Freedom of information (FOI) laws promote access to information held by agencies and ministers. PM&C provides access to our information and documents on our website. You may request access under the Freedom of Information Act 1982 (FOI Act) to other documents we hold.
How to make a freedom of information request to PM&C
Requests made under the FOI Act must be in writing and:
- state that they are an application for the purposes of the FOI Act
- provide detail about the document that will allow us to identify it
- specify how we can provide you with a decision or notices in relation to the FOI request.
Email your request to foi@pmc.gov.au or post it to:
The FOI Coordinator
Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet
PO Box 6500
CANBERRA ACT 2600
Address your request to the correct entity
Each agency and minister is a separate entity for the purposes of the FOI Act. We can only process a request for documents in our possession. We encourage you to check which agency or minister you need to request documents from. The Administrative Arrangement Order can help you find the right entity.
What you can expect from us
Within 14 days of receiving your FOI request, we will acknowledge your request.
We will give you a decision within 30 days of receiving your request unless an extension of time applies. An extension of time may apply if:
- you have agreed to an extension. We may write to seek your agreement to further extend the processing time by up to 30 days
- the document contains a third party’s information. If a document contains a third party’s information we will need to consult them. We will notify you of our intention to consult. When consultation occurs, the processing time is extended by another 30 days.
If a request relates to the functions of another entity, we will seek to transfer the request. If the agency agrees to the transfer, we will notify you of the details and who will be processing the request. If agreement is not reached, we will continue to process or assist you to redirect the request.
Under the FOI Act, information can be deleted in part or in full if it is found to be irrelevant or exempt. Irrelevant information may include topics to which you did not request access. Exempt information may include matters of national security, deliberative matter or Cabinet documents. We will provide you with a statement of reasons for the use of exemptions in our decision.
FOI Disclosure Log
Documents released by PM&C are published on our FOI Disclosure Log. Some documents are excluded from publication – for example, those that contain personal information.
Fees and charges
There is no application fee for a request.
We do not charge to process a request when you are requesting only your personal information. Charges may apply to other requests under the FOI Act and the Freedom of Information (Charges) Regulations 1982.
If your request is liable for any charges, you will receive an estimate of the applicable charges. You will have a right to reply to agree or contend the estimate, or withdraw the request.
If you disagree with our decision
When we have made a decision, we will give you information about your review rights.
You can ask for the following decisions to be reviewed:
- a decision to refuse access to all or part of the requested documents, or if we defer giving you access.
- a decision to impose a charge.
A third party who disagrees with an access grant decision on documents about them can seek a review.
Internal review requests must be made within 30 days of receipt of the decision. They can be made to PM&C by email to FOI@pmc.gov.au.
You can request an external review, before or after internal review. The Australian Information Commissioner conducts external reviews. An external review must be made within 60 days of receiving a decision. More information is available from the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner website.
Complaints
If you believe we could have done better, you can let us know at FOI@pmc.gov.au. Or you can make a complaint to the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner.