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On this page
Purpose
The purpose of this policy is to help ensure your contact or request to the OAIC reaches the right team and receives a timely and appropriate response.
This policy is intended to support and strengthen the integrity of our communication system and improve overall service delivery.
How to contact the OAIC
To make sure your message is directed to the right place, we encourage you to use our online webforms, where they are available, as the preferred method of submitting enquiries, complaints, or providing feedback.
Our webforms are designed to direct your enquiry to the right team quickly.
Preferred communication channels
Information on our official communication channels can be found on the contact us page.
- Webforms: A range of online webforms are available for specific OAIC functions and where a webform is available, it should be used.
- Once you have registered your contact via the appropriate webform, you will receive email communication from the relevant team responsible for that area.
- Designated email: If a webform is not available for your enquiry, you can contact us via a designated email listed on our website related to your enquiry.
- Please use only the designated email address related to your specific topic or enquiry type. Submitting the same enquiry to multiple addresses may lead to delays.
- Where you have been asked to respond to an email from the OAIC, reply directly to that email address and quote appropriate reference numbers.
- Phone: You can also contact us by phone using the details on our website.
- Please note that some matters, such as Freedom of Information requests and certain types of complaints, do require written correspondence to ensure proper documentation and processing. In these cases, our staff can assist you in the completion of forms and guide you through the submission process.
- Post: Written correspondence can be mailed to the OAIC’s postal address.
- Please note that some types of complaints and applications for review by the Information Commissioner may require the submission of specific forms. These forms can be found on the contact us page.
Methods to avoid
To ensure your enquiry is handled efficiently, professionally and in accordance with legal requirements, please use the OAIC’s preferred contact methods listed above.
These channels are monitored and structured to ensure your message reaches the appropriate team and is handled in line with statutory obligations.
Please avoid:
- Sending emails to individuals (including Commissioners), multiple OAIC staff or email addresses that are for a different function to your enquiry.
- Staff may be unavailable, on leave, or not work in the relevant area. These emails may go unanswered or be missed entirely.
- Emails to multiple staff may result in duplicated responses.
- As mentioned above, some types of complaints and applications for review by the Information Commissioner may require the submission of specific forms.
- Copying in OAIC into emails intended for other agencies or organisations
- This may create unnecessary records and is not considered formal engagement with the OAIC.
- Informal communication methods that are not tracked or documented
- Contact through social media accounts, for example through LinkedIn.
What happens next
If we receive communication that is not sent through the correct contact channel, such as emails to individual staff or emails to inappropriate email addresses, it will likely be redirected to our general enquiries team in the first instance.
This ensures that your message is handled properly and directed to the correct area but may result in delays. You may also be required to resubmit your enquiry through one of the preferred methods. This may include submitting a form to capture the information needed for certain kinds of formal matters, including some types of complaints, and applications for review by the Information Commissioner.
