You have the right to access certain government information under the Government Information (Public Access) Act 2009 (NSW) (GIPA Act). The objective of the GIPA Act is to make government information more accessible to the public by:

  • requiring government agencies to make certain sorts of information freely available
  • encouraging government agencies to release as much other information as possible
  • giving the public an enforceable right to make access applications for government information, and
  • restricting access to information only when there is an overriding public interest against disclosure.

Apply for GIPA Application

Apply Online

You can apply for an Information Access Application online through the NSW Police Force Community Portal.

Apply By Post Or Hand

You can make an Information Access Application by post or hand by following the instructions below.

  • Complete the Information Access Application Form (PDF);
  • Ensure your application is accompanied by a fee of $30.00
  • Send your application to the NSW Police Force by post to:
    NSW Police Force, InfoLink Unit, Locked Bag 5102, PARRAMATTA NSW 2124, or
    Lodge your application by hand at Police Headquarters, 1 Charles Street Parramatta NSW 2150.
How long does the processing of an application take?

The GIPA Act provides 20 working days to respond to a formal access application.

Additional time is allowed by the legislation for consultation with third parties, requests for advance deposits, requests made to the applicant to clarify details of the material sought or by negotiation with the applicant. These processes are undertaken by InfoLink on a case by case basis.

The Act provides that an agency that fails to determine an application within 20 working days after the application is received shall be deemed to have refused access to the application.  A deemed refusal allows other avenues of review to take place if requested by the applicant.

A deemed refusal of an application also requires that any application or advance deposit fee be refunded.

Informal applications:

There is no legislated time frame within which an agency must respond to an informal release application.

Request an Internal Review of a Decision already made (GIPA Act)

If you disagree with a decision made about an information access application you have made, you may be able to apply for an internal review of that decision.

Apply Online

You can apply for an Internal Review online through the NSW Police Force Community Portal.

Apply By Post Or Hand

You can apply for an Internal Review by post by following the instructions below.

  • Complete the Internal Review Application Form (PDF);
  • Ensure your application is accompanied by a fee of $40.00, unless an application fee is not required (see further information about fees below);
  • Send your application to the NSW Police Force by post to:
    NSW Police Force, InfoLink Unit, Locked Bag 5102, PARRAMATTA NSW 2124, or
    Lodge your application by hand at Police Headquarters, 1 Charles Street Parramatta NSW.
  • Ensure your application is made within the allowed statutory time frame (see further information about time frames below);

What is the time frame for seeking an internal review?

You have 20 working days from the date the decision is given to you to ask for an internal review. If you are requesting an internal review within this timeframe, you can request the review via the Community Portal.

If you did not receive a decision within the statutory processing period (usually 20 working days unless an extension applies), you would have received notice that the NSW Police Force is deemed to have refused to deal with your access application. The timeframe for you to seek internal review of this outcome commences from the date that the decision became overdue (the day after the decision due date). If you are requesting an internal review within this timeframe, you can request the review via the Community Portal.

If you are requesting an internal review and it has been more than 20 working days since either a decision has been made or the NSW Police Force is deemed to have made a decision, you can request that the NSW Police Force exercise its discretion to allow an extension of time for you to lodge your internal review. To do so, you must lodge your request for an internal review by post or hand as outlined above. Alternatively you can lodge it by email to gipa@police.nsw.gov.au and payment would be taken over the phone.

In your request you must include a brief explanation why your internal review application was not made within the statutory timeframe. Consideration will then be given to accepting your application out of time and you will be notified whether the agency has accepted your internal review application.

What is the cost for an internal review?

You will need to pay a $40 fee for an internal review unless:

  • you are asking for an internal review of a decision to refuse to deal with an access application because the agency did not decide the access application within time (a deemed refusal), in which case no fee is payable;
  • or the internal review was recommended by the Information Commissioner.