Before you can lodge a complaint with us, you will generally need to complain directly to the agency or organisation and allow 30 days for them to respond. If you do not receive a response or you are dissatisfied with the response, you may then complain to our Office.

Complaints to our Office must be made in writing. Our preference is for you to use the online Privacy Complaint form if at all possible. This requires you to have Adobe 9.3 or later on your computer. If you do not have Adobe you can download a copy of the form here. For technical reasons these forms are hosted for us by the Australian Government on the Australian Business Account portal. When you complete and submit a form your information is not accessible to anyone other than ourselves. Simply select the"Use a blank form and keep your own records" option and then complete the form.

If you need help lodging a complaint, you can call our Privacy Enquiries Line on 1300 363 992. We can receive privacy complaints through the online Privacy Complaint form or by mail*, fax or email**. See our contacts page for further information.

How much does it cost to lodge a complaint?

It is free to lodge a complaint with the Office. This Office can investigate privacy complaints from individuals about Australian and ACT government agencies, and private sector organisations covered by the Act.

You do not need to be represented by a lawyer to make a complaint about your privacy. However if you do decide to hire a lawyer, you must pay for the lawyer yourself.

What you should include with your complaint

Your complaint should include:

• the name of the agency or organisation involved
• a brief description of your privacy problem
• any action the agency or organisation has taken to fix the problem
• copies of any relevant documents, including copies of your complaint to the agency or organisation, and its response
• if your complaint involves credit reporting, you should include a copy of your credit file.

Where there has been an interference with the privacy of a number of individuals, one individual may make a complaint on behalf of the group. This is called a 'representative complaint'. To make a representative complaint, the individual does not need the consent of the group members. For more information about making a representative complaint, you can call our Privacy Enquiries Line on 1300 363 992.

* If you have concerns about postal security, you may wish to consider sending your complaint by registered mail.

** You should note that email that is not encrypted can be copied or tracked.