Cabinet documents
34 Cabinet documents
General rules
A document is an exempt document if:
both of the following are satisfied:
it has been submitted to the Cabinet for its consideration, or is or was proposed by a Minister to be so submitted;
it was brought into existence for the dominant purpose of submission for consideration by the Cabinet; or
it is an official record of the Cabinet; or
it was brought into existence for the dominant purpose of briefing a Minister on a document to which paragraph (a) applies; or
it is a draft of a document to which paragraph (a), (b) or (c) applies.
A document is an exempt document to the extent that it is a copy or part of, or contains an extract from, a document to which subsection (1) applies.
A document is an exempt document to the extent that it contains information the disclosure of which would reveal a Cabinet deliberation or decision, unless the existence of the deliberation or decision has been officially disclosed.
Exceptions
A document is not an exempt document only because it is attached to a document to which subsection (1), (2) or (3) applies.
However, the attachment itself may be an exempt document.
A document by which a decision of the Cabinet is officially published is not an exempt document.
Information in a document to which subsection (1), (2) or (3) applies is not exempt matter because of this section if the information consists of purely factual material, unless:
the disclosure of the information would reveal a Cabinet deliberation or decision; and
the existence of the deliberation or decision has not been officially disclosed.
27 Sections 39, 40 and 41
Repeal the sections.
28 Subsection 42(2)
Repeal the subsection, substitute:
A document is not an exempt document because of subsection (1) if the person entitled to claim legal professional privilege in relation to the production of the document in legal proceedings waives that claim.
A document is not an exempt document under subsection (1) by reason only that:
the document contains information that would (apart from this subsection) cause the document to be exempt under subsection (1); and
the information is operational information of an agency.
For operational information, see section 8A.
29 Sections 43, 43A and 44
Repeal the sections.
30 Subsection 45(2)
Omit “any document to the disclosure of which paragraph 36(1)(a) applies or would apply, but for the operation of subsection 36(2), (5) or (6), being a document”, substitute “a document to which subsection 47C(1) (deliberative processes) applies (or would apply, but for subsection 47C(2) or (3)), that is”.
31 Subsection 45(2)
After “unless the disclosure”, insert “of the document”.
32 Section 47
Repeal the section, substitute:
This Act’s bill:Explanatory memorandumSecond reading speech
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