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Internal review decision 
Applicant: 
 
Phillip Sweeney 
Decision-maker: 
Ben (person number 2355), an authorised officer of the 
Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA) for the 
purposes of section 23(1) of the Freedom of Information Act 
1982 (‘FOI Act’).  
FOI reference: 
FOI 21 – 15 
Decision: 
Affirm the original decision to refuse access to the relevant 
documents.   
Summary 
1.
On 2 September 2020 you made the following FOI request:
“Following the findings of the Hayne Royal Commission, APRA issued directions and 
imposed additional registrable entity licence conditions on NULIS Nominees 
(Australia) Ltd.  
The first document I seek is a copy of the document (or documents) that contains 
these directions and additional licence conditions on NULIS Nominees (Australia) Ltd. 
I also seek a copy of any correspondence from NULIS to APRA agreeing to the 
directions and licence conditions and providing guidance on an implementation 
timeline.” 
(‘the original FOI request’) 
2.
On 30 September 2020 APRA made the decision to refuse access to nine documents
on the basis of section 38 of the FOI Act (‘the original FOI decision’).
3.
On 30 September 2020 APRA received your email request for an internal review of the
original FOI decision (‘the internal review application’).
Material taken into account  
4.
I relied on the following evidence and material in making my decision:
a)
the original FOI request dated 2 September 2020;
b)
acknowledgment of FOI request from FOI Officer to the Applicant dated 2
September 2020;
c)
email correspondence between APRA staff between 16 September – 30
September 2020;
d)
the original FOI decision;
e)
the internal review application;

f)
memorandum from FOI Officer dated 26 October 2020;
g)
relevant sections of the FOI Act; and
h)
guidelines issued by the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner to date
(FOI Guidelines).
Reasons 
5.
I reproduce relevant paragraphs of the original FOI decision:
“APRA has conducted all reasonable searches of its records and identified nine 
documents relevant to your FOI request (relevant documents). 
I have decided to refuse access to the relevant documents under section 38 of the FOI 
Act and section 56 of the APRA Act. My reasons for the refusal are as follows:  
Secrecy Provisions  
I have taken the following approach in apply section 38 of the FOI Act and section 56 
of the APRA Act:  
a. under section 38 of the FOI Act, a document is exempt if disclosure is prohibited
under a provision of an enactment and section 38 expressly applies to that
provision;
b. subsection 56(11) of the APRA Act expressly applies section 38 of the FOI Act
so that any document that is a ‘protected document’ or contains ‘protected
information’ within the meaning of subsection 56(1) of the APRA Act is also an
exempt document under section 38 of the FOI Act;
c. under subsection 56(2) of the APRA Act it is an offence to directly or indirectly
disclose protected documents and/or protected information unless a specified
exemption applies. This offence provision is binding on me as an APRA staff
member. The offence is punishable by up to two years imprisonment;
d. a ‘protected document’ is defined in subsection 56(1) of the APRA Act to
include documents given or produced under or for the purposes of a prudential
regulation framework law, and containing information relating to the affairs of a
financial sector entity. The Superannuation Industry (Supervision) Act 1993 is a
prudential regulation framework law. The relevant documents were given or
