The Commonwealth Freedom of Information Act 1982 (FOI Act) gives you the right to access information contained in documents from some Commonwealth agencies, including Australia Post.

Please note, however, that we aren’t subject to the FOI Act for documents relating to our commercial activities (see below under ’Commercial Activities Exemption’).

How to apply for Australia Post documents under FOI

Access to documents under the FOI Act can be obtained by forwarding a written request to:

Freedom of Information Officer
Legal Department
Australia Post Headquarters
GPO Box 1777
MELBOURNE VIC 3001

Or, by email to foi@auspost.com.au

The request should:

  1. Clearly describe the documents you wish to access
  2. State that you are requesting access under the FOI Act
  3. Include your contact details

We can't process your request unless all of this information is supplied.

If your request is unclear or too general, you might be asked to re-submit your application. We'll tell you what further information is required.

You can make a request yourself or you can authorise another person, such as a solicitor, to make a request on your behalf.

Fees and charges

Application fees were abolished under amendments to the Commonwealth FOI Act in 2010, however charges may be applied for time spent searching for documents and photocopying. We'll notify you if these charges apply and will ask if you still wish to proceed.

How we respond

We'll notify you of our decision regarding your request to access information as soon as possible, and no later than 30 days after it's received.

If you're asked to re-submit the application, the 30-day response period will start from when the resubmission is received.

If your request involves personal or business information relating to a third party, we'll ask for their views on the release of that information. Your application my take longer than 30 days to process if this is required.

If we decide not to release some or all of the documents that you requested, we'll give you reasons for our decision and tell you how you can appeal. We may also suggest that you send your application to another agency, or transfer your request as appropriate.

More information