Privacy Act requests
The Privacy Act 1993 gives you the right to access the personal information we hold about you. You can also ask us to correct any errors contained in the information we have about you.
To protect your privacy and the privacy of others we'll have to verify that you are who you say you are before we can give you access to view, add information, or correct errors in the information we hold.
You can ask for someone else's information if you have been given the authority to act on their behalf.
You can:
- email us, or
- post your request to us.
Requests to access information
We'll:
- acknowledge your request—usually within 2 working days of receiving it, and
- respond no later than 20 working days after receiving your request.
If we're not able to supply all the information you requested we'll explain why. Our explanation will refer to specific sections of the Privacy Act, such as section 27, 28, or 29.
Requests to change information
We'll acknowledge your request usually within 2 working days of receiving it. Requests can be for changes to factual data or opinion-based information.
If we're holding the incorrect information we'll:
- amend it on your file
- record the decision in our system
- send the corrected information to any third party who may have received the incorrect information, and
- contact you to let you know what we have done.
Sometimes we'll not be able to make a change to information we hold on you. This will often be because it related to opinion-based information, such as a medical assessment. If we're unable to make the requested change we'll:
- contact you to explain why we can't make the change
- ask you if you wish to provide a written statement, which we'll add to your file, to show that you requested a change to your information but that we have not made the change
- send a new copy of the information, with your statement attached, to any third party who has recently received the original information, and
- contact you to let you know what we have done.
If you have not received a response by the due date or aren't satisfied with our response you can complain to the Office of the Privacy Commissioner.