How to make a complaint

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

Complaints to our Office must be made in writing. If you need help lodging a complaint, you can call our Privacy Enquiries Line on 1300 363 992.

We can receive complaints by mail, fax, email or hand delivery to our Office.

Post: GPO Box 5218 Sydney NSW 2001*	Location: Level 8 Piccadilly Tower 133 Castlereagh St Sydney NSW 2000
Fax: +61 2 9284 9666	Email: privacy@privacy.gov.au**
Telephone Enquiries: 1300 363 992	TTY: 1800 620 241

* 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.

To help you lodge a complaint, you can download a copy of our Complaint Form.

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 letter 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.

In this section:

Complaint Form