The GIPA Act provides members of the public with a right to access government information. There are four ways that members of the public can access government information held by Office of Sport under the GIPA Act.
- Mandatory proactive release (Open Access Information)
- Authorised proactive release
- Informal release
- Access applications
Information we must disclose
Information classified as Open Access Information (OAI) is the type of information which Office of Sport must make publicly available, unless it is not in the public interest to do so.
The Office of Sport makes OAI publicly available free of charge, including this publication (agency information guide), information about the Office of Sport tabled in Parliament (such as the Office of Sport Annual Report), policy documents, the Office of Sport register of government contracts and the agency disclosure log of access applications.
Information proactively released
The Office of Sport is required to have a program for the proactive release of government information.
Proactive disclosure is the manner in which the Office of Sport considers making information publicly available where possible. The proactive disclosure of information helps provide the public with greater access to government held information.
If information sought is not available on the Office of Sport’s website, members of the public can suggest that information be proactively disclosed (if held).
Please forward any suggestions to the Right to Information Officer at gipainfo@sport.nsw.gov.au.
Informal Request for Information
Members of the public can request information from the Office of Sport on any topic of interest. If the information is clearly in the public interest to disclose, it will be supplied free of charge.
The Office of Sport may attach conditions on the disclosure of information that is sensitive or confidential but relevant to the person making the request. Under the GIPA Act, a right of review only applies for formal applications.
If you would like to make an informal request for information, please contact the Right to Information Officer on (02) 8754 8713 or at gipainfo@sport.nsw.gov.au.
Formal Access Application
In some cases, requests for information held by the Office of Sport will need to be made through the formal access application process.
To make a request for information held by the Office of Sport, an application must:
- Be in writing
- Clearly indicate that it is a formal access application made under the GIPA Act
- Provide a payment of $30 (cheque or credit card)
- Provide a postal address for correspondence in connection with an application
- Include such information as is reasonably necessary to enable the government information applied for to be identified
If your application does not meet the above requirements, it will be invalid and the application will not be processed. However, in order to help you make a valid application, we will contact you to provide advice and assistance.
A generic application form is available on the IPC website.
If you would like to make a formal application, please email the Right to Information Officer at gipainfo@sport.nsw.gov.au. Please also indicate your preferred method of payment and the relevant details will be sent to you to you via email.
If you would like to make a formal application via Post, please send your application and cheque to the address below.
Attn: Right to Information Officer
Office of Sport
Locked Bag 1422
Silverwater NSW 2128
Formal access application fees and charges
Apart from the $30 application fee, the GIPA Act allows the Office of Sport to impose a charge of $30 per hour in order to process an application. The application fee counts towards the first hour of processing.
In processing a formal access application, the Office of Sport is required to ensure that it is dealt with efficiently and provides access to information requested at the lowest reasonable cost.
A 50% discount in processing charges will apply if an applicant demonstrates they fall within any of the following categories:
- A member of the public suffering financial hardship.
- The information applied for is of special benefit to the public.
- The holder of a current Pensioner Concession Card.
- Full time students.
- Non-profit organisations.
Please note that the 50% discount applies only to processing charges and not to the $30 application fee.
If applying for your own personal information, the Office of Sport cannot charge for the first 20 hours of processing.
For further information about fees and charges, please contact the Right to Information Officer on (02) 8754 8713 or at gipainfo@sport.nsw.gov.au
Requests for personal information can also be made under the PPIP Act.
Review Rights
You have the right to request a review of certain decisions made by the Office of Sport in response to a formal access application. For further information, please view the NSW Information and Privacy Commission's publication Your review rights under the GIPA Act.