Senate Order for the production of indexed lists of departmental and agency files
On 14 November 1994, the Senate agreed to a motion by then-Senator Brian Harradine requiring all Australian Government departments and agencies to produce an indexed list of files every six months for tabling before Federal Parliament.
The production of the list is intended to make government operations more transparent to the Australian public.
As part of the Government’s ongoing commitment to give Australians greater access to relevant government information quickly and easily, the original Senate Order was amended in 1998 and now requires departments to also list these files on their websites.
The lists are tabled twice a year to coincide with Spring and Autumn sittings of Federal Parliament.