Right to Know Week NSW 2025
This week is Right to Know Week, an international campaign that aims to raise awareness of the public’s right to access government-held information. In NSW, the Information and Privacy Commission encourages all NSW public sector agencies to improve their knowledge about their transparency obligations under the Government Information (Public Access) Act 2009 (GIPA Act).
Right to Know Week NSW runs from Monday 29 September to Sunday 5 October 2025 and will celebrate the 2025 theme of ‘Ensuring access to environmental information in the digital age’.
Environmental information plays a vital role in shaping our understanding, management, and response to the challenges facing our natural, built, and urban environments. It includes data and information about the condition of ecosystems, the impact of human activities, and the planning and regulation of infrastructure and development. This includes everything from air and water quality to climate data, biodiversity, and urban planning.
Councils work directly with the community and play a vital role in ensuring residents have access to environmental information that affects their neighbourhoods, parks, waterways, and infrastructure.
For individuals, access to environmental information is not just a right but a powerful tool for civic engagement, safety, and wellbeing. It enables communities to understand how developments and policies impact their environment, and how to advocate for fair access to green spaces, as well as participate in decisions that shape their neighbourhoods. This is especially important for disadvantaged or densely populated areas, where environmental risks may be higher. Public access to data about climate resilience, heritage sites, and native ecosystems also supports education and helps people prepare for emergencies, such as floods or bushfires.
In the digital age, councils that manage a range of information relating to development and infrastructure, which directly impacts the environment, should be open and transparent in sharing that information with the public.
The public has a right to access environmental information from Port Stephens Council. For more information on accessing our information, please visit our Access to Information page.
We’re a proud Champion of Right to Know Week NSW 2025 and are committed to ensuring access to environmental information in the digital age.
The Information and Privacy Commission (IPC) can also help you understand information access laws in NSW and give you information on how to assert your rights. Learn more by visiting the IPC's Right to Know Week webpage www.ipc.nsw.gov.au/RTK2025