What does OIC’s External Review team do?
The Office of the Information Commissioner’s (OIC) External Review team has responsibility for investigating and reviewing decisions of agencies and Ministers on access to and amendment of information under the Right to Information Act 2009 (RTI Act) and Information Privacy Act 2009 (IP Act).
This includes identifying whether agencies and Ministers have taken all reasonable steps to locate relevant documents and deciding applications for extensions of time to process access applications. It also involves determining whether particular entities are covered by the legislation.
The External Review team attempts to resolve external review applications informally wherever possible. However if informal resolution cannot be achieved, a formal decision is issued affirming, varying or setting aside the agency or Minister’s decision.
An external review may involve some or all of the following stages:
- Preliminary inquiries - establishing whether the OIC has jurisdiction to conduct the requested review
- Early assessment and resolution - obtaining documents and any other relevant background information, identifying opportunities for informal resolution and negotiating settlement of the review
- Informal resolution and preliminary view - forming a preliminary view on the issues remaining in dispute in the review and informing participants orally or in writing of the preliminary view
- Decision - making a written determination on the issues in the review.
The following organisations may be able to help you with some of the issues with which OIC has no jurisdiction.
Issue | Organisation |
|---|---|
Legal advice | Queensland Law Society |
Legal Aid Queensland | |
National Association of Community Legal Services | |
Privacy complaints about Commonwealth government agencies | Office of the Australian Information Commissioner |
Privacy complaints about a doctor or private health service provider | Office of the Australian Information Commissioner |
Complaints about a doctor or private health care provider (not privacy related) | Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency |
Health Ombudsman | |
Complaints about Queensland government agency actions or decisions | Queensland Ombudsman |
Concerns about corruption by politicians or public sector officers, including misconduct by Queensland police | Crime and Corruption Commission (CCC) |
Complaints about real estate agents | Real Estate Institute of Queensland (REIQ) |
Office of Fair Trading | |
Complaints about Queensland lawyers | Legal Services Commission |
Direct marketing or spam emails | Australian Communications and Media Authority |
Complaints about private sector employers | Fair Work Ombudsman |
Complaints about discrimination, sexual harassment, vilification and victimisation | Queensland Human Rights Commission |
Complaints about goods or services purchased from a business | Office of Fair Trading |
Complaints about banks or other financial services | Australian Financial Complaints AuthorityTelephone: 1 800 931 678 |
Complaints about energy or water providers | Energy and Water Ombudsman Queensland |
Current as at: July 1, 2019
