Freedom of Information

The Freedom of Information Act 1982 (FOI Act) gives you the right to request access to government-held information. This includes information they hold about you or about government policies and decisions. 

You can make a FOI request for access to documents DHA holds and obtain copies of those documents. 

An FOI request to DHA cannot provide you with:

  • a resolution to your dispute – submitting an FOI will not result in an investigation, escalation or any action relating to a dispute or complaint.
  • access to documents held by other agencies or organisations such as the Department of Defence, Toll, or a Strata group.
  • answers to questions that cannot be found in an existing document.

How do I make a Freedom of information request?

All FOI requests must be in writing and can be addressed to foi@dha.gov.au 

Defence members should consider using a non-defence email to submit a request. 

In your request, we encourage you to: 
  • be clear about what document/s you are requesting and why you are requesting them. 
  • be as specific as possible. Including details, such as dates, locations and/or names. 
  • provide your email or phone number to allow us to contact you. 
Consider if the following may help narrow your request so that you receive the information that you need: 
  • Is there a specific timeframe? 
  • Are there specific people or locations relevant? 
  • Are there specific types of documents you need such as emails? 
  • Are there may be keywords that help facilitate location of the document 

What happens next?

We will tell you within 14 days that we have received your FOI request. We will ask you questions about your request to make sure we understand the information you are seeking. 

If the information you’re looking for can be disclosed administratively without needing to undertake the FOI process, we may discuss this option with you as a way of providing you the information faster.  

We will let you know of our decision within 30 days or a longer period if particular circumstances apply, for example, if there is a need for third-party consultation or if your request is complex. We will let you know where this happens. 

Information that is exempt under the FOI Act will not be released to you. If any information relevant to your request is not released to you, we will provide an explanation in the decision letter. 

After you receive your decision, we may publish this decision on our disclosure log except when it contains:  

  • personal information about anyone;
  • information about a person’s business, commercial, financial or professional affairs;
  • information that cannot reasonably or practicably be published because of required deletions to the document;
  • other information that the Australian Information Commissioner has determined should not be disclosed.

You can find past decisions our disclosure log here -

Can an FOI request be refused?

We may refuse to process your request if a practical refusal reason exists including:

  • if the request is unclear and we cannot identify the documents; 
  • the request is too large and processing it would substantially and unreasonably divert resources from DHA operations.

Are there any fees or charges?

There is no fee for submitting an FOI request, and no charge when you request documents that consist only of your own personal information.

We may impose charges in accordance with the FOI Act and its Regulations in relation to requests involving information other than your personal information.

If we seek to impose charges for an FOI application, we provide you with a quote detailing how the charges were calculated and information about contesting the estimated charge.

There is no fee for seeking a review.

What if you disagree with our decision?

If you are unhappy with our decision about a request you have made, you may seek a review. When submitting a request for DHA review internally, please indicate if your disagreement relates to:

  • a refusal to give you access to all or part of a document or if we defer giving you access;
  • imposing a charge;
  • a refusal to change or annotate information about you that you claim is incomplete, incorrect, out of date or misleading.

You can also apply for an Information Commissioner review either before or after requesting an internal DHA review. To do this, please go to the OAIC website - Apply for an Information Commissioner review | OAIC

A third party who disagrees with our decision to give you documents that contain information about them can also ask for a review.