Information Act Application Process

Lodging the Form | Proof of Identity | Fees | How to Pay | Time Frames | Exempt Information

Lodging the Form

Applications may be submitted by post to:

Information Unit
DLGHS
GPO Box 4621,
Darwin NT 0801
or lodged in person at any Territory Housing Office.

Applications forwarded by mail will need to be accompanied by a photocopy of an approved form of identification.

Proof of Identity

The Act requires you to provide proof of identity when lodging your application form. For postal applicants this may mean attaching a copy of one of the types of identification as outlined in the DLGHS’s Information Access Policy.

The requirements for proving your identity are more stringent for applications dealing with personal information as DLGHS needs to protect the privacy of all the personal information it holds. Applicants in remote areas will need to have copies of identification endorsed by a Council Clerk, Police or Senior Health Officer as outlined in the Information Access Policy.

Fees

An application fee of $30 applies only to requests for government information and processing fees may be charged to cover the cost of searching for and providing the information. Fees are not charged for searching for information under a request for access to personal information; however a processing fee may apply to cover costs where lengthy examination of documents under supervision is involved or photocopying etc.

You may be required to pay a deposit on an estimate provided by DLGHS for accessing government or personal information. For amounts estimated at over $100, a 50% deposit would be required. Estimated amounts of less than $100 require a deposit of $25.00.

Under the Act there is provision for the Department to consider waiving or reducing fees and charges. Each applicant’s circumstances are considered on merit. Application to Waive or Reduce Fees.

Where a deposit is required, you will be notified and the application will not proceed until either the deposit is paid or an application to waive or reduce the costs has been resolved. The Department will not charge any amount over and above the estimated amount.

How to Pay for an application

Applications can be paid by the following methods:

Time Frames

DLGHS undertakes to process your application within the 30 day timeframe set out by the Act. However, there are some circumstances that can occur during the processing of applications that could lead to delays. These are:

1. If your application does not comply with section 18 of the Act. This section requires that the application is to be:
2. 1. In writing;
   2. Specify the name of the applicant;
   3. Include sufficient details to identify the information;
   4. Specify an address to which correspondence regarding the application may be sent to the applicant; and
   5. Before accepting an application, a public sector organisation must satisfy itself as to the identity of the applicant.
3. If you are requested under section 19 of the Act to provide additional details to that specified on your application to enable DLGHS to better identify and retrieve the information sought.
4. Where you are required to pay a deposit, DLGHS will not proceed with the application until a deposit is paid and an agreement undertaken to pay the total amount of the estimate provided.
5. Where an application to waive or reduce fees has been submitted.
6. The time required to process an application may be lengthened due to other situations such as where DLGHS is required to seek the views of a third party, where more time is required to search for the information, or to transfer the application to another Department who may hold the information.

There a number of ways you can assist a quick response to your application:

1. Be as specific as possible. Applications that are too general or vague will require more time to process. If possible include names, dates, locations or terms that are relevant to the subject. This will facilitate a quicker search and retrieval of the information.
2. The Act does not intend to replace already established regimes for seeking access to information. Where information is available through another established process, DLGHS will direct you how best to access the information you are seeking. Please refer to the Information Access Policy or contact the Information Unit on (08) 8999 8490 to discuss the process that would best suit your request.
3. It may be useful to check whether the information you require is not already available before lodging your application. The DLGHS website contains information about the Department and contact details for each area as a starting point. DLGHS publishes an Information Listing of all the documents the Department holds and its accessibility.

Exempt Information

DLGHS is committed to the spirit of the Act being the free flow of Government information. However, there are instances where disclosure is deemed conclusively to being not in the public interest. In some cases the information may be subject to a public interest test where the public interest in non-disclosure of the information is deemed to outweigh the public interest in disclosure. The full extent of exemptions can be found in Part 4 of the Act.