produced and disclosed or obtained under, or for the purposes of, this prudential
regulation framework law. Therefore, the documents are protected documents
unless otherwise publicly available;
e. ‘protected information’ is defined in subsection 56(1) of the APRA Act to include
information disclosed or obtained under or for the purposes of a prudential
regulation framework law, and relating to the affairs of a financial sector entity. For
the same reasons set out in paragraph (iv) above, information contained in the
documents is protected, unless otherwise publicly available. The information in the
documents is protected information, unless they are otherwise publicly available;
and;
f. the information and the documents are not otherwise publicly available.
AUSTRALIAN PRUDENTIAL REGULATION AUTHORITY 
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6.
The following statements were made in support of the internal review application:
a)
“It is a matter of public interest as to what are the additional licence conditions
imposed by APRA on a trustee who has been found guilty of failing to act honestly.”
b)
“APRA must give regulatory approval for the sale of MLC Ltd, the owner of NULIS,
to IOOF Holdings Ltd. How can members of the public and other “gatekeepers”
alert APRA to an alleged contravention of any of the additional licence conditions
if these conditions are kept secret? Default licence conditions are not a “secret”.
c)
“APRA cannot claim that some licence conditions are public knowledge (which
apply to all trustees – even honest ones), while additional licence conditions that
have been imposed on a dishonest trustee following the findings of a Royal
Commission are subject to “secrecy provisions”.
7.
I considered your statements, reviewed all relevant documentation and the process that
was undertaken by the FOI Officer.
8.
The relevant documents have not been lawfully made available to the public from other
sources. The relevant documents were given or produced for the purposes of a
prudential regulation framework law, namely the Superannuation Industry (Supervision)
Act 1993. It is clear the relevant documents are protected documents.
9.
Subsection 56(11) of the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority Act 1998 provides
a protected document is an exempt document for the purposes of section 38 of the FOI
Act. I affirm the original FOI decision to refuse access.
Rights of review 
10.
Under section 54L of the FOI Act, you have the right to apply to the OAIC for a review
of my decision. The application for review by the OAIC must be made in writing within
60 days of the date of this letter, and be lodged in one of the following ways:
Online 
Complete and lodge the online review form at:  
https://www.oaic.gov.au/freedom-of-information/reviews-
and-complaints/information-commissioner-review/ 
Post 
GPO Box 5218, Sydney NSW 2001 
Email 
xxxxx@xxxx.xxx.xx 
Facsimile 
(02) 9284 9666
Delivered in person 
Office of the Australian Information Commissioner 
Level 3, 175 Pitt Street 
Sydney NSW 2000 
11.
More information about your review rights under the FOI Act is available here:
https://www.oaic.gov.au/freedom-of-information/foi-guidelines/part-10-review-by-the-
information-commissioner/
AUSTRALIAN PRUDENTIAL REGULATION AUTHORITY 
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Ben (person number 2355)  
FOI Officer  
28 October 2020 
AUSTRALIAN PRUDENTIAL REGULATION AUTHORITY 
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FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT 1982 (CTH)   
38  Documents to which secrecy provisions of enactments apply 
 
