FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT 1982
INFORMATION ON RIGHTS OF REVIEW IN RELATION TO DECISIONS MADE BY
THE DEPARTMENT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET
Information about your review rights is set out in the attached Fact Sheet ‘Freedom of
Information – Your review rights’ published by the Office of the Australian Information
Commissioner (the OAIC). The fact sheet explains that you may apply to the department for
internal review, or you may apply to the OAIC for external review.
You have the right to apply for an internal review of a decision refusing to grant access to
documents in accordance with your request, including a decision to defer access, or a decision to
impose charges. If you apply to internal review, an authorised officer of the Department (not the
person who made the original decision) will conduct a review and make a fresh decision on the
merits of the case. You should apply in writing for a review of the decision within 30 days of
receipt of this letter. If you wish to apply outside this period, you would also need to request an
extension of time to apply, and give reasons why an extension should be granted.
No particular form is required to request an internal review, it is desirable (but not essential) to
set out in the request the grounds on which you consider that the decision should be changed.
Your request for internal review of the decision should be addressed to:
The FOI Co-ordinator
Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet
PO Box 6500
CANBERRA ACT 2600
Ema
il: xxx@xxx.xxx.xx
Telephone: (02) 6271 5849
Facsimile: (02) 6271 5776
If you request internal review and are dissatisfied with the internal review decision, you could
then seek OAIC review of that decision. The attached Fact Sheet explains how to apply to the
OAIC for external review of an agency’s decision.