Access to Information and Privacy
Government information (public access)
In NSW, the Government Information (Public Access) Act 2009 (GIPA Act) replaced the Freedom of Information Act 1989 (NSW) from 1 July 2010.
The new right to information legislation is designed to promote openness, accountability and transparency, and will help Government agencies to be more proactive in providing information to members of the public.
How to access NSW SES information
To access information from the NSW SES, we encourage you to search our website in the first instance to see whether or not this information is already available. If it is not accessible, please contact the NSW SES Right to Information Officer via email at gipa@ses.nsw.gov.au and request this information. We will then decide whether the information you are seeking is:
- open access information that is readily available. If it is, we will tell you where and how you can obtain this information;
- will be made available as part of a proactive release of information;
- can be disclosed to you through informal release (e.g. where no third party personal information is involved); and
- requires a formal access application (Download application forms below).
NSW SES job attendance records
Under section 8 of the Government Information (Public Access) Act 2009 (GIPA Act), NSW SES may informally release information to an applicant. A fee is not required for an informal application and there is no statutory timeframe for the application to be determined. The information may also be made available by whichever means NSW SES considers appropriate and may be subject to conditions.
Where an applicant requests access to a record of NSW SES attending a job at their property, NSW SES will generally deal with this request informally. A job attendance record is created following a request for assistance and it will include information relating to the NSW SES attendance such as the attendance date, property details and a task summary.
To assist you to make an informal request for job attendance records, please complete the following:
- Prepare a summary of the following information:
- your name and contact details,
- the property address and your connection to the property (e.g. owner, occupier or property agent),
- the approximate date of the job attendance or date that you requested assistance, and
- if available, any NSW SES reference numbers previously provided to you.
- If you request access to your personal information, please make a copy of your photo identification such as an Australian driver licence, current Australian passport or other photo identification.
Please note. The provision of personal information is voluntary, but if you do not provide it you may not receive some or any information. NSW SES will not informally release any third party personal information (e.g. name and contact details). Please refer to the NSW SES privacy collection notice before submitting an informal application, which provides more detail about the personal information we may collect and how we will use it.
- Email the above information to the NSW SES GIPA team at gipa@ses.nsw.gov.au
Please do not hesitate to contact NSW SES GIPA team by email or on (02) 4251 6188 if you have any questions.
Helpful Links
Access to Own Personal Records Application Form
Alteration of Personal Records Form
GIPA Act Disclosure Log
Under the Government Information (Public Access) Act 2009, the NSW State Emergency Service (NSW SES) is required to keep a record (a disclosure log) of information about formal applications it receives under the GIPA Act .
The disclosure log sets out information that is released under the GIPA Act that may be of interest to members of the public.
| Reference number | Date of decision | Description of information | Information requested |
Mandatory Notification Of Data Breach Scheme
Mandatory Notification of Data Breach (MNDB) Scheme
Part 6A of the Privacy and Personal Information Protection Act 1998 (PPIP Act) establishes the MNDB Scheme. Find out more about the MNDB Scheme.
When information about data breaches is published on this Register
Section 59P(2) of the PPIP Act requires agencies to maintain a Public Notification Register.
Under sections 59N(2) and 59P(3), details of eligible data breaches must be published on this Register when the Act requires NSW SES to notify individuals affected by a data breach but it is not possible (or not reasonably practicable) to notify them individually. The Act also requires NSW SES to include certain information on the Register.
What information is published
Where a public notification is made on this Register, section 59P(3)(b) requires the following information (as set out in section 59O) to be recorded on the Register, except to the extent it contains personal information or would prejudice NSW SES’s functions:
- The date the breach occurred
- A description of breach
- How the breach occurred
- The type of breach that occurred (unauthorised disclosure, unauthorised access or loss of information)
- The personal information involved in the breach
- How long the information was disclosed or accessible
- Action taken or planned to ensure the personal information is secure, or to control or mitigate the harm done to the individual
- Any recommendations about the steps an individual should take in response to the eligible data breach (if any)
- Information about requesting an internal review or making a privacy complaint (see below)
- The name of the agency the subject of the breach
- Where more than one agency was the subject of the breach, the names of any other agencies involved, and
- Contact details for:
- the agency the subject of the breach, or
- for a person nominated by the agency for an individual to contact about the breach.
How long the information remains on the Register
The PPIP Act requires the information to be retained on the Register for at least 12 months after the date the notification is published. No information will appear on the Register if there are no notifications currently required to be published.
Public Notification Register
Northern Rivers Floods March 2017
The NSW State Emergency Service (NSW SES) has welcomed the independent review into the response and management of flooding that affected communities in the Northern Rivers in March and April 2017. Click on the links below for more information.
Letter to Minister - Lismore Owens Review.pdf (697 KB)
NSW SES Operational Response to Northern Floods March 2017 Final.pdf (4 MB)
Letter in Reply - Minister Acknowledgement.pdf (492 KB)
Following the independent review into the response and management of flooding in the Northern Rivers district in March and April 2017, the Lismore Citizens’ Review prepared a separate report into this event. Click on the links below for more information.
Letter to Lismore Citizens Review of March 2017 Flood (725 KB)
Response to Lismore Citizens Review of March 2017 Flood (568 KB)
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