Notice of decision not to amend personal information
Note on sample notice
In making a decision about a request for amendment of personal information, agencies should have regard to the Guidelines issued by the Australian Information Commissioner under section 93A of the Freedom of Information Act 1982, Part 7 (Amendment and annotation of personal information), available at https://www.oaic.gov.au/freedom-of-information/foi-guidelines/part-7-amendment-and-annotation-of-personal-records/ 
Part 7 of the Guidelines explains what matters a decision maker should consider when deciding whether to amend personal information.  

Dear [applicant name]
Amendment of personal information request no. [insert identifier number /code]
The purpose of this letter is to give you a decision about your request for amendment of personal information we hold about you.
Summary
I, [insert name, position], am an officer authorised under section 23(1) of the Freedom of Information Act 1982 (FOI Act) to make decisions in relation to FOI requests for amendment of personal information.
You requested that [name of agency] amend personal information we hold about you. Specifically you have asked [name of agency] to [update / correct]: 
[quote or accurately paraphrase the terms of the request and the affected documents].
You claimed that the personal information in these documents is [incomplete / incorrect / out of date / misleading] because [quote or accurately paraphrase the applicants reasons for claiming the information is in need of amendment]. [Insert if applicable: To support your claim, you provided [outline any evidence the applicant has provided]]. 
I have decided to refuse your request for amendment of [insert nature of amendment]. Therefore the records that [name of agency] holds have not been amended and still show [insert details of unaltered information]. 
DECISION AND REASONS FOR DECISION
In order to make an amendment under the FOI Act, I must be satisfied that the record of personal information is incomplete, incorrect, out of date or misleading. I assessed your claim that the information was [incomplete / incorrect / out of date / misleading] and found that:
•	[insert findings of material fact]
Having considered these findings, I am not satisfied that the information is [incomplete / incorrect / out of date / misleading]. [Explain reasons for decision based on findings of material fact.]
Material taken into account
I took the following material into account in making my decision:
•	[list material taken into account]
Your option to have the records annotated
Under the FOI Act, you are entitled to submit a statement outlining your reasons for claiming the information [name of agency] holds about you is inaccurate. The statement should state whether you claim the information to be incomplete, incorrect, out of date or misleading, why you believe it is inaccurate and what information would correct it. We will annotate your record to include the statement, as long as the statement is not irrelevant, defamatory or unnecessarily voluminous. We may also attach our own comments to any annotation.
If you would like to have your records annotated, please submit a statement to [me, using the details at the end of this letter/the contact officer whose details are given at the end of this letter].
Your review rights
If you are dissatisfied with my decision, you may apply for internal review or Information Commissioner review of the decision. We encourage you to seek internal review as a first step as it may provide a more rapid resolution of your concerns.  
[If the decision maker is a minister or the principal officer of an agency, replace preceding paragraph with: If you are dissatisfied with my decision, you may apply for Information Commissioner review.]
[Insert as applicable: Internal review
Under section 54 of the FOI Act, you may apply in writing to [the Department / name of agency] for an internal review of my decision. The internal review application must be made within 30 days of the date of this letter.
Where possible please attach reasons why you believe review of the decision is necessary. The internal review will be carried out by another officer within 30 days.]
Information Commissioner review
Under section 54L of the FOI Act, you may apply to the Australian Information Commissioner to review my decision. An application for review by the Information Commissioner must be made in writing within 60 days of the date of this letter, and be lodged in one of the following ways:
online: https://forms.business.gov.au/smartforms/servlet/SmartForm.html?formCode=ICR_10
email: foidr@oaic.gov.au 
post:	GPO Box 5218 Sydney NSW 2001
More information about Information Commissioner review is available on the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner website. Go to https://www.oaic.gov.au/freedom-of-information/reviews-and-complaints/information-commissioner-review/. 
FOI Complaints
If you are unhappy with the way we have handled your FOI request, please let us know what we could have done better. We may be able to rectify the problem. If you are not satisfied with our response, you can make a complaint to the Australian Information Commissioner. A complaint to the Information Commissioner must be made in writing. Complaints can be lodged in one of the following ways:
online: https://forms.business.gov.au/smartforms/servlet/SmartForm.html?formCode=ICCA_1
email: foidr@oaic.gov.au
post: GPO Box 5218 Sydney 2001
More information about complaints is available on the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner at https://www.oaic.gov.au/freedom-of-information/reviews-and-complaints/make-an-foi-complaint/.
If you are not sure whether to lodge an Information Commissioner review or an Information Commissioner complaint, the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner has more information at: https://www.oaic.gov.au/freedom-of-information/reviews-and-complaints/.
Questions about this decision
If you wish to discuss this decision, please contact [me, using the details below/the following officer]:
	[Insert officer name, position and contact details]
Yours sincerely