FREEDOM OF INFORMATION

Section 8 Statement

Organisation and Functions

The Reserve Bank is Australia's central bank. It was established by Commonwealth legislation in 1911. Its functions, powers and responsibilities are specified in the Reserve Bank Act 1959, the Banking Act 1959, the Commonwealth Authorities and Companies Act 1997, the Payment Systems (Regulation) Act 1998, the Payment Systems and Netting Act 1998, the Corporations Act 2001 and the Financial Services Reform Act 2001, and in Regulations made under those Acts. An overview of the structure of the Reserve Bank is provided in this organisational chart.

Categories of Documents

Lists of publications, including speeches, articles, occasional papers, information booklets, conference volumes, regular media releases and other publications are published from time to time in the Reserve Bank Bulletin. These publications, as well as other information about the Reserve Bank, are also available on this website. Other documents are held in the form of working notes and files covering policy and operational matters, statistical data, personnel, premises and general administration.

The right of access to documents in the possession of Australian Government agencies in terms of the Freedom of Information Act 1982 (FOI Act) applies to the Reserve Bank. However, the Reserve Bank is an exempt agency under the FOI Act in respect of documents concerning banking operations (including individual open market operations and foreign exchange dealings) and exchange control matters.

Facilities for Access and Freedom of Information Procedures

Enquiries under the FOI Act, including requests for access to documents, should be directed to the Secretary of the Reserve Bank. Applications should be accompanied by the application fee (currently A$30). Facilities to inspect documents to which access has been granted are available.