What happens when the Ombudsman receives your complaint?
The Ombudsman will conduct a preliminary assessment of the complaint to decide whether to deal with it. This generally involves asking for more information about your complaint from you or from the personal information custodian.
The Ombudsman may decide not to deal with a complaint if it is frivolous, vexatious, lacking in substance, trivial, or if the alleged breach is permitted under law. If so, you will be notified and given the reasons.
What happens when the Ombudsman decides to investigate your complaint?
An Ombudsman Tasmania investigation officer will handle your complaint. They will seek to resolve your complaint, but they are not your advocate.
They will write to the personal information custodian about your complaint and ask for a response. Depending on the response, you and the agency may be asked to provide more information.
What can be done to resolve your complaint?
If the Ombudsman decides that a personal information custodian has breached a personal information protection principle (PIPP), the Ombudsman must tell you and the agency involved. The Ombudsman may also make recommendations about what should be done. The Ombudsman must also provide a copy of the advice and any recommendation to the relevant minister for tabling in Parliament.
For further information please telephone 1800 001 170 to speak to an officer about your enquiry.