Oceania
Office of the Australian Information Commissioner
Australia
Head of authority: Elizabeth Tydd
Ms Tydd was appointed Australian Information Commissioner and Privacy Commissioner in August 2024. Prior to this she served as Freedom of Information Commissioner at the OAIC. She was the Information Commissioner and CEO of the NSW Information and Privacy Commission from 2013 to 2023. She was the Executive Director, Office of Liquor Gaming and Racing, Department of Communities from 2009 to 2013. Between 1997 and 2009, Ms Tydd held a number of senior roles at the New South Wales Department of Fair Trading including Assistant Commissioner, Compliance and Legal Group and Deputy Chairperson, Consumer Trade and Tenancy Tribunal. Ms Tydd holds a Bachelor of Laws and Master of Laws from the University of Technology, Sydney.
Continent: Oceania
Competence: Privacy / Data Protection and ATI/RTI
Jurisdiction: Federal
Year established: Federal
Number of staff: 89
Relevant Laws
Freedom of Information Act 1982
Australian Information Commissioner Act 2010
Activities:
Contact details:
Address: Office of the Australian Information Commissioner, GPO Box 5218 Sydney NSW 2001
Website: https://oaic.gov.au/
- Phone:(+61)1300363992
- Email:[email protected]
Information and Privacy Commission NSW (IPC)
New South Wales (Australia)
Head of authority: Rachel McCallum (was appointed to the role in March 2024)
Ms McCallum's role is to promote public awareness and understanding of the right to access government information in NSW under the Government Information (Public Access) Act 2009 (NSW) (GIPA Act), as well as providing information, support, advice, assistance and training to agencies and the general public.
As Information Commissioner, Ms McCallum has the power to review decisions made by other NSW government agencies and deal with complaints about information access, monitor agency functions and reports to the Attorney General and the Minister for Customer Service and Digital Government, Minister for Small Business, Minister for Fair Trading about proposals for legislative or administrative change.
Prior to being appointed as Information Commissioner, she was Executive Director and General Counsel at the NSW Electoral Commission. Ms McCallum brings with her over thirty years in legal practice and policy development, including in the reform of information access rights, privacy, electoral regulation, local government, and integrity agencies.
She has extensive experience in legal, regulatory and governance positions, spanning the private and public sector. She has also previously served in senior positions at Transport for NSW and the Department of Premier and Cabinet.
Continent: Oceania
Scope: Provincial
Competence: Privacy / Data Protection and ATI/RTI
Year established: 2011
Number of staff: 35
Relevant Laws
Law No. 119/2014 "On the Right to Information"
Law No. 9887/2008 “On the Protection of Personal Data”, as amended
Activities:
2020 annual report is the latest published in English
In native language
Contact details:
Address: Level 15, McKell Building, 2-24 Rawson Place, Haymarket NSW, Australia 2000
Website: https://www.ipc.nsw.gov.au/>
- Phone:1800 472 679
- Email:[email protected]
Office of the Information Commissioner
Queensland (Australia)
Head of authority: Stephanie Winson, Acting Information Commissioner
Appointed as Right to Information Commissioner in January 2023, Stephanie Winson is an experienced executive public sector leader and lawyer with a significant interest and focus in constitutional, regulatory and administrative law matters. She has advised on information access matters in New Zealand for many years and served as the Assistant Ombudsman Systemic and Monitoring, which included independently investigating agency compliance with information access laws. Her senior public sector leadership roles abroad include the Director of Legal Services of the Namibian Parliament and the Secretary of the National Assembly of Namibia. In New Zealand she also led various teams performing legal and regulatory policy functions. She holds a Master of laws (LLM) with distinction, Bachelor of Laws (LLM) and a Bachelor of Arts (BA) and was admitted to practise as a lawyer in Namibia and New Zealand in 1991 and 2002 respectively. Stephanie is appointed as Right to Information Commissioner to 16 January 2026.
Territory: Queensland, Australia
Continent: Oceania
Competence: Privacy/Data Protection and ATI/RTI
Year established: 1992
Number of staff: 40
Relevant Laws
Activities:
Contact details:
Address:
Level 7
133 Mary Street
Brisbane QLD 4000
Australia
Website: https://www.oic.qld.gov.au/
- Phone:+61732347373 & +1800642753
- Email:[email protected]
Office of the Victorian Information Commissioner
Victoria (Australia)
Head of authority: Sean Morrison
Sean Morrison was appointed Victorian Information Commissioner in February 2024. Mr Morrison has significant experience leading the legal responses to key Victorian Government reforms, including Royal Commissions and information-sharing regimes.
Mr Morrison has obtained university qualifications in Information Technology and Law, and has a Master’s of Public Administration. Prior to his appointment with OVIC he was appointed as the Special Investigator at the Office of the Special Investigator and has served as the General Counsel at multiple Victorian Government departments.
Territory: Victoria, Australia
Continent: Oceania
Scope: State
Competence: Privacy/Data Protection and ATI/RT
Year established: 2017
Number of staff: 55
Relevant Laws
Freedom of Information Act 1982 (Vic)
Privacy and Data Protection Act 2014 (Vic)
Activities:
Contact details:
Address: 121 Exhibition Street, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia 3000
Postal address: PO Box 24274, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia 3001
Website: ovic.vic.gov.au
- Phone:+61386847584
- Email:[email protected]
Office of the Information Commissioner (Western Australia)
Western Australia (Australia)
Office of the Information Commissioner (Western Australia)
Western Australia (Australia)
Head of authority: Catherine Fletcher
Catherine Fletcher is the Information Commissioner for Western Australia (WA) having been appointed fora five year term in July 2019 following 12 months as the Acting Information Commissioner. As Information Commissioner, Catherine is also an ex-officio State Records Commissioner.
Catherine holds legal and business management qualifications from UWA (1990, 1991 and 1997) and was admitted to legal practice in WA in 1991.
For most of her career, Catherine has worked as a legal officer in the public sector at both State and Commonwealth agencies.In addition to her legal work Catherine has held numerous voluntary roles on boards and committees involved in the law.
Catherine has also been involved with judging feminist-legal writing and history writing competitions.
Continent: Oceania
Jurisdiction: State
Competence: ATI/RTI only
Year established: 1993
Number of staff: 12
Relevant Laws
Freedom of Information Act 1992 (WA)
Activities:
Contact details:
Address: Albert Facey House, 469 Wellington Street, Perth, WA 6000
Website: https://www.oic.wa.gov.au/en-au/
- Phone:+0865517888
- Email:[email protected]
Tari o te Kaitiaki Mana Tangata
New Zealand
Head of authority: Peter Boshier
Peter Boshier is Chief Ombudsman for New Zealand. He was appointed in December 2015, following a distinguished career as a Judge, and in May 2020 was reappointed for a second five-year term.
He has previously held the positions of Principal Family Court Judge of New Zealand, a Law Commissioner, and President of the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts
As Chief Ombudsman, Peter’s focus has been on a faster and more effective resolution of Official Information Act and other complaints, working with government agencies to improve their practices and strengthening his team’s investigation and monitoring of prisons and public mental health facilities.
Territory: New Zealand
Continent: Oceania
Competence: Ombudsman
Year established: 1962
Number of staff: Over 200
Relevant Laws
Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act 1987
Activities:
Contact details:
Address: Office of the Ombudsman, PO Box 10152, Wellington 6143
Website: www.ombudsman.parliament.nz