A lot of Sydney Opera House information is publicly available for free, inspection or purchase. If the information is not publicly available you can apply for it under the Freedom of Information Act 1989 (FOI Act). If you are after information or documents concerning your personal affairs, you can apply for it under the Privacy and Personal Information Protection Act 1998. Fees and charges apply. They cover some of the cost of searching for the documents, considering whether exemptions apply, copying the information and sending it to you.
Freedom of information (FOI)
You can request access to personal and non-personal documents under the FOI Act.
Non-personal documents are documents that do not directly relate to you, including government policy documents, research materials, instruction and procedure manuals, and market research and product testing records. In addition to paper documents, information can be in the form of certificates, files, computer printouts, maps, plans, films, photographs, sound and video recordings.
Personal documents relate to you personally. Examples include documents that contain your financial, medical, education and other personal information. You can also obtain this kind of information through the Privacy and Personal Information Protection Act 1998. Contact the Freedom of Information Contact Officer on 9250 7111 for more information.
How to apply for documents
Consider what documents you would like. Would Sydney Opera House hold the documents that you want? e.g. Is the information about Sydney Opera House or about one of the companies that perform at the House. In some cases we will not hold the documents and you will need to contact the company directly such as the Australian Ballet or Opera Australia.
Contact the Freedom of Information Contact Officer on +61 2 9250 7111 if you would like help with your application.
Write your request on an FOI application form or simply send a letter. Give as much information as possible about the documents you want and be as specific as possible. This will keep the cost of your application down.
Enclose the $30 application fee by cheque or money order. Please do not send cash. This fee covers the first hour of processing time. Each additional hour of processing costs a further $30 (unless you have requested access to your own personal information, in which case the first 20 hours are free). We may reduce the fees by half in cases of proven financial hardship, to pensioners, to children, to a non-profit organisation under financial hardship, or where you can show that release of the documents is in the public interest. You will need to provide supporting evidence.
Post your application to:
Freedom of Information Contact Officer
Sydney Opera House
GPO Box 4274
Sydney NSW 2001
How will your application be processed?
We will try to deal with your request as soon as possible and within 21 days of receiving your application. If we need to consult people or businesses whose documents are covered by your application, the 21-day period will be extended by 14 days.
Advance deposits
We may request an advance deposit if it would involve a substantial commitment of resources and significant costs to process your application. You will be given 28 days to pay an advance deposit. The 21 days allowed for Sydney Opera House to finalise your FOI application does not include the time waiting for an advance deposit to be paid.
Is any information not available under FOI?
We will try to make documents available wherever possible. However, you may not be able to obtain documents that are exempt under the FOI Act, such as confidential information, material that may breach another person's privacy or material that could unreasonably affect the affairs of a business. The FOI Act sets out the sort of information that should not be released. We will let you know the reasons for exempting a document or part of a document.
On what other grounds could Sydney Opera House refuse to give you information?
We can refuse an FOI application if:
Processing your request would unreasonably divert our staff from their normal functions. If that is the case, we will help you refine your application so that we can process it or
If you don't pay an advance deposit that we may ask for or
The documents you ask for are publicly available
What if your FOI application is unsuccessful?
You can have your application reviewed by Sydney Opera House, ask the Ombudsman for help, or take your case to the Administrative Decisions Tribunal.
Your first step: an internal review
If you are unhappy with our decision, you can seek an internal review. An internal review is conducted by someone senior to the person who made the original decision. They will review the decision and decide if it is correct. You can request an internal review if:
You have been refused access to a document or a part of a document
You have been refused a request to amend a personal document
You believe that you have been charged too much
You have been given access to a document but access has been deferred
If someone else has requested access to a document that relates to your business or personal affairs, you can also ask for an internal review:
If you have not been consulted about giving access to the document
You have been consulted, but disagree with a decision to release a document
You must apply for an internal review within 28 days of our decision. To apply, write a letter to the Chief Executive at Sydney Opera House.
The letter should be addressed to:
Chief Executive
Sydney Opera House
GPO Box 4274
Sydney NSW 2001
Enclose the $40 application fee by cheque or money order. Please do not send cash. No other fees are involved. The internal review fee may be refunded if the original decision is significantly altered. We should make a decision within 14 days of receiving an internal review request.
The NSW Ombudsman
If you have lodged an internal review application and are unhappy with the result, the NSW Ombudsman's Office may be able to help. The Ombudsman may become involved on your behalf where, for example, Sydney Opera House:
Takes an unreasonable time to process your FOI request
Imposes an unreasonable charge for access to information
Refuses to give you access to information that you have a right to see
The Ombudsman's Office can investigate your complaint and make recommendations. Telephone the Ombudsman's Office on (02) 9286 1000 for more details.
The Administrative Decisions Tribunal
If you wish to pursue the matter further, you can take your appeal to the NSW Administrative Decisions Tribunal.