Frequently requested documents

How do I get a copy of my criminal history?

An application for a person’s criminal history must be made by the individual concerned or their legal representative. This document is most often sought for court-related purposes.

For more information on access and costs, visit the Queensland Police Service website or contact the Police Information Centre on:

(07) 3364 6854 (if calling from within Australia)
+61 7 3364 6854 (if calling from overseas)

How do I get a copy of court records and transcripts?

Court records

Supreme Court

Generally open access (subject to specific court orders). Requests to access court records can be made at the registry of the court in which the proceedings were initiated. For more information on registry locations, opening hours, and eCourts online document search facilities visit the Queensland Courts website.

Magistrates Court

Court records such as complaint, order and documentary exhibits other than photos are generally available to any person on written application to the clerk of the court and payment of the prