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Download the Freedom of Information request form
Updated: 02 October 2025Submitting an Freedom of Information request to the OAIC
To make an FOI request for documents held by the OAIC, complete the FOI request application form (PDF, 730 KB) and email the form to foi@oaic.gov.au. Completing the form is generally the quickest process and ensures immediate lodgement of your request.
A valid FOI request:
- Must be in writing
- Must state that the request is an application for the purposes of the FOI Act
- Must provide information about the document(s) you wish to access so that we can identify the documents
- Must provide an address for reply.
If you are unable to use the application form, you may email the details of your request to foi@oaic.gov.au.
If lodging your request by post, return the printed application form or a letter detailing your request and post it to:
Office of the Australian Information Commissioner
Attention FOI Coordinator
GPO Box 5288
Sydney NSW 2001
Help to apply
If you need us to assist you to lodge your FOI request you can seek assistance with:
- hearing or speech: you can contact us through the National Relay Service
- translation services: you can contact us through the Translating and Interpreting Service.
If you need further help to make an FOI request to the OAIC, please contact us.
Your rights
The Freedom of Information Act 1982 (FOI Act) gives any person the right to:
- access copies of documents (except exempt documents) we hold
- ask for information we hold about you to be changed or annotated if it is incomplete, out of date, incorrect or misleading
- seek a review of our decision not to allow you access to a document or not to amend your personal record.
You can ask to access any document we hold. We can refuse access to some documents, or parts of documents that are exempt. Exempt documents may include those relating to national security, documents containing material obtained in confidence and Cabinet documents, or other matters as set out in the FOI Act.
If you are seeking access to documents that do not relate to your personal information, you should review the OAIC’s FOI disclosure log.
Fees and charges
Are there any application fees
There is no application fee to apply for documents under the FOI Act or to apply for an internal review of an FOI decision.
Are there any processing charges
There are no processing charges where you are seeking your own personal information. However, processing charges may apply to requests for non personal information. We will let you know if your request attracts a processing charge.
For example, we will generally not charge you for giving you access to information about a complaint you may make to our office. However, processing charges may apply to other requests. More information about processing charges is here:
Activity item | Charge |
|---|---|
Search and retrieval: time we spend searching for or retrieving a document | $15.00 per hour |
Decision making: time we spend in deciding to grant or refuse a request, including examining documents, consulting with other parties, and making deletions | First five hours: Nil Subsequent hours: $20 per hour |
Transcript: preparing a transcript from a sound recording, shorthand or similar medium | $4.40 per page of transcript |
Photocopy | $0.10 per page |
Inspection: supervision by an agency officer of your inspection of documents or hearing or viewing an audio or visual recording at our premises | $6.25 per half hour (or part thereof) |
Delivery: posting or delivering a copy of a document at your request | Cost of postage or delivery |
If we decide to impose a charge, we will give you a written estimate and the basis of our calculation. Where the estimated charge is between $20 and $100, we may ask you to pay a deposit of $20, or where the estimated charge exceeds $100, we may ask you to pay a 25% deposit before we process your request.
You can ask for the charge to be waived or reduced for any reason, including financial hardship or on the grounds of public interest. If you do so, you should explain your reasons and you may need to provide some evidence.
What to expect from us
We will tell you within 14 days that we have received your request. We will give you our decision within 30 days unless that time has been extended.
We will let you know if the time is extended, including if a document contains information about a third party. We may also seek your agreement to extend the time by up to 30 days if we need more time to process your request.
Further information on extensions of time is available at Extension of time under the FOI Act.
Your personal information
Details of how we will handle your personal information can be found in the OAIC Privacy policy.
Personal information we collect for the FOI request
We will collect personal information when you submit the FOI request. We may need to collect further information from you to manage and process your FOI request. If you do not provide this information to the OAIC, it may affect how we handle your FOI request.
If you have questions about the personal information we collect when you lodge your FOI request and how we will handle it, please read our privacy policy or complete an Enquiry form.
What will we do with your information
We will use the information you provide us to assess your FOI request. If you lodge an application for review of the FOI decision such as with the Administrative Review Tribunal, we may need to disclose some of your personal information to the review body.
