Public interest disclosures

The Public Interest Disclosures Act 2022 (PID Act) provides a system to encourage public officials to report wrongdoings. As provided for under the PID Act, the NSW Information Commissioner is responsible for receiving complaints made as PIDs about government information contraventions, while the NSW Privacy Commissioner is responsible for receiving complaints made as PIDs about privacy contraventions. The Chief Executive Officer of the Information and Privacy Commission is also responsible for receiving reports made about the operations of the agency.

Under the PID Act, a public sector official can report:

• a government information contravention, which is defined as a failure to exercise functions in accordance with any provision of the Government Information (Public Access) Act 2009 (GIPA Act) to the Information Commissioner
• a privacy contravention, which is defined as a failure to properly fulfil functions under the Privacy and Personal Information Protection Act 1998 (PPIP Act), or Health Records and Information Privacy Act 2002 (HRIP Act) to the Privacy Commissioner

The information here will assist public officials in making a complaint to the Information Commissioner or Privacy Commissioner and to understand the process and procedures the Commissioner’s will apply in considering their complaint, as well as the information that may be of assistance in assessing the complaint.

Find out more information about an information access contravention. 

Find out more information about a privacy contravention.