Responding to requests from overseas authorities (excluding New Zealand) 277-08330000

The Overseas Authority team manages all requests for information and any other correspondence received from overseas authorities.

A request received from overseas for information about a person is determined under section 121B of the Child Support (Registration and Collection) Act 1988. This process is necessary to make sure Australia meets its international maintenance obligations and privacy and secrecy requirements.

Personal information must be handled in accordance with the secrecy provisions in the:

• Child Support (Registration and Collection) Act 1988
• Child Support (Assessment) Act 1989, and
• Schedule 1 of the Privacy Act 1988 (Privacy Act)

Schedule 1 of the Privacy Act contains 13 Australian Privacy Principles (APPs) which regulate the way the agency:

• collects
• stores
• provides access to
• uses and
• discloses personal information

Specifically APP8 places obligations on the agency in regards to the overseas disclosure of personal information.

The agency must fulfil its secrecy and privacy obligations. Personal information is only given to an overseas authority where the requirements are satisfied of section 121B - Giving information to overseas authorities, Child Support (Registration and Collection) Act 1988.

An overseas authority is defined as a judicial or administrative authority of a reciprocating jurisdiction responsible for giving effect to an international maintenance arrangement.

An overseas authority may ask the agency to pass information onto a customer in Australia.

An overseas authority may ask the agency to request information from a customer in Australia.

The agency will provide assistance to the relevant overseas authority as required, when permitted by legislation and in accordance with Australia’s international maintenance arrangements.