Frequently Asked Questions
Freedom of Information FAQs
Privacy FAQs
Correcting Information FAQs
Complaints & Appeals FAQs
Public Sector Organisations
Special rules for some information and organisations
Vexatious applicants
Codes of Practice
Grants of authorisation
Compliance notices
Links
Freedom of Information FAQs
What is FOI?
Freedom of information (FOI) gives you the right to apply for access to information held by NT government organisations, including personal information about you. It is about enhancing government accountability and participation in our democratic system of government. For more.
How do I get information?
You apply in writing to the organisation that holds it. Organisations are bodies like the Department of Employment Education and Training, NT Police and the Ombudsman. Before you make an application, it will probably be useful to contact the Information Officer at the organisation to talk about information that is already available and requirements for making an application. For more.
Will I get all the information?
You have a right to get access to any government information unless there is a good reason for refusing access.
In some cases, access to part or all of the information a person applies for is refused. This will happen when the organisation decides that disclosure of particular information would be contrary to the public interest. The Act sets out a series of exemptions that say when disclosure is or may be contrary to the public interest. For more.
What about Commonwealth and private organisations?
The Information Act only covers NT government organisations. There is a separate FOI scheme for Commonwealth organisations. There is no FOI scheme for private organisations but there are privacy schemes that provide for access to personal information about you held by Commonwealth organisations and some private organisations.
Privacy FAQs
What is Privacy?
The Privacy scheme in the NT Information Act is about making sure that NT public sector organisations respect your privacy when they collect or handle personal information about you.
The rules for protecting your privacy are set out in 10 Information Privacy Principles (IPPs) that appear in the Schedule at the end of the Information Act. The requirements of the IPPs can be divided into four categories:
- Collection of information
- Use and Disclosure
- Management of information
- Openness
For more.
How do I complain or get information?
If you want to complain about a breach of privacy, obtain information, or you are concerned about why or how your information has been collected or handled, you should contact the organisation concerned. (Bodies like the Department of Employment Education and Training, the Department of Justice, the NT Police and the Ombudsman are public sector organisations.)
If you have trouble contacting the right person in the organisation, you can phone the Office of the Information Commissioner on 1800 005 610 to get contact details.
For events that happen after 1 July 2004, you will be able to complain to the Information Commissioner about a breach of the IPPs or other interference with your privacy, so long as you have requested the organisation to take action and you have not received a satisfactory response.
For more.
What about Commonwealth and private organisations?
The Information Act only covers NT government organisations. There are privacy schemes that cover personal information about you held by Commonwealth organisations and some private organisations. You should contact the relevant organisation if you have privacy concerns.
Correcting Information FAQs
What rights are there to have information corrected?
The Information Act gives you a right to apply to correct personal information about you held by Northern Territory public sector organisations.
You can apply to have personal information about you corrected on the grounds that it is inaccurate, incomplete or out of date.
How do I apply?
You apply in writing to the government organisation that holds the information. So, for example, you would apply to the Department of Employment Education and Training for correction of information it holds, or NT Police for correction of information it holds. For more.
Will it be corrected?
The organisation can-
- make the correction you say you want
- make a different correction
- refuse to correct the information.
If the organisation does not make the correction you want, you can request the organisation to take reasonable steps to associate with the information a statement of your opinion that the information is inaccurate, incomplete or out of date. For more.
Complaints & Appeals FAQs
What if I am not satisfied with an FOI decision?
If you have made an FOI application and you have been refused access or correction, you can apply for internal review (within the organisation) of the organisation's decision. An internal review will be conducted by someone in the organisation other than the person who made the initial decision. If you are still not satisfied after the internal review, you can complain to the Information Commissioner.
If you have been consulted by the organisation under s.30, and the organisation has decided to disclose information even though you object to disclosure, you can complain to the Information Commissioner without applying for internal review.
What if I am not satisfied with the organisation's response to a privacy issue?
You can make a complaint to the Information Commissioner about interferences with privacy that happen after 1 July 2004.
Before you can make a complaint to the Commissioner, you must have requested the organisation to resolve or rectify your complaint.
If you have done that, and you are not satisfied with the response (or you have received no response within a reasonable time) you can complain to the Information Commissioner.
How much time do I have to make a complaint?
The Information Act sets time limits on how long you have to make a complaint to the Information Commissioner depending on the type of complaint.
The table below sets out how much time you have to make a complaint to the Information Commissioner:
| Complaint type | Time for making complaint |
| Against decision to refuse access or correction, or to charge a fee (FOI) | Within 90 days from receipt of internal review decision |
| Against decision to grant access (FOI) | Within 30 days from receipt of decision |
| Interference with privacy | Within 12 months from becoming aware of interference |
Last Updated on
6 August, 2008