18 Meaning of processing period
(1) The processing period, for an access or amendment application to an agency or Minister, is the total of—
(a) a period of 25 business days from the valid application day for the application; and
(b) each additional period mentioned in column 2 of the following table for a circumstance mentioned in column 1 applying to the application.
| Column 1 Circumstance | Column 2 Additional period |
|---|---|
| the application is transferred to the agency or Minister | the lesser of the following— (a) the period starting on the day the application is received by the agency or Minister who transfers the application and ending on the day the application is transferred; (b) 10 business days |
| the applicant is given a notice under section 42(1)(a) or 78O(1)(a) | the prescribed consultation period under section 42 or 78O |
| the only address to be sent notices the applicant gives the agency or Minister by the valid application day is a postal address | 5 business days |
| for an access application—the applicant is given a charges estimate notice under section 36, other than a charges estimate notice stating the agency’s or Minister’s decision that charges will be waived under chapter 3, part 6, division 3 | the period starting on the date of the first charges estimate notice given under section 36 and ending on the earlier of the following— (a) the day the applicant confirms the application or, if the applicant narrows the application, confirms the changed application; (b) the day the agency or Minister gives the applicant a prescribed written notice of a decision to waive any processing charge, or access charge, under section 66(2) |
| for an access application—the application involves consultation with a relevant third party under section 37 | 10 business days |
| the agency or Minister asks for a further specified period under subsection (2) | the following period— (a) if paragraph (b) does not apply—the further specified period; (b) if the applicant refuses the request or applies for external review under section 86A—the period starting on the day the further specified period starts and ending on the day the applicant refuses the request or applies for external review |
(2) Before the end of the processing period for the access or amendment application, the agency or Minister may ask the applicant for a further specified period to consider the application.
(3) A request under subsection (2) may be made more than once.
(4) In this section—
valid application day, for an access or amendment application, means the day on which the application complies with all relevant application requirements for the application under section 33(8) or 78K(8)