(1)  Subject to subsection (1A), a document is an exempt document if: 
 
(a)  disclosure of the document, or information contained in the document, is 
prohibited under a provision of an enactment; and 
 (b) 
either: 
 
(i)  that provision is specified in Schedule 3; or 
 
(ii)  this section is expressly applied to the document, or information, by 
that provision, or by another provision of that or any other enactment. 
 
(1A)  A person’s right of access to a document under section 11 or 22 is not affected 
merely because the document is an exempt document under subsection (1) of 
this section if disclosure of the document, or information contained in the 
document, to that person is not prohibited by the enactment concerned or any 
other enactment. 
 
(2)  Subject to subsection (3), if a person requests access to a document, this 
section does not apply in relation to the document so far as it contains personal 
information about the person. 
 
(3)  This section applies in relation to a document so far as it contains personal 
information about a person if: 
 
(a)  the person requests access to the document; and 
 
(b)  disclosure of the document, or information contained in the document, is 
prohibited under section 503A of the Migration Act 1958 as affected by 
section 503D of that Act. 
 
(4)  In this section: 
enactment includes a Norfolk Island enactment. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
AUSTRALIAN PRUDENTIAL REGULATION AUTHORITY 
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AUSTRALIAN PRUDENTIAL REGULATION AUTHORITY ACT 1998 
56  Secrecy—general obligations  
 
(1)  In this section: 
body regulated by APRA includes a body that has at any time been a body 
regulated by APRA. 
court includes a tribunal, authority or person having the power to require the 
production of documents or the answering of questions. 
financial sector entity has the same meaning as in the Financial Sector 
(Collection of Data) Act 2001. 
officer means: 
 
(a)  an APRA member; or 
 
(b)  an APRA staff member; or 
 
(c)  any other person who, because of his or her employment, or in the course 
of that employment: 
 
(i)  has acquired protected information; or 
 
(ii)  has had access to protected documents; 
 
  other than an employee of the body to which the information or document 
relates. 
personal information has the same meaning as in the Privacy Act 1988. 
produce includes permit access to. 
protected document means a document given or produced (whether before or 
after the commencement of this section) under, or for the purposes of, a 
prudential regulation framework law and containing information relating to the 
affairs of: 
 
(a)  a financial sector entity; or 
 
(b)  a body corporate (including a body corporate that has ceased to exist) that 
has at any time been, or is, related (within the meaning of the Corporations 
Act 2001) to a body regulated by APRA or to a registered entity; or 
 
(c)  a person who has been, is, or proposes to be, a customer of a body 
regulated by APRA or of a registered entity;; or 
 
(ca)  a person in relation to whom information is, or was, required to be given 
under a reporting standard made in accordance with subsection 13(4A) of 
the Financial Sector (Collection of Data) Act 2001; 
other than: 
 
(d)  a document containing information that has already been lawfully made 
available to the public from other sources; or 
 
(e)  a document given or produced under, or for the purposes of, a provision of 
the Superannuation Industry (Supervision) Act 1993: 
 
(i)  administered by the Commissioner of Taxation; or 
 
(ii)  being applied for the purposes of the administration of a provision 
administered by the Commissioner of Taxation. 
It also includes a document that is given to APRA under Part 7.5A of the 
Corporations Act 2001, other than a document containing information that has 
already been lawfully made available to the public from other sources. 
 
 
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protected information means information disclosed or obtained (whether before 
or after the commencement of this section) under, or for the purposes of, a 
prudential regulation framework law and relating to the affairs of: 
 
(a)  a financial sector entity; or 
 
(b)  a body corporate (including a body corporate that has ceased to exist) that 
has at any time been, or is, related (within the meaning of the Corporations 
Act 2001) to a body regulated by APRA or to a registered entity; or 
 
(c)  a person who has been, is, or proposes to be, a customer of a body 
regulated by APRA or of a registered entity;; or 
 
(ca)  a person in relation to whom information is, or was, required to be given 
under a reporting standard made in accordance with subsection 13(4A) of 
the Financial Sector (Collection of Data) Act 2001; 
other than: 
 
(d)  information that has already been lawfully made available to the public from 
other sources; or 
 
(e)  information given or produced under, or for the purposes of, a provision of 
the Superannuation Industry (Supervision) Act 1993: 
 
(i)  administered by the Commissioner of Taxation; or 
 
(ii)   being applied for the purposes of the administration of a provision 
administered by the Commissioner of Taxation. 
It also includes information that is given to APRA under Part 7.5A of the 
Corporations Act 2001, other than information that has already been lawfully 
made available to the public from other sources. 
registered entity means a corporation that is, or has at any time been, a 
registered entity within the meaning of the Financial Sector (Collection of Data) 
Act 2001. 
 
(2)  A person who is or has been an officer is guilty of an offence if: 
 
(a)  the person directly or indirectly: 
 
(i)  discloses information acquired in the course of his or her duties as an 
officer to any person or to a court; or 
 
(ii)  produces a document to any person or to a court; and 
 
(b)  the information is protected information, or the document is a protected 
document; and 
 
(c)  the disclosure or production is not in accordance with subsection (3), (4), 
(5), (5AA), (5A), (5B), (5C), (6), (7), (7A), (7B) or (7C). 
Penalty: Imprisonment for 2 years. 
Note: 
Chapter 2 of the Criminal Code sets out the general principles of criminal responsibility. 
 
(3)  It is not an offence if the disclosure of protected information or the production of 
a protected document by a person is for the purposes of a prudential regulation 
framework law. 
Note: 
A defendant bears an evidential burden in relation to the matters in subsection (3) (see 
subsection 13.3(3) of the Criminal Code). 
 
