Access to information

Members of the public can access a range of information created or maintained by the NSW Food Authority.

Some is already published, and other information may be available on request.

Details of what is available and how to ask for it include:

Public registers

The Authority must publish certain regulatory information and lists it collects and maintains under the Food Act.

See: lists & registers section of this website

Personal & health records

Food complaints and food business details which the Authority is required by law to keep can result in records that include personal details such as:

• names
• addresses
• contacts
• illnesses, and
• other details which make it possible to identify specific people.
  

See: access to personal information

General access to government information (GIPA)

The NSW Government has replaced the Freedom of Information Act with a law that:

• creates new rights to information designed to meet community expectations of more open and transparent government, and
• encourages government agencies to proactively release government information.

It covers policies, reports, certain contracts and a range of other documents.

See: general access to information

Legal proceedings

The Authority sometimes publishes public notices on various matters including during public consultations for changes to NSW food law. Notes are generally placed in major newspapers or the Government Gazette.

The Authority does not routinely disclose information about complaints or investigations. Some legal proceedings, however, allow discovery of certain information by the parties or mean that information goes into the public domain. 

See: Lawlink NSW’s court and tribunal transcripts site