Keast and Department of Health

Keast and South Burnett Health Service District (Department of Health)
(2003 F0569, 26 November 2003) 

Personal affairs 

The applicant sought access to segments of information in documents that concerned his dealings with the Kingaroy Community Health Service.  Following negotiations with the applicant, the respondent and a third party, the respondent agreed to give the applicant access to some matter and the applicant withdrew his application for some matter.  As a result, the matter remaining in issue comprised a segment of 10 words in one document. 

Applying the principles in Stewart and Department of Transport (1993) 1 QAR 227, Assistant Commissioner Moss found that the matter in issue was properly to be characterised as information which concerned the personal affairs of a person other than the applicant for access, and that the matter in issue was prima facie exempt from disclosure under s.44(1) of the FOI Act, subject to the application of the public interest balancing test incorporated within s.44(1).  AC Moss then evaluated the public interest considerations weighing for and against disclosure of the matter in issue, and decided that disclosure of the matter in issue would not, on balance, be in the public interest.