About / Access to Information

Access to information

The Greyhound Welfare & Integrity Commission is a NSW government agency and subject to the requirements of the Government Information (Public Access) Act 2009 (GIPA Act).  The GIPA Act establishes four ways for government information to be made available to the public:

  1. Mandatory disclosure of open access information
  2. Authorised proactive release
  3. Informal release of information
  4. Access Application for the release of information

How to access information

Mandatory disclosure of open access information

The  Commission is required to make the following information publicly available:

The information you are looking for may already be available under one of these links.

Authorised proactive release

The Commission is authorised to release, free of charge or at the lowest possible cost, as much other government information as possible, unless there is an overriding public interest against disclosure of the information.

If you cannot find the information you are looking for on our website, please contact us to find out if the information has already been released by the Commission.

Informal release of information

If the information you are seeking is not already published on the Commission’s website, the Commission may be able to release it to you under an informal request, without the need to lodge an Access Application. As a general rule the Commission will provide the following types of information under an informal request:

  • copies of correspondence sent to us by you;
  • copies of documents containing your personal information;
  • copies of documents that are already in the public domain.

Please note that in some cases you may be asked to submit a formal request in an access application. Conditions may also be imposed in relation to the use or disclosure of information provided to you under an informal request in some cases.

To make an informal request, please contact the Commission’s Right to Information Officer on 1800 951 755 or email gipa.enquiries@gwic.nsw.gov.au

Access application for release of information

If the information you are seeking is not available on the Commission’s website and not routinely provided by the Commission under an informal request, you may apply formally for access.

Please apply using the Commission’s Access Application.

A fee of $30.00 must be submitted with all access applications. In some cases, processing charges at the rate of $30.00 per hour or an advance deposit may be imposed by the Commission. – we will let you know in writing if this applies to your application.

Send your completed Access Application and payment to:

Email
gipa.enquiries@gwic.nsw.gov.au

Or post
Right to Information Officer
Greyhound Welfare and Integrity Commission
PO Box 718
BATHURST NSW 2795

All Access Applications must:

  • be in writing and sent to us at the address above,
  • clearly state you are requesting information under the Government Information (Public Access) Act 2009 (NSW),
  • enclose the $30.00 application fee,
  • include a postal address in Australia as the address for correspondence; and
  • include as much specific information as necessary to enable the Commission to identify the information you are seeking.

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.

We will write to you 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 GIPA Act). If any extension of time is required to deal with your application, we will let you know in writing.

Disclosure Log

The Commission's disclosure log is prepared in accordance with sections 25 and 26 of the GIPA Act and can be found here . The disclosure log publishes details of information released by the Commission in response to access applications that the Commission considers may be of interest to other members of the public.

Agency Information Guide

The Commission's Agency Information Guide outlines the functions and structure of the Commission, the types of information we hold, how our information can be accessed, details of the costs associated with accessing our information, and how members of the public and other agencies can participate in the formulation of our policies and the exercise of our functions.

You can view the Commission's Agency Information Guide here.

Internal and external review rights

We will notify you of the outcome of your access application and your rights of review.

The GIPA Act lists the types of decisions which may be the subject of an internal and/or external review (reviewable decision).

Internal review

Any person who is aggrieved by a reviewable decision is entitled to ask for an internal review. This includes the access applicant and any third party objectors, and may include other people who would be affected by the decision.

The Commission has an Internal Review Application for use in these circumstances.

A fee of $40.00 must be submitted with the Internal Review Application. The Application must be made within 20 working days after notice of a decision was given to the access applicant.

An internal review will be conducted by another officer of the Commission who is no less senior than the decision-maker.

External review

Applications for review to the Information and Privacy Commission or the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal (NCAT) must be made within 40 working days after notice of a decision was given to the access applicant.

Further information about review rights under the GIPA Act can be obtained from:

  • Information and Privacy Commission on 1800 472 679 or www.ipc.nsw.gov.au.
  • Administrative and Equal Opportunity Division of NCAT on 1300 006 228 or www.ncat.nsw.gov.au.