Restricted Access and eligibility 104-06000000

Customers may be considered eligible for Restricted Access because of, but not limited to, the following reasons:

• they are escaping family and domestic violence and the other party has links with staff
• they are under police protection, including witness protection
• they may have short term needs, where additional protective measures against potential breaches of privacy, high media coverage and/or fraud are a consideration
• their details become or remain particularly sensitive because of their activities or high community profile
• they are fleeing involvement in cults or religious sects
• their privacy or confidentiality has been breached in such a way as to endanger the customer

Using the above eligibility criteria as guidelines, each case should be judged on its merits. In most cases, the Restricted Access manager makes the final decision to approve or reject the Restricted Access application. Note: if a customer is under police protection, Restricted Access must be approved.

Restricted Access is also applied to records of customers whose welfare payments have been cancelled - Security Notice Issued.

In these cases:

• customers subjected to a Security Notice must not be provided with contact details of the responsible Restricted Access Officer
• records subject to a Security Notice will be 'Restricted Access' to minimise application or re-application for payment. These records are managed by a central processing team within Business Integrity Division

See also Witness Protection Information and Centrelink customer requests a new Customer Reference Number (CRN).

Discuss alternate options

As Restricted Access limits the customer's access arrangements with the agency, it should only be used in the most serious cases. Intermediate security measures, such as passwords, should be considered as a more user-friendly option.

Customers engaged in Family Court matters should be made aware that Restricted Access will not prevent the agency from disclosing their location to the Family Court when ordered to do so.

Restricted Access only offers protection to a person's electronic Centrelink record. Their paper file, if one exists, remains in Records Management Unit (RMU). It is important that customers seeking protection are made aware of this. Restricted Access does not replace other forms of protection which are in place for all customers. It is the highest level of protection the agency offers to customers assessed as requiring protection above that offered by the 100% logging process and other security measures.

If the customer who is granted Restricted Access is partnered, both records must have Restricted Access applied, as the customer's information may be accessible through the partner's record. If Restricted Access is not applied to both members of a couple, the link between the records may cause problems when accessing the records. Other customers, who reside with the Restricted Access customer, may need to have Restricted Access applied to protect the customer's whereabouts. All customers who have Restricted Access applied must be notified of their servicing arrangement.

Only staff holding specific skill tags and security role can access a Restricted Access record.

All Restricted Access customer records are assigned an ORG unit. The National Restricted Access Team (NRAT) or Restricted Access Business Administrators control access to the record. Temporary access for up to 7 days can be provided to other staff for completion of specific tasks. Access by Irregular and Intermittent (IIE) and Contractor staff to Restricted Access records is granted only in exceptional circumstances when non-IIE/Contractor staff are not available.

Staff may require access to a Restricted Access record for a specific task, including (but not limited to):

• specialist work
• ICT investigations, and
• processing work allocated through Workload Manager

If staff without access to the Restricted Access record attempt to enter the record, a warning displays advising that access to the record is restricted.

The NRAT or Restricted Access Manager may approve temporary access for a period of up to 7 days. Each Restricted Access customer can have a maximum of one Temporary Officer at any time.

To be granted temporary access to a Restricted Access customer record, staff must:

• be an ongoing employee at the APS3 level or above
• have a business need to access record
• have the required security roles and skill tags. Note: staff can apply for these but it can take up to 24 hours for them to be applied

To make a request for temporary access, refer to the National Restricted Access page.

Restricted Access customers receive telephone service from authorised Restricted Access Officers in the National Restricted telephony queue. Some customers elect to receive face-to-face service by a dedicated Restricted Access Manager in their Service Centre.

All agency staff are responsible for processing activities allocated to them, which relate to Restricted Access customers. Temporary access can be granted where required.

If any activity is selected for Quality On Line (QOL) / Quality Management Application (QMA), checkers will require Temporary Access to complete.

The National Restricted Access Team and Restricted Access Business Administrators have overall responsibility for administering Restricted Access, including the following:

• Deciding whether a customer should be granted Restricted Access
• Applying Restricted Access on the customer's record and, if applicable, the partner's record; and/or family member's records
• Discussing self service options including:
• Centrelink online services
• letters online (Centrelink Online Letters or myGov Inbox)
• Electronic Messaging, and
• phone self service
• Ensuring the Access Officer positions are covered during absences
• Arranging temporary access for other staff who require access to the customer's records
• Conducting annual reviews of Restricted Access customers to assess if there is a continuing need for Restricted Access
• Maintaining the Restricted Access Relationships tab by adding or removing access for Restricted Access managers, officers or temporary officers
• Handling urgent enquiries about Restricted Access
• Reporting problems experienced with Restricted Access to the Privacy Section
• Handling enquiries, suggestions for change or complaints about Restricted Access
• Providing policy advice to the network about Restricted Access

Contact details for individual staff in the National Restricted Access Team are not to be given to customers or external agencies.