David Fricker urges public servants not to fear FOI By Shannon Jenkins Wednesday August 4, 2021 The National Archives of Australia boss acknowledges that a fear of government documents being made public could be leading to complacency. (AAP Image/Lukas Coch) National Archives of Australia boss David Fricker has reminded public servants of their record-keeping obligations, and has acknowledged that a fear of government documents being made public could be leading to complacency. Speaking to the National Press Club on Wednesday, the director general said the possibility of documents being publicly accessed under Australia’s freedom of information (FOI) laws may dissuade some public servants from keeping proper records of government business, or from conducting business in a format that can be recorded.