Access to Information Inquiry

There are three primary ways serving and ex-serving ADF members and their families may access information held by Australian Government agencies. 

These involve requesting access: 

• to a document or documents under the Freedom of Information Act 1982 

• to personal information held about a serving or ex-serving member through clause 12 of the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs), contained in schedule 1 to the Privacy Act 1988, or 

• by requesting access directly from the agency (administrative access).

The Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide (RCDVS) actively engaged with concerns regarding access to information. The RCDVS identified a sense of confusion and lack of transparency regarding how Defence and DVA information was shared, stored and released. These concerns were not limited to the difficulties encountered by serving and ex-serving members seeking access to their own information – but also families of deceased members who were seeking to access information about that member from Defence and/or DVA. 

The RCDVS made recommendations in their interim report that: 

• the Australian Government should produce and publish administrative release guidelines to better support applicants to access information (interim recommendation 9), 

• the Australian Government should co-design information to raise the awareness of redaction, and how it might apply to information provided to applicants seeking information (recommendation 10), 

• trauma-informed practices should be embedded in Defence and the Department of Veterans’ Affairs interactions with individuals seeking information, including (where possible) having a single point of contact (recommendation 11), 

• the Australian Government should increase the number of opportunities for serving or ex-serving ADF members to provide or amend their consent to disclose, information to family members or nominated representatives (recommendation 12), and 

• the Australian Government should co-design educational materials to enhance public understanding of information access mechanisms (recommendation 13). 

The recommendations made by the RCDVS sought to address a lack of transparency, and the resulting impact this may have on serving and ex-serving ADF members and their families when trying to access information about themselves or their family members.

The Australian Government agreed to all five of these recommendations in its response in September 2022. Four of the recommendations were due to be completed by March 2023. 

The Australian Government published an update on the implementation of the Interim Report of the RCDVS as at 30 June 2023, which reported all five recommendations as implemented. This inquiry will consider the details of the Government’s implementation of recommendations 9 to 13 described in this report.

We welcome submissions from members of the public and organisations or institutions, particularly serving and ex-serving ADF members, their families, nominated representatives, veteran advocates and ex-service organisations who have engaged with information access processes in Defence and/or DVA.

The online consultation will close at 5:00pm (AEDT) Tuesday, 24 March 2026. 

Learn how to participate on our Consultations page

The DVSC will consider:

• The extent of the Government’s implementation of the recommendations. 

• Any gaps or issues evident in the implementation of the recommendations. 

• Data comparisons on information accessed in prior to and since the implementation of the recommendations, including:
  • Requests for information actioned
  • Requests for information approved
  • Requests for information denied
  • Timeframes for actioning requests
  • Complaints and feedback about the request for information process.  

• Whether the user experience of the information access processes in Defence and DVA has improved as a result of these reforms and meets the needs of the users and the intent of the reforms. 

• The overall effectiveness of the reforms.

To make an independent and objective assessment against the Terms of Reference, the Acting Commissioner will assess information from Defence and DVA and other agencies. 

The inquiry also will consider views and opinions from those who have engaged or are engaging with the information access processes in Defence and DVA, particularly serving and ex-serving members of the ADF and their families.  

The inquiry will consider the Royal Commission’s Interim Report, and the effectiveness of the implementation of the Government’s response to recommendations 9 -13.  

After reviewing this information, the Acting Commissioner’s report will address the following three key questions: