The Government Information (Public Access) Act 2009 (NSW) (GIPA Act)

Accessing Information Held by Sydney Local Health District

There are four ways in which information held by Sydney Local Health District (SLHD) are made available:

Mandatory release:

The following information is routinely updated (as required) and is available for review:

The Sydney Local Health District website: You can search the website at http://www.slhd.nsw.gov.au/ for information about SLHD, its facilities and services, recruitment and training, as well as a list of the SLHD's publications, resources and policy documents.

The Agency Information Guide: The Sydney Local Health District's Agency Information Guide tells you in general terms:
- What our structure and functions are;
- What kind of government information we have;
- What kind of government information we will make available to the public;
- How that information will be made available;
- Whether or not there is a charge to access specific kinds of information.

The GIPAA Disclosure Log: The Disclosure Log is a record containing details of government information that has been formally released under the Government Information (Public Access) Act 2009 (GIPA Act). A disclosure log is part of the open access information that agencies are required to make available and is a requirement under Section 25 of the GIPA Act.

The disclosure log does not include:
- information on applications for personal information regarding the applicant, or
- information about applications where factors involving the applicant were a consideration in whether or not the disclosure of the information was in the public interest
Access to the documents can be provided by contacting the SLHD District Right to Information Coordinator on (02) 9515 9095.

Government Contracts: Government contracts are available on the NSW Government eTendering website at: https://tenders.nsw.gov.au/

Information tabled in Parliament: Information about Sydney Local Health District contained in any document tabled in Parliament by or on behalf of the agency. When information concerning Sydney Local Health District is tabled in parliament, it will be available here.

Information not disclosed: Open access information not released by the Sydney Local Health District due to an overriding public interest against disclosure.

As the Sydney Local Health District makes decisions about open access information that may not be disclosed due to an overriding public interest, it will publish this information on this website. This will detail the information requested and the reasons behind the Sydney Local Health District deciding not to release the information.

Proactive release:

You are welcome to ask Sydney Local Health District what information it will make available to the public, in addition to the information contained on its website. Under GIPAA, Sydney Local Health District will release as much information as possible, in an appropriate way and free of charge (or at the lowest reasonable cost). The Right to Information Unit can be contacted on (02) 9515 9095.

Informal request:

If the information you are after has not already been published by Sydney Local Health District, but is information which raises no particular concerns in terms of possible public interest reasons why it should be kept confidential, then Sydney Local Health District may be able to release it to you on request without the formalities of having to make a formal application.

If you think this applies to the information you are after you can contact the Right to Information Unit on telephone (02) 9515 9095 to make an informal request. We may ask that you provide details of your request in writing.

Generally, we try to release information we hold without the need for you to make a formal access application, unless there are good reasons to require one.

Under the GIPA Act, however, Government agencies are not required to release information without an access application. Sydney Local Health District reserves the right to require you to lodge an access application, particularly if there may be significant public interest considerations that need to be taken into account in deciding whether the information can be released or if you request a large volume of information or if it would otherwise take the Department a significant amount of time to consider your request.

Formal application:

If the information you are seeking is not available on this website and is not otherwise routinely provided by Sydney Local Health District on request, then you have a right to formally apply for access to specific information.

You can make a formal application by downloading and completing the government information access form and sending it to us. You can send the application by email to SLHD-GIPA@health.nsw.gov.au or if choosing to pay by credit card using our online payment portal you can upload the application as an attachment. If paying by cheque/money order you can send the application with your payment to the following address:

Right to Information Coordinator
Clinical Governance Unit
Sydney Local Health District
Post Office Box M30,
Missenden Road, NSW 2050
Tel: (02) 9515 9095

The Act says that we are only able to accept access applications that:

Are in writing and sent to us by one of the methods above;
Clearly state you are requesting information under the Government Information (Public Access) Act 2009 (NSW);
Enclose the $30 application fee;
Have a return address as the address for correspondence; and
Include as much specific information as necessary to enable us to identify the information you are asking for.

If your application does not include these five things, it will be invalid and will not be processed. If that happens, however, we will let you know and we will help you, if possible, by explaining how you can make a valid application.

Otherwise we will write to acknowledge receipt of a valid access application within 5 working days, and will deal with your application within 20 working days (subject to any extension allowed for under the Act). If any extension of time is required to deal with your application, we will let you know in writing.

Application fees and processing charges

The application fee for making an access application is $30. Processing charges can also be imposed at the rate of $30 per hour. In some circumstances an advance deposit can be required.

We will let you know in writing if that applies to your application.

Certain discounts may apply, including on financial hardship and public interest grounds – for more details see the Information and Privacy Commissioner Fact Sheets