F; K and Queensland Police Service
(1996 S0090, 5 September 1997)
The applicants sought access to documents concerning the police investigation into the death of their sister/sister-in-law. The matter in issue consisted of a 'suicide note' addressed by the deceased to her husband, and a statement given to police by the husband.
The applicants made it clear that they considered the police investigation (which concluded that the death was suicide) to be deficient. The Information Commissioner considered that disclosure of the matter in issue would constitute a significant invasion of privacy, and found that the matter in issue was exempt under s.44(1) of the FOI Act.
In considering the application of the public interest balancing test, the Information Commissioner recognised that there was a public interest in the QPS being accountable for the conduct of a sufficiently thorough investigation. The Information Commissioner found that, given the extent of the information to which the applicants had already been given access, the public interest in the accountability of the QPS for its investigations would not be advanced by the disclosure of the matter in issue.
