Freedom of information
Freedom of information (FOI) laws allow the public the right to access information we hold, with some exceptions. You may request access under the Freedom of Information Act 1982 (FOI Act) to documents we hold.
How to make a freedom on information request to the Authority
You may request access to Authority documents under the Freedom of Information Act 1982 (FOI Act).
Requests made under the FOI Act must:
- be in writing (there is no special form)
- state that the request is an application for the purposes of the FOI Act
- provide enough detail about the document you are seeking to allow us to identify it, and
- provide details about how we can provide you with notices under the FOI Act, either a postal address or an email address.
You can send your request through email to: NZEA-FOI@pmc.gov.au.
Alternatively, you can send your request through post to:
Freedom of Information Coordinator, Corporate Strategy & Services Branch, Net Zero Economy Authority, PO Box 6500, CANBERRA ACT 2600
If you require assistance with your request, please get in touch with the FOI Contact Officer using the contact details above.
Evidence of identity
If your FOI request is for documents that contain your personal information we will also need proof of your identity. Acceptable identity documents include:
- a passport
- an Australian driver's licence
- any other official identification in the English language which contains your photo, signature and address
Third-party requests
You can ask someone else to make an FOI request on your behalf. If you do this, you must give that person written consent.
If you are making an FOI request on behalf of another person, you must give us a written authority from that person.
What you can expect from us
We will acknowledge your FOI request within 14 days of receiving it.
We will notify you of our decision within 30 days of receipt of the request unless that period is extended or suspended in accordance with the FOI Act.
Under the FOI Act, we may refuse access to any document if it falls within a specific exemption. Exempt information may include matters of national security, deliberative matter or Cabinet documents.
You are also not entitled to obtain access to documents under the FOI Act if they are available to the public for a fee or other charge, or if they are in the collection of certain institutions, such as library material in the National Library of Australia.
We will provide you with a statement of reasons for the use of exemptions in our decision.
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 about your FOI request, we will send you a letter explaining our decision and your review and appeal rights.
You can ask for the following decisions to be reviewed:
- if we refuse to give you access to all or part of a document or if we defer giving you access
- if we impose a charge
- if we refuse to change or annotate information about you that you claim is incomplete, incorrect, out of date or misleading.
A third party who disagrees with our decision to give you documents that contain information about them can also ask for our decision to be reviewed.
Internal review
You can write to us and ask that we reconsider our decision through an internal review. Internal review requests must be made within 30 days of receipt of the decision. They can be made to the Authority by email to NZEA-FOI@pmc.gov.au
Upon request for an internal review, another Net Zero Economy Authority officer will conduct the internal review and we will advise you of the new decision within 30 days of receiving your request.
Information Commissioner review and complaints
You can request an external review, before or after an internal review.
The Australian Information Commissioner conducts external reviews. A request for an external review must be made within 60 days of receiving a decision (or 30 days after you are notified if you are an affected third party).
The Information Commissioner can affirm or vary the decision, can substitute a new decision, or may decide not to conduct a review in certain circumstances.
More information on making applications for OAIC review, or lodging complaints, is available at the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner.