudsman finalised its own motion investigation into a number of Commonwealth agencies’ administration of, and compliance with the Public Interest Disclosure (PID) Act 2013. Airservices was selected in their sample and the Ombudsman concluded that Airservices had a wellestablished PID function and well-developed suite of resources to guide decision-makers and practitioners who administer the scheme. There were 8 continuous improvement recommendations and 6 suggestions for better practice identified. Airservices has committed to addressing all recommendations and suggestions for better practice.
During the reporting period we corresponded with the Ombudsman to confirm how we had addressed and responded to each of the recommendations and suggestions. During 2022-23, we responded to 2 requests for information from the Commonwealth Ombudsman.
Fair Work Commission (FWC)
On 15 February 2023 the FWC approved the Airservices Australia (Aviation Rescue and Fire Fighting) Enterprise Agreement 2022-2023 which commenced operation on 22 February 2023. No other enterprise agreements were submitted to the FWC for review or approval during the reporting period.
Judicial Decisions and Reviews by Outside Bodies
No judicial or tribunal decisions were made during the reporting period that had or may have had a significant effect on our operations.
Adverse Effect of Non-Commercial Commitments
No non-commercial commitments were recorded in 2022-23