The Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) is an independent statutory agency within the Attorney General's portfolio. The OAIC liaises with the Business and Information Law Branch, part of the Civil Law Division within the Civil Justice and Legal Services Group of the Attorney General's Department (AGD).
The OAIC was established under the Australian Information Commissioner Act 2010 (AIC Act), which provides for the appointment of the Australian Information Commissioner (Information Commissioner), the Privacy Commissioner (previously appointed under the Privacy Act 1988) and the Freedom of Information Commissioner (FOI Commissioner). The AIC Act was passed on 13 May 2010, received Royal Assent on 31 May 2010, and came into effect on 1 November 2010.
The first Privacy Commissioner was appointed in 1989. With the establishment of the OAIC in 2010, this role was amalgamated into the new office.
The OAIC currently has two commissioners: the Information Commissioner and the Privacy Commissioner. Despite their titles, all commissioners can exercise the privacy and freedom of information (FOI) functions. However, only the Information Commissioner may exercise the information policy functions.
To find out more information about the Information Commissioner and the Privacy Commissioner please read about Our Executive.
You can also see an organisational chart on Our structure page.
