{"id":"public-information-regulations-2017","name":"PUBLIC INFORMATION REGULATIONS 2017","slug":"public-information-regulations-2017","collection":"regulation","jurisdiction":"nt","status":"in_force","isInForce":true,"actNumber":null,"makingDate":null,"administeringDepartment":null,"currentVersion":{"id":177126,"registerId":"nt-public-information-regulations-2017-current","compilationNumber":null,"startDate":"2026-04-05","status":"InForce","reasons":null,"registeredAt":null},"sections":[{"sectionNumber":"1","sectionType":"section","heading":"PUBLIC INFORMATION REGULATIONS 2017","content":"NORTHERN TERRITORY OF AUSTRALIA\nPUBLIC INFORMATION REGULATIONS 2017\nAs in force at 11 August 2025\nTable of provisions\n1 Citation ............................................................................................ 1\n2 Commencement .............................................................................. 1\n3 Purpose of public information to be in public interest ...................... 1\n5 Comment by Agencies .................................................................... 2\nENDNOTES\n\n\n\nNORTHERN TERRITORY OF AUSTRALIA\n____________________\nAs in force at 11 August 2025\n____________________\nPUBLIC INFORMATION REGULATIONS 2017\nRegulations under the Public Information Act 2010\n1 Citation\nThese Regulations may be cited as the Public Information\nRegulations 2017.\n2 Commencement\nThese Regulations commence on the commencement of the Public\nInformation Amendment Act 2016.\n3 Purpose of public information to be in public interest\nFor section 6(2A) of the Act, the Ombudsman may consider the\ninformation is in the public interest if the information has a purpose\nthat includes one of the following:\n(a) maximises compliance with the laws of the Territory;\n(b) achieves awareness of a new or amended law;\n(c) improves public safety or personal security;\n(d) encourages responsible behaviour;\n(e) preserves order in the event of an emergency;\n(f) promotes awareness of rights, responsibilities, duties or\nentitlements;\n(g) encourages usage of, or familiarity with, government products\nor services;\n(h) informs the public of new, existing or proposed government\nprograms, policies or projects;\n(i) reports on performance in relation to government\nundertakings;\n(j) communicates functions of government;\n\nPublic Information Regulations 2017 2\n(k) communicates on matters of social cohesion, civic pride,\ncommunity spirit or tolerance.\nExamples for paragraph (j)\nEducation campaigns, recruitment, community engagement, expressions of\ninterest and future plans.\n5 Comment by Agencies\n(1) An Agency giving public information must not do either of the\nfollowing:\n(a) comment on the views, policies or actions of a particular\npolitical party or political person;\n(b) criticise the views, policies or actions of a particular political\nparty or political person.\n(2) In this regulation:\npolitical person means any of the following persons:\n(a) a person who holds an elected office in the Federal\nParliament, the Legislative Assembly or a local government;\n(b) a person who seeks election to an office mentioned in\nparagraph (a).\n\nENDNOTES\nPublic Information Regulations 2017 3\nENDNOTES\n1 KEY Key to abbreviations\namd = amended od = order\napp = appendix om = omitted\nbl = by-law pt = Part\nch = Chapter r = regulation/rule\ncl = clause rem = remainder\ndiv = Division renum = renumbered\nexp = expires/expired rep = repealed\nf = forms s = section\nGaz = Gazette sch = Schedule\nhdg = heading sdiv = Subdivision\nins = inserted SL = Subordinate Legislation\nlt = long title sub = substituted\nnc = not commenced\n2 LIST OF LEGISLATION\nPublic Information Regulations (SL No. 1, 2017)\nNotified 14 February 2017\nCommenced 14 February 2017 (r 2, s 2 Public Information Amendment\nAct 2016 (Act No. 34, 2016) and Gaz S2, 14 February 2017,\np 2)\nPublic Information Legislation Amendment Act 2019 (Act No. 14, 2019)\nNotified 9 April 2019\nCommenced 10 April 2019\nPublic Information Amendment Act 2025 (Act No. 18, 2025)\nAssent date 10 August 2025\nCommenced 11 August 2025 (s 2)\n3 GENERAL AMENDMENTS\nGeneral amendments of a formal nature (which are not referred to in the table\nof amendments to this reprint) are made by the Interpretation Legislation\nAmendment Act 2018 (Act No. 22 of 2018) to: r 1.\n4 LIST OF AMENDMENTS\npt 1 hdg om Act No. 18, 2025, s 7\npt 2 hdg om Act No. 18, 2025, s 7\nr 3 sub Act No. 14, 2019, s 6\namd Act No. 18, 2025, s 7\nr 4 rep Act No. 14, 2019, s 6","sortOrder":0}],"analysis":{"kimi_summary":{"content_quality":"ok","complexity_score":2,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"The legislation remains tightly focused on its original purpose of defining public interest criteria for government communications and establishing political neutrality requirements. The amendments shown in the endnotes (2019 and 2025) appear to be minor updates (substituting regulation 3, repealing regulation 4, removing Part headings) rather than scope expansion."},"complexity_factors":["Very short document (3 pages, 2 substantive regulations)","Only 2 defined terms ('political person' in regulation 5)","No cross-references to other legislation beyond the parent Act (Public Information Act 2010)","Simple conditional structure (prohibited actions listed in regulation 5)","Straightforward list format for public interest purposes in regulation 3","No nested exceptions or complex logical operators"],"plain_english_summary":"**What this legislation does:**\n\nThese regulations set rules for how Northern Territory government agencies communicate with the public. They serve as a companion piece to the Public Information Act 2010.