The Promotion of Access to Information Act

Many private companies that would otherwise have been forced to comply with the provisions of the Promotion of Access to Information Act by 31 August 2003 have been granted a welcome extension of time by the Minister of Justice within which to do so. It had been widely argued by the business community that full compliance with the provisions of the Act was not only extremely costly but, also, logistically difficult.

The Department of Justice has announced that small businesses and private bodies will be granted a blanket extension of time until 31 August 2005 within which to comply with the Act. The extension does not, however, apply to public companies [those with more than fifty shareholders] and government departments.

Note: The Board has published its Promotion of Access to Information Manual.