Accessing Government Information in Queensland Overview - RTI Act IP Act

Under the RTI Act, you have the right to request access to documents held by a Queensland Government agency or Minister.1 Making an Access Application An application for access to information must be: • made in the approved form with the application fee; • sufficiently identify the information or document that is being requested; • provide an address for the information or documents to be sent to;. [...] Refusal to Provide Information The agency or Minister may decide to refuse access to information where it is:8 • exempt information; • contrary to the public interest to release the information; • not in the child’s interests to release (where the application relates to accessing a child’s personal information; • potentially prejudicial to release healthcare information to the applicant; • not loc. [...] The IP Act operates in conjunction with the RTI Act and, where an application that was made under the RTI Act could have been made under the IP Act, the Minister or agency must give the applicant the opportunity to have their application dealt with under the IP Act and their application fee refunded.22 Privacy Principles The IP Act establishes two sets of Privacy Principles: 1. [...] Generally, whether the information can be released under the AAS will depend on the sensitivity of the information requested and the person making the request for access. [...] Access under the AAS may be appropriate if: • there is significant demand for certain information (the agency or Minister may also choose to proactively release information to pre-empt demand); • there are no risks or adverse effects if the information were to be released; • the person is seeking the information is the one who sent it to the agency/Minister; • the agency or Minister has previously.