Office of the Australian Information Commissioner

Office of the Australian Information Commissioner
Agency overview
Formed1 November 2010; 14 years ago (1 November 2010)
Preceding agency
  • Office of the Australian Privacy Commissioner
JurisdictionCommonwealth of Australia
Employees118 (2021–22)[1]
Annual budget$33.4 million (2022–23)[2]
Minister responsible
Agency executive
Parent agencyOffice of the Attorney-General
Websitewww.oaic.gov.au

The Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC), known until 2010 as the Office of the Australian Privacy Commissioner is an independent Australian Government agency, acting as the national data protection authority for Australia, established under the Australian Information Commissioner Act 2010,[3] headed by the Australian Information Commissioner.

The office has three primary functions:[3]

  • privacy functions, conferred by the Privacy Act 1988[4] and other laws
  • freedom of information functions, in particular, oversight of the operation of the Freedom of Information Act 1982[5] (FOI Act) and review of decisions made by agencies and ministers under that Act
  • government information policy functions, conferred on the Australian Information Commissioner under the Australian Information Commissioner Act 2010.[3]

The office is an agency within the Attorney-General's portfolio. The office liaises with the Business and Information Law Branch, part of the Civil Law Division within the Civil Justice and Legal Services Group of the Attorney-General's Department. The office is an independent agency and reports to the Attorney-General.

The current Australian Information Commissioner and Privacy Commissioner is Angelene Falk, who was appointed in August 2018.[6]

  1. ^ "Office of the Australian Information Commissioner | Annual report 2021–22" (PDF). Office of the Australian Information Commissioner. Australian Government. 19 October 2022. Retrieved 28 March 2023.
  2. ^ Office of the Australian Information Commissioner - Entity resources and planned performance
  3. ^ a b c "Australian Information Commissioner Act 2010". 13 December 2022.
  4. ^ "The Privacy Act 1988". 22 May 2024.
  5. ^ "The Freedom of Information Act 1982". 22 May 2024.
  6. ^ "Who we are - Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC)". www.oaic.gov.au. Retrieved 2019-05-08.