\n\n**Key rules:**\n\n* **Public interest test:** Government agencies can only share information with the public if it serves a public interest purpose. The regulations list 11 specific purposes that qualify, including:\n  * Maximising compliance with laws\n  * Improving public safety\n  * Promoting awareness of government services and programs\n  * Reporting on government performance\n  * Building community spirit and social cohesion\n  * Educating the public about their rights and responsibilities\n\n* **Political neutrality:** Government agencies are strictly forbidden from commenting on or criticising:\n  * The views, policies, or actions of any political party\n  * The views, policies, or actions of any elected official or election candidate (at federal, territory, or local government level)\n\n**Who it affects:**\n\n* Northern Territory government agencies and their staff\n* The Ombudsman (who decides what counts as \"public interest\")\n* The general public (who receive government communications)\n\n**Why it matters:**\n\nThese rules ensure that taxpayer-funded government communications remain politically neutral and serve genuine public purposes rather than being used for political campaigning or partisan attacks. It draws a clear line between legitimate government information (like safety campaigns or service announcements) and political commentary."},"summary":{"complexity_score":2,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"Insufficient content was provided to determine whether the scope of this legislation changed from its original intent. The document contains only metadata headers and administrative fields, with no substantive regulatory provisions to analyse."},"complexity_factors":["Almost no substantive legislative content was provided — only administrative metadata such as dates, agency name, and status fields","Cannot assess true complexity without the actual regulatory text","The base score of 2 reflects the structural simplicity of what was supplied, not the potential complexity of the full regulations","Regulations (as opposed to Acts) can vary widely in complexity; insufficient information to assess cross-referencing, definitions, or technical requirements"],"plain_english_summary":"The Public Information Regulations 2017 are an NT government instrument (administered by the Department of the Chief Minister and Cabinet) that, by title, governs how public information is managed or disclosed. This reprint is in force from 11 August 2025.\n\nThe supplied document contains only metadata and no substantive regulatory text, so while it likely affects NT agencies and members of the public seeking information, the precise rights and obligations cannot be determined without the full regulations."},"flash_summary":{"complexity_score":3,"scope_assessment":{"changed":true,"description":"Yes. The Regulations were amended in 2019 and again in 2025 (see endnotes: r 3 sub Act No. 14, 2019, s 6; amd Act No. 18, 2025, s 7; r 4 rep Act No. 14, 2019, s 6). Those amendments altered the stated public-interest purposes the Ombudsman may consider and removed/replaced other provisions, thereby changing how broadly agency communications can be treated as ‘public information’ for oversight and compliance purposes."},"complexity_factors":["Cross-reference to the Public Information Act 2010 (s 6(2A)) giving the Ombudsman discretion to assess public interest","Enumerated list of permitted public-interest purposes that require interpretation (regulation 3)","Prohibition on agencies commenting for or against particular political parties or persons, with a statutory definition of “political person” (regulation 5)","Short text but legal effect depends on administrative practice and Ombudsman adjudication, creating interpretive uncertainty","Amendment history (2019 and 2025) changing wording and repealing provisions, requiring attention to versioning and commencement dates"],"plain_english_summary":"These Regulations tell Northern Territory government agencies how the Ombudsman will judge whether an agency’s public communications are “in the public interest,” and limit agency commentary about particular political parties or candidates. They affect any agency producing public information by shifting decision-making power to the Ombudsman and imposing a compliance constraint on agencies’ messaging. Agencies carry the compliance cost; the Ombudsman has discretion to assess purpose and scope of communications, which alters agencies’ content choices and approval processes."},"issue_detection":{"absurdities":[],"contradictions":[]},"flash_summary_failed":{"failed":true,"reason":"Unauthenticated. Configure AI_GATEWAY_API_KEY or use a provider module. Learn more: https://ai-sdk.dev/unauthenticated-ai-gateway","source":"analysis-cron"}},"importantCases":[],"_links":{"self":"/api/acts/public-information-regulations-2017","history":"/api/acts/public-information-regulations-2017/history","analysis":"/api/acts/public-information-regulations-2017/analysis","conflicts":"/api/acts/public-information-regulations-2017/conflicts","importantCases":"/api/acts/public-information-regulations-2017/important-cases","documents":"/api/acts/public-information-regulations-2017/documents"}}