Higgins and Department of Health

Henderson and Queensland Health (Department of Health)
(1998 S0178, 1 February 2000) 

Higgins and Queensland Health (Department of Health)
(1999 S0012, 1 February 2000) 

The access applicant (Henderson) sought access to the employment records of the third party (Higgins) held by the respondent (Queensland Health).  The respondent decided to disclose a number of documents, in full or in part, to the access applicant. 

The access applicant applied for review of the respondent's decision to refuse him access to a number of other documents and parts of documents, and the third party applied for review of the respondent's decision to disclose any documents to the access applicant. 

The Information Commissioner found that certain segments of matter (such as dates of birth, academic results, and family information) in the documents in issue concerned the personal affairs of the third party and was exempt from disclosure under s.44(1), and the access applicant abandoned his claim for access to that matter. 

The Information Commissioner found that the matter remaining in issue was not exempt from disclosure, as it primarily concerned the performance by the third party of her duties as an employee of the respondent and therefore concerned her employment affairs rather than her personal affairs.