Where a member of the public is refused access under the GIPA Act , Council Officers will provide details of the reasons for refusal to the member of the public in writing. An applicant who has been refused access by Council to information requested under a formal request for access to information under the GIPA Act has three options of review available:
- Applicants can apply to Council for an internal review. The review is conducted by someone more senior than the original decision maker and there is a $40 fee. Applicants have 20 working days from receiving notice of a decision to ask for an internal review.
- If an applicant is not satisfied with the internal review, or does not want one to be conducted by Council, they can ask for a review by the Information Commissioner. Applicants have eight weeks from being notified of a decision to ask for this review.
- If an applicant is not satisfied with the decision of the Information Commissioner or the internal reviewer or if they do not want to take these options they can apply to the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal (NCAT) for a determination.
It is noted that there are no rights of review in respect of open access applications, but the applicant may make a formal application at any time.
To make a request for an Internal Review under the GIPA Act , submit an Internal Review Application Request Form at Council.
If you would like to view a document which cannot be provided electronically, please contact Council's Governance Team on 9911 9911 to arrange access.
You can find out more about your right to information and new ways to access NSW government information on the Information Privacy Commissioner website.
For information in relation to Privacy under The Privacy and Personal Information Act 1998 (PPIPA) and the Health Records Information Privacy Act 2002 (HRIPA) please see our Privacy and Requests for Information page.