Steinback and Department of Health

Steinback and West Moreton District Health Service (Department of Health)
(1997 S0050, 20 September 1999) 

The applicant sought access to the medical records of his deceased mother.  The Information Commissioner found that the matter in issue was exempt matter under s.44(1) of the FOI Act.  The Information Commissioner considered that the public interest arguments raised by the applicant were not sufficient to overcome the strong public interest in protecting the privacy of an individual's medical records (as explained in the Information Commissioner's decision in Summers and Cairns District Health Service (1997) 3 QAR 479).