Henderson and Queensland Law Society Inc.

Application number:
1999 S0113
Decision date:
Friday, Jun 08, 2001

Henderson and Queensland Law Society Inc.
 (1999 S0113, 8 June 2001) 

This was an application for access to various documents contained on the personnel file of a former employee of the QLS.  Both the QLS and the former employee claimed that the documents were exempt under s.44(1) and s.46(1)(a) of the FOI Act. 

The Information Commissioner decided that documents containing information about the former employee's salary package with the QLS, and leave applications, together with extracts from the former employee's passport and her signature where it appeared on the documents in issue, were exempt from disclosure under s.44(1) of the FOI Act. 

The Information Commissioner also decided that an employment agreement between the QLS and the former employee, together with documents comprising the former employee's job application and selection material, were exempt from disclosure under s.46(1)(a) of the FOI Act, having regard to evidence of express and implicit promises of confidential treatment, and the absence of any circumstances that would justify non-compliance with those promises.