Web Publishing Guide

Online Content Requirements

Mandatory

The Online Content Requirements guarantee the public access to a minimum level of information across all Australian Government agencies.

Why Must I?

Departments and agencies are required to publish a range of public accountability information online.

The requirements below supersede the Online Information Service Obligations (OISOs) released in 2001. The OISOs were originally published as part of the 2000 Government Online Strategy.

What Content is Required on Government Websites?

Government Agencies are required to meet the Mandatory Requirements of the Web Publishing Guide on every government website. Furthermore, agencies are required to publish certain information on their websites.

For all websites, the following information must be available:

• Identification of the Australian Government Agency(s) responsible for managing the website.
• Contact details for the responsible agency.

Additionally, for organisational websites, the following public accountability information must be available:

• Information about the organisation including its role, legislation administered, functions, structure, key personnel and services.
• Organisational planning and performance information, including but not limited to annual reports, strategic plans, service charters and portfolio budget statements.
• File lists and contracts information.
• Agency and Ministerial media releases, speeches, and other public information such as public notices, warnings and advice.
• New non-commercial agency publications, including reports released in print or other formats.

Agencies are also required to publish all documents presented to parliament, including but not limited to, Government responses to committee reports, Ministerial statements, annual reports and other instruments.

Agencies are able to decide the most appropriate government website to host parliamentary papers. Often this is a departmental or agency website.

• Advice on Documents Tabled in Parliament

For government services, the following information must be available:

• Information that will help citizens to understand their responsibilities, obligations, rights and entitlements (benefits etc.) in relation to government assistance.
• Forms for public use (printable or online versions).
• Government agencies must publish on their websites the details of all grants awarded, no later than seven working days after a funding agreement is signed by both parties.

Advice

• Reuse information and avoid duplication - where practicable, follow the principle of ‘create once, use many times’. For example, link to agency information stored in other repositories of government information. These include the legal information retrieval system (www.comlaw.gov.au), the Government Online Directory (www.directory.gov.au), and www.australia.gov.au.
• Information about grants can be also linked on the Grants Link website: www.grantslink.gov.au managed by the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government.
• Provide information about ordering arrangements where an agency publication is not available online e.g. a commercial publication.
• If it is not possible for a form to be made available online, then information about alternative ways of obtaining and completing the form are to be provided.
• Information about documents to be presented to the Senate, the House of Representatives, or to both Houses of the Parliament for their consideration can be found on the Prime Minister and Cabinet website.

Who Can Help?

For assistance contact:

For further information on publishing grants information contact:

For further information on documents tabled in parliament:

What's Related?

• File Lists
• Contracts Disclosure
• Accessibility
• Archiving
• Preserving Publications
• Copyright anf Copyright Notices
• Disclaimers
• Privacy and Privacy Statements