# Disclosure of information to the Minister

> act-s501L — as in force on 2026-06-04 — C2026C00232 · Compilation No. 171 — https://www.legislation.gov.au/C2026C00232/latest/text

501L Disclosure of information to the Minister
          (1) The Minister may, by written notice, require the head of an agency
              of a State or Territory to disclose to the Minister personal
              information that:
                (a) is of a kind specified in the notice; and
                (b) relates to a person, or to a person included in a class of
                    persons, specified in the notice.
          (2) The Minister must not give a notice under subsection (1) to the
              head of an agency of a State or Territory unless the Minister
              reasonably believes:
                (a) that the head of the agency has, or can reasonably acquire,
                    the information; and
                (b) the information is relevant for the purposes of considering
                    whether:
                      (i) a person satisfies the Minister that the person passes the
                          character test (as defined in section 501); or
                     (ii) the Minister reasonably suspects, or is satisfied, that a
                          person does not pass the character test.










          (3) The head of an agency of a State or Territory who is given a notice
              under subsection (1) must, as soon as practicable after the notice is
              given, comply with the notice to the extent that he or she has, or
              can reasonably acquire, the information specified in the notice.
          (4) Despite subsection (3), the registrar (however described) of a court
              of a State or Territory is not required to comply with a notice under
              subsection (1) to the extent that the information specified in the
              notice, in relation to a person specified in the notice, is information
              that relates to proceedings that have not been finally determined by
              the court.
          (5) The head of an agency of a State or Territory is not excused from
              complying with a notice under subsection (1) on the ground that
              disclosing the information specified in the notice would contravene
              a law of the Commonwealth, a State or a Territory that:
                (a) primarily relates to the protection of the privacy of
                    individuals; and
                (b) prohibits or regulates the use or disclosure of personal
                    information.

               Immunity from suit
          (6) A person is not liable to:
               (a) any proceedings for contravening a provision of a law
                    referred to in subsection (5); or
               (b) civil proceedings for loss, damage or injury of any kind
                    suffered by another person;
              merely because the person gives information to the Minister for the
              purposes of ensuring that the head of an agency of a State or
              Territory complies with a notice under subsection (1).
          (7) In this section:
               agency of a State or Territory includes the following:
                (a) the Crown in right of a State or Territory;
                (b) a Minister of a State or Territory;
                (c) a State or Territory government department;









                 (d) an instrumentality of a State or Territory, including a body
                      corporate established for a public purpose by or under a law
                      of a State or Territory;
                 (e) a company in which a controlling interest is held by any one
                      of the following persons, or by 2 or more of the following
                      persons together:
                        (i) the Crown in right of a State or Territory;
                       (ii) a person or body covered by paragraph (b) or (d);
                  (f) a State or Territory court;
                 (g) a State or Territory tribunal;
                 (h) a State or Territory parole board.
               head of an agency means:
                (a) if the agency is a State or Territory court—the registrar
                    (however described) of the court; or
                (b) otherwise—the principal officer (however described) of the
                    agency.