Obtaining your personal information

Can I obtain information about myself?

Yes. You have a right to apply to get departmental documents containing information about your personal affairs.

How can I obtain my documents?

You can apply to get your documents in two ways:

• Administrative Access is a departmental procedure, giving current and former clients a fast and simple way to get access to certain documents.
• Right to Information gives people a general right to get documents held by government departments.

How do I lodge an administrative access request?

The department Right to Information Unit will determine which requested documents will be released or exempted. Access to documents may be refused to protect essential public interests or the personal or business affairs of others.

All requests through legislation must be either lodged online via the Right to Information website, or on an application form.

The Right to Information Unit can be contacted as follows:

Administrative Access

Administrative Access is a department process where current and former clients can quickly and simply gain access to documents containing their personal information. You can apply in writing using an Administrative Access Request form. You must attach suitable identification (e.g. driver licence) to the letter before your request can be processed. Send the request to your nearest Housing Service Centre for assessment.

If your request is approved, we will arrange a time for you to view the documents. You can ask for amendments to your personal information if you believe it is wrong, misleading, incomplete or out of date. Amendments are recorded on an Administrative Access Amendment form and attached to the original document. No documents or any part of any document can be removed from a record.

Forms to request access or amendment to your personal information are available on the department website or from your nearest Housing Service Centre.

If your request is not approved, you can lodge a request through legislation.

Authority to request or disclose personal information to external parties

If you sign an Authority to request or disclose personal information to external parties form, we can contact other people and/or agencies to share information to ensure that the best possible services are available to you. In these situations:

• we will explain exactly who the department needs to contact and why.
• you can nominate a specific person or organisation and the period of time you give consent for us to receive and pass on your details.
• you can specify what we can or cannot talk about with this person or organisation.

Your privacy

The Department of Communities manages personal information in accordance with the Information Privacy Principles described in the Information Privacy Act 2009 (PDF).  

We will only use your personal information for the purpose for which it is collected. We will protect your personal information by such security safeguards as is reasonable in the circumstances against loss, unauthorised access, use, modification or disclosure, and other forms of misuse.

Further information

Please contact your nearest Housing Service Centre.