Access to Information (GIPA)

Government Information (Public Access) Act 2009

There are four ways in which information held by the Medical Council of New South Wales (the Council) will be available.

1. Mandatory release

Much of the information held by the Council is already publicly available. The following are current resources you may wish to review:

  • The Medical Council of NSW website. Here, you will find information about the Council, its membership and functions as well as disciplinary decisions.
  • An Agency Information Guide required by the Office of the Information Commissioner (OIC).
  • A Disclosure Log is available on the Council's website. It lists all formal determinations made by the Council that it considers will be of interest to others.
  • Government contracts. The Council is required by the GIPA Act to record and publish certain information about some contracts with private sector bodies. Part 3, Division 5 of the GIPA Act states that information about contracts worth more than $150,000 between agencies and private sector bodies must be recorded in a register of government contracts.
  • Information tabled in Parliament. Information about the agency contained in any document tabled in Parliament by or on behalf of the agency. The Council commenced on 1 July 2010. Annual Reports of the NSW Medical Board for preceding years, tabled in Parliament, are available on the Council website.

2. Proactive release

You can ask the Council what information it will make available to the public, in addition to the information contained on its website. Under the GIPA Act, the Council is encouraged to release as much information as possible, in an appropriate way and free of charge (or at the lowest reasonable cost). Contact the Council.

3. Informal request

You can request specific information from the Council. The Council will release information without the need for a formal application, unless there are good reasons to require one. A duty legal officer is available to assist you in making a request for information and can be contacted on (02) 9879 2200 or you may contact the Council.

4. Formal application

If you have not been able to get the information you need in any other way, you can formally request specific information from the Council. In some circumstances, access to information will require a formal access application. A copy of the application form to request information held by the Council is available on this website.

Detailed information about the Government Information (Public Access) Act 2009 is available on the website of the Office of the Information Commissioner: www.oic.nsw.gov.au