Developments in Information Access
The department has responded positively to the Commonwealth Ombudsman’s report, ‘Timeliness of decision making under the Freedom of Information Act 1982’, June 2008.
The department has put in place a number of initiatives that are aimed at providing clients with better access to their personal information.
These initiatives include:
- replacing the existing Form 424A Request for access to documents under the Freedom of Information Act 1982 with Form 424A Request for documents or information
See: A New Form 424A - decentralising the processing of Freedom of Information (FOI) requests from Canberra to NSW and Victoria
See: Changes to the Processing of Freedom of Information Requests - changes to the way errors in a client’s details can be amended
See: New Arrangements for Handling Amendments - encouraging access to information under the Privacy Act 1988 where possible instead of the Freedom of Information Act 1982
See: Access to Information Under the Privacy Act 1988
Implementation of changes
The department’s website has been updated to reflect the changes to FOI processing and client access to information. Offices throughout Australia will be making provision for the expected increase in requests under the Privacy Act.
As these initiatives are a significant change in the way the department processes client information, there will be a short transitional period. During this time, we will be working hard towards bringing these changes into effect and developing access to personal information by clients into part of our core business.
More information
For general enquires regarding access to personal information, contact the department.
Email: privacy@immi.gov.au
For Freedom of Information enquiries:
- for clients applying in NSW, Queensland, Offshore and the ACT
Email: foi.nsw@immi.gov.au - for clients applying in Victoria, South Australia, Western Australia and Tasmania
Email: melbourne.foi.dima@immi.gov.au