Information Officer

An Information Officer manages, organises and disseminates information within a government agency, local council, or public organisation. They respond to public enquiries via phone, email and in person, locate and retrieve information from internal systems and databases, and ensure information is accurate, current and compliant with relevant legislation such as the Freedom of Information Act 1982 (Victoria) or equivalent state-based FOI schemes. The role bridges the public and the organisation, often supporting compliance with transparency and accountability requirements.

Answer public telephone and email enquiries by locating relevant information from internal databases, policy documents and file management systems. Process Freedom of Information (FOI) requests in accordance with state and territory FOI legislation, including determining scope, consulting with relevant departments and preparing disclosure documents. Maintain and update information repositories, databases and intranet content to ensure accuracy and currency of organisational information. Prepare information sheets, fact sheets and frequently asked questions (FAQs) documents for public distribution. Manage incoming correspondence and route enquiries to appropriate departments or officers. Record and track FOI request status and timeframes in dedicated FOI management systems to meet statutory deadlines. Conduct searches across multiple internal systems and archives to locate information requested by the public or staff. Liaise with departmental officers to obtain information, clarify policy positions and resolve enquiry issues.

The standard entry pathway requires a Certificate II or III (ABS skill level 4). Specific qualification requirements vary by employer and state. Some employers may accept equivalent experience. Check yourcareer.gov.au for available courses and dewr.gov.au/skills-reform/free-tafe for subsidised training options.

You'll spend a lot of time on repetitive database searches and answering the same questions over and over. FOI deadlines are strict and non-negotiable, so you carry real legal responsibility if timelines slip. The work is detail-heavy with little room for error, and you're often stuck between frustrated members of the public and departments that are slow to respond.

In practice, jobs concentrate in capital city government offices and local council headquarters. Regional areas have fewer positions. Remote work is uncommon because the role requires access to secure internal systems and sometimes face-to-face public contact.

Published for ANZSCO unit group 5412, the wider group this job sits in, not for this job on its own.

This is the median for full-time employees who are not managers and are paid at the adult rate, before tax and salary sacrifice. It is a guide to what the work pays, not a wage rate.

Source: ABS Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours, May 2025, customised report.

• Active Listeningcore
• Attention to Detailcore
• Customer Needs Assessmentcore
• Digital Literacycore
• Email Managementcore
• Inbound Call Handlingcore
• Policy and Procedure Adherencecore
• Problem Solvingcore
• Record Managementcore
• Service Navigation and Referralcore
• Stakeholder Communicationcore
• Telephone Etiquettecore
• Verbal Communicationcore
• Written Communicationcore
• Apply conflict management
• Carry out active selling
• Complaint Handling
• Confidentiality and Privacy Compliance
• Correspondence Drafting
• Cultural Awareness and Sensitivity
• Empathy and Emotional Intelligence
• Knowledge Base Utilisation
• Microsoft Office Suite Proficiency
• Multitasking
• Research and Analysis
• Time Management and Prioritisation

• ABS OSCA 2024, occupation definition and task statements
• ABS Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours, May 2025, customised report.
• ABS, 2021 Census of Population and Housing based on usual place of residence (Custom Report). OSCA Experimental Estimates.

Role data is drawn from official Australian Government sources, and each figure names where it comes from. Where a role is not in the ABS classification, the page shows no government figures for it. Data may not reflect every local variation.

Where our numbers come from.

What Information Officer workers move into, from ten years of tax records.

Last updated: 30 October 2026