South Australia · Freedom of Information Act 1991

South Australian FOI, from application to Ombudsman review

For SA agencies, councils, and universities — AccessPoint runs FOI applications on the 30-day clock, records determinations with their exemption clauses, and tracks internal review and external review by the Ombudsman.

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Australia — South Australia at a glance

Determination deadline
30 days, extendable where the Act permits
Application fee
The statutory fee, with processing charges beyond it; concessions available
Exemptions
Schedule 1 clauses, most subject to a public interest test
Review
Internal review, then external review by Ombudsman SA
Privacy
Information Privacy Principles by administrative instruction, not statute
Languages
English

Built for Australia — South Australia

One platform for the whole access-and-privacy mandate, pre-configured for this regime and running in your own Microsoft 365 tenant.

The 30-day determination

Computed on receipt over the South Australian public-holiday calendar, with extensions recorded and the applicant's notification tracked as a step.

Schedule 1 exemptions with the public interest test

Most SA exemption clauses only apply where disclosure would be contrary to the public interest. AccessPoint records that assessment against the specific document rather than letting the clause stand alone.

Accredited FOI officers

South Australia requires determinations to be made by accredited officers. Record who determined each application and under what delegation, so authority is evidenced on the file.

Internal and Ombudsman review

Track internal review and external review by Ombudsman SA with their filing windows, correspondence, and outcomes linked to the originating application.

Privacy by administrative instruction

SA governs public sector privacy through the IPPS rather than legislation. Run personal information handling and complaints on the same platform, so the practice is documented even where the source is administrative.

In your own tenant

Documents, applications, and audit history stay inside your own Microsoft 365 and Azure tenant — no third-party cloud and no vendor access.

Who signed the determination

South Australia cares who made the decision, not just what it was.

The FOI Act requires determinations to be made by an accredited FOI officer, and it is a requirement with practical bite: a determination made by someone without the necessary accreditation or delegation is vulnerable regardless of how sound its reasoning is. In small agencies where the FOI function sits alongside three other jobs and the accredited officer is on leave, that is a live risk rather than a theoretical one. AccessPoint records the determining officer and the delegation relied on against each application, and keeps that on the file where an Ombudsman review will look for it — so the question of authority is answered at the time rather than reconstructed under pressure.

Authority recorded The determining officer and delegation on each file.
Public interest assessed The test recorded against the document, not the clause.
30 days, computed Over SA holidays, with extensions and notices tracked.

Configured out of the box

Installing the au-sa jurisdiction pack seeds your tenant with everything this regime needs — a starting point you can adjust, not a lock-in.

Related guide: FOI Workflow Quick Check
  • The South Australian FOI Act 1991 as the legal-authority spine
  • The 30-day determination clock with SA public holidays and the Act's extensions
  • The Schedule 1 exemption clauses with public interest assessment recorded per document
  • Accredited FOI officer and delegation recorded on each determination
  • Application fees, processing charges, and concessions on the statutory basis
  • Third-party consultation as a tracked stage
  • Internal review and Ombudsman SA external review tracking with grounds and outcomes
  • Information Privacy Principles handling under the administrative instruction

Australia — South Australia Questions

What is the South Australian FOI deadline?
30 days to determine an application, extendable where the Act permits. AccessPoint computes the date over the South Australian public-holiday calendar and records extensions with the notice given to the applicant.

Does South Australia have privacy legislation?
Not a comprehensive public sector privacy statute. South Australia governs public sector privacy through the Information Privacy Principles issued as a Cabinet administrative instruction. The pack supports handling personal information and complaints under that framework, so practice is documented even though the source is administrative rather than statutory.

Who reviews an FOI determination?
After internal review, external review is conducted by Ombudsman SA, which may confirm, vary, or reverse the determination. South Australia has no separate information commissioner. AccessPoint tracks both review stages against the originating application.

Where do documents reside?
Entirely within your own Microsoft 365 and Azure tenant, in the Australian region you choose. Applications, documents, redactions, and audit history never leave your control — no third-party cloud and no cross-border data transfers.

Run South Australian FOI in Your Own Tenant

Try AccessPoint free for 30 days, configured for South Australia. No credit card required.

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