Right to information

There are several ways to access information about us, as well as information released through right to information(RTI) requests.

Before making a request for a document, check to see if the information is available already. Search:

• Our publication scheme—which contains information about the QCA such as our annual report and organisational structure
• Our disclosure log (released information)—which contains non-personal information released through the RTI legal process
• Our other industry sectors contain information and reports you may be looking for.

If you cannot find what you are looking for, contact our RTI officer who will tell you if the information is accessible through an administrative release process or if you need to make an RTI request to access it.

We routinely release information to the public.

In order for this information to be readily accessible to the community, the information is published to this website, grouped according to the relevant industry and responsibility. Our groupings are:

Previously released right to information requests

Our disclosure log provides details of documents previously released under the Right to Information Act 2009.

Under the Act, information of a sensitive nature, for example personal details and/ or information considered commercial in confidence, is removed from the documents prior to their release. It contains a description of the information released and, where possible, a link to the relevant documents.

You can obtain copies of the documents listed by emailing a request with the information details, including relevant document numbers, to RTIandIP@qca.org.au

For more information please contact our RTI officer.

The Right to Information Act 2009 (the RTI Act) provides that a person who wishes to be given access to a document of an agency or a document of a Minister under this Act may apply to the agency or Minister for access to the document.

Fees and charges

There are fees and charges associated with an RTI request for general information, and for a request which comprises a mix of personal and non-personal information. Where an application deals solely with the applicant’s personal information, no application fee or processing charges apply.

• Application fee: $57.65
• Processing charges:
  • For a processing time under 5 hours: nil
  • For a processing time more than 5 hours: $8.95 per 15 minutes or part of 15 minutes
• Access charges
  • Provision of physical copies: $0.25 per page of black and white A4 photocopies of documents
  • Provision of digital copy (USB/email*): nil

*If you receive documents by email, your information could go through overseas servers. If you are not comfortable with this, please request another access type.

Where processing or access charges apply, you will receive a charges estimate notice before the end of the processing period for the application. Payment of any fees and charges can be made by direct deposit to the following account:

Bank: Commonwealth Bank of Australia

Account name: Queensland Competition Authority

BSB: 064-013

Account number: 10006464

Reference: RTI-Surname**

**e.g. if your surname is ‘Smith’, the reference should be RTI-Smith.

Making an access application

You can apply by submitting the Right to Information Access Application Form , or by otherwise submitting your request to us in writing. Note that while use of the form is not mandatory, it is structured to assist with submitting a ‘valid’ application. A written request which does not use the form must comply with the requirements set out under section 24 of the RTI Act. Applications must be accompanied by the application fee to be considered ‘valid’.

Your application, and supporting documentation, can be submitted to us via:

email: RTI@qca.org.au, or

mail: RTI officer
Corporate Services
GPO Box 2257
Brisbane, QLD, 4001

Following receipt of a valid application, the QCA has a minimum of 25 days to process your request, with a further 10 business days able to be added if consultation with third parties is required.

Where we believe additional time may be required to finalise your application, based on size or complexity, we may negotiate an extension of the processing period with you.

The Right to Information Act (2009) (the RTI Act) provides that an individual has the right to amend personal information in particular documents. Individuals may apply to have their personal information held by the QCA amended where they believe the personal information is:

• inaccurate, or
• incomplete, or
• out of date, or
• misleading

Making a personal information amendment application

We will provide informal (administrative) amendment options to people wherever practicable. There is no fee applicable to a personal information amendment application.

You can apply to amend your personal information by submitting the RTI Personal Information Amendment Application, or by otherwise submitting your request to us in writing. Note that while use of the form is not mandatory, it structured to assist with submitting a ‘valid’ application. A written request which does not use the form must comply with the requirements set out under section 78E of the RTI Act.

Amendment requests can be submitted to us via:

email: RTI@qca.org.au, or

mail: RTI officer
Corporate Services
GPO Box 2257
Brisbane, QLD 4001

Following receipt of a valid application, the QCA has 25 business days to process your request. Where we believe additional time may be required to finalise your application, based on size or complexity, we may negotiate an extension of the processing period with you.

The Right to Information Act 2009

From 1 July 2009, the Right to Information Act 2009 (RTI) replaced the Freedom of Information Act 1992 and is part of a broader ‘push’ model of greater proactive and routine release of information. This Act:

• gives you a right to apply for access to documents held by government agencies and Ministers
• gives you a right to amend, if inaccurate, incomplete, out of date or misleading, documents of an agency or Minister to the extent they contain your personal information
• requires each government agency to publish a publication scheme on its website which may include an online disclosure log of documents that have been released in response to right to information applications
• establishes the Information Commissioner and the Right to Information Commissioner to oversee right to information in Queensland

Information Privacy Act 2009

The primary objective of this Act is to provide for the fair collection and handling in the public sector environment of personal information.