Accessing NSW Electoral Commission information
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Legislative framework
The Government Information (Public Access) Act 2009 (GIPA Act) establishes a regime for public access to government information in a proactive, open manner.
The public access to government information regime is overseen by the Information and Privacy Commission (IPC). Further information about an individual’s right to information and how to access NSW government information is available on the IPC’s website.
There are three ways under the GIPA Act to access information held by a government agency:
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Information published on the website of the agency.
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Make an informal request.
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Make a formal access application.
Information published on our website
Under the GIPA Act, certain information is required by law to be available on our website. This is called "open access information" and includes:
We publish a large volume of material regarding elections, enrolment, funding and disclosure and lobbying on this website. We endeavour to release as much information as possible, either through our website or in other appropriate ways, free of charge or at the lowest reasonable cost.
In addition to the 'open access information' and other information that we are required to publish, our website contains the information that we have proactively released. Please refer to our agency information guide for guidance on the kinds of information we hold.
Open access information not released
If the NSW Electoral Commission makes decisions about open access information that may not be disclosed due to an overriding public interest, we will publish these details.
Make an informal request
If the information you wish to access has not already been published by us, but is information which is not subject to limits on disclosure under the GIPA Act, then we may be able to release it to you on request without lodging a formal access application. We may ask you to provide details of your informal request in writing.
Under the GIPA Act, however, government agencies are not required to release information without an access application. For example, we may require you to lodge an access application if:
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there may be public interest considerations that need to be taken into account by us in deciding whether the information you seek can be released
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you request a large volume of information
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it would take a significant amount of time to process your request.
Make a formal access application
If the information you are seeking is not already available on this website, and we are not able to release to you informally, you may formally apply for access to specific information.
Please be aware that there may be processing charges imposed for dealing with formal GIPA applications. Certain discounts may apply, however, including on financial hardship and public interest grounds – for more details see the Information and Privacy Commission's Resources for the public.
The GIPA Act says that we are only able to accept access applications that:
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are in writing and sent to or lodged with us (see our postal address and email address above)
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clearly state you are requesting information under the GIPA Act
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enclose the $30 application fee (cheques/money orders should be made payable to NSW Electoral Commission)
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have a return postal address as the address for correspondence
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include as much specific information as necessary to enable us to identify the information you are seeking.
There are also limits under the GIPA Act about disclosing certain classes of information.
You can make a formal application by downloading and completing the Government Information (Public Access) Act 2009 Access Application (PDF 0.1MB) and sending it to us at the following address:
Right to Information Officer
NSW Electoral Commission
GPO Box 832
Sydney NSW 2001
Alternatively you can lodge the form electronically to the email address of RightToInformation@elections.nsw.gov.au.