(4)  It is not an offence if the disclosure of protected information or the production of 
a protected document by a person: 
 
(a)  is by an employee of the person to whose affairs the information or 
document relates; or 
 
(b)  occurs after the person to whose affairs the information or document relates 
has agreed in writing to the disclosure or production. 
 
 
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Note: 
A defendant bears an evidential burden in relation to the matters in subsection (4) (see 
subsection 13.3(3) of the Criminal Code). 
 
(5)  It is not an offence if the disclosure of protected information or the production of 
a protected document by a person: 
 
(a)  occurs when the person is satisfied that the disclosure of the information, or 
the production of the document, will assist a financial sector supervisory 
agency, or any other agency (including foreign agencies) specified in the 
regulations, to perform its functions or exercise its powers and the 
disclosure or production is to that agency; or 
 
(b)  is to another person and is approved by APRA by instrument in writing. 
Note: 
A defendant bears an evidential burden in relation to the matters in subsection (5) (see 
subsection 13.3(3) of the Criminal Code). 
 
(5AA)  It is not an offence if the disclosure of protected information or the production of 
a protected document is made: 
 
(a)  by an officer of an agency to which the information or document has been 
disclosed or produced under paragraph (5)(a); and 
 
(b)  for the same purpose as the information or document was so disclosed or 
produced to that agency. 
Note: 
A defendant bears an evidential burden in relation to the matters in subsection (5AA) 
(see subsection 13.3(3) of the Criminal Code). 
 
(5A)  It is not an offence if the production by a person of a document that was given to 
APRA under section 9 or 13 of the Financial Sector (Collection of Data) Act 2001 
is to the Australian Statistician for the purposes of the Census and Statistics Act 
1905. 
Note: 
A defendant bears an evidential burden in relation to matters in subsection (5A) (see 
subsection 13.3(3) of the Criminal Code). 
 
(5B)  It is not an offence if the production by a person of a document that was given to 
APRA under section 9 or 13 of the Financial Sector (Collection of Data) Act 2001 
is to: 
 
(a)  the Reserve Bank of Australia; or 
 
(b)  another prescribed authority. 
Note: 
A defendant bears an evidential burden in relation to matters in subsection (5B) (see 
subsection 13.3(3) of the Criminal Code). 
 (5C) 
If: 
 
(a)  a document is a reporting document given to APRA under section 13 of the 
Financial Sector (Collection of Data) Act 2001; and 
 (b) 
either: 
 
(i)  a determination has been made under section 57 that the document 
does not, or documents of that kind do not, contain confidential 
information; or 
 
(ii)  a determination has been made under section 57 that a specified part 
of the document, or of documents of that kind, does not contain 
confidential information; 
it is not an offence to disclose the document or that part of the document, or any 
information contained in the document or that part of the document, to any 
person (including by making the document, the part of the document or the 
information available on APRA’s website). 
 
 
AUSTRALIAN PRUDENTIAL REGULATION AUTHORITY 
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(6)  It is not an offence if the disclosure of protected information or the production of 
a protected document is to: 
 
(a)  an APRA member; or 
 
(b)  an APRA staff member; 
for the purposes of the performance of APRA’s functions, or the exercise of 
APRA’s powers, under a law of the Commonwealth or of a State or a Territory. 
Note: 
A defendant bears an evidential burden in relation to the matters in subsection (6) (see 
subsection 13.3(3) of the Criminal Code). 
 
(6A)  It is not an offence if the disclosure of protected information or the production of 
a protected document is to: 
 
(a)  an auditor who has provided, or is providing, professional services to a 
general insurer, authorised NOHC or a subsidiary of a general insurer or 
authorised NOHC; or 
 
(b)  an actuary who has provided, or is providing, professional services to a 
general insurer, authorised NOHC or a subsidiary of a general insurer or 
authorised NOHC; 
and the disclosure is for the purposes of the performance of APRA’s functions, or 
the exercise of APRA’s powers, under a law of the Commonwealth or of a State 
or Territory. 
 
(7)  It is not an offence if the information, or the information contained in the 
document, as the case may be, is in the form of a summary or collection of 
information that is prepared so that information relating to any particular person 
cannot be found out from it. 
Note: 
A defendant bears an evidential burden in relation to the matters in subsection (7) (see 
subsection 13.3(3) of the Criminal Code). 
 
(7A)  It is not an offence if the information, or the information contained in the 
document, as the case may be, is all or any of the following: 
 
(a)  the names of bodies that are regulated by APRA; 
 
(b)  the addresses at which bodies referred to in paragraph (a) conduct 
business; 
 
(c)  any other information that is reasonably necessary to enable members of 
the public to contact persons who perform functions in relation to bodies 
referred to in paragraph (a). 
Note: 
A defendant bears an evidential burden in relation to the matters in subsection (7A) (see 
subsection 13.3(3) of the Criminal Code). 
 
(7B)  It is not an offence if the information, or the information contained in the 
document, as the case may be, is: 
 
(a)  a statement of APRA’s opinion as to whether or not a body regulated by 
APRA is complying, or was complying at a particular time, with a particular 
provision of a prudential regulation framework law; or 
 
(b)  a description of: 
 
(i)  court proceedings in relation to a breach or suspected breach by a 
person of a provision of a prudential regulation framework law; or 
 
(ii)  activity engaged in, or proposed to be engaged in, by APRA in relation 
to such a breach or suspected breach; or 
 
(c)  a description of action under a prudential regulation framework law that 
APRA has taken or is proposing to take in relation to: 
 
(i)  a body regulated by APRA; or 
 
 
AUSTRALIAN PRUDENTIAL REGULATION AUTHORITY 
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(ii)  an individual who holds or has held a position with or in relation to such 
a body. 
Note: 
A defendant bears an evidential burden in relation to the matters in subsection (7B) (see 
subsection 13.3(3) of the Criminal Code). 
 
(7C)  If information referred to in subsection (7A) or paragraph (7B)(a) that relates to a 
body that is, or has at any time been, regulated by APRA under the 
Superannuation Industry (Supervision) Act 1993 is disclosed to the Registrar of 
the Australian Business Register established under section 24 of the A New Tax 
System (Australian Business Number) Act 1999, the Registrar may enter the 
information in that Register. 
Note: 
A defendant bears an evidential burden in relation to the matters in subsection (7C) (see 
subsection 13.3(3) of the Criminal Code). 
 
(8)  A person who is, or has been, an officer cannot be required to disclose to a court 
any protected information, or to produce in a court a protected document, except 
when it is necessary to do so for the purposes of a prudential regulation 
framework law. 
 
(9)  If a person discloses information or produces a document under this section to 
another person, the first person may, at the time of the disclosure, impose 
conditions to be complied with in relation to the information disclosed or the 
document produced. 
 
(10)  A person is guilty of an offence if the person fails to comply with a condition 
imposed under subsection (9). 
Penalty: Imprisonment for 2 years. 
Note: 
Chapter 2 of the Criminal Code sets out the general principles of criminal responsibility. 
 
(11)  A document that: 
 
(a)  is a protected document; or 
 
(b)  contains protected information; 
is an exempt document for the purposes of section 38 of the Freedom of 
Information Act 1982. 
Note: 
For additional rules about personal information, see the Privacy Act 1988. 
 
(12)  A disclosure of personal information is taken to be authorised by this Act for the 
purposes of paragraph 6.2(b) of Australian Privacy Principle 6 if: 
 
(a)  the information is protected information and the disclosure is made in 
accordance with any of subsections (4), (5), (5AA), (6), (7A), (7B) and (7C); 
or 
 
(b) 
the information is contained in a protected document and the disclosure is 
made by the production of the document in accordance with any of those subsections. 
 
 
 
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