MOR and Department of Families, Youth and Community Care

MOR and Department of Families, Youth and Community Care
(1997 S0175, 31 March 2000) 

The applicant sought access to documents held by the respondent concerning her son.  The information sought included documents which identified a person who had notified the respondent of their concerns regarding child abuse and/or neglect. 

Applying the principles established in McEniery and Medical Board of Queensland (1994) 1 QAR 349, the Information Commissioner found that s.42(l)(b) applied to the matter in issue which identified, or would allow the identification of, the notifier.  The information to which access was sought also included some comments made by an officer of the respondent which referred to a lawful method or procedure for dealing with possible contraventions of child welfare law, and I decided that that information satisfied the requirements for exemption under s.42(1)(e) of the FOI Act. 

Other matter in issue included personal affairs information relating to the applicant's son, and the private telephone number of a doctor who had had contact with the respondent.  The Information Commissioner decided that that information was exempt from disclosure under s.44(1) of the FOI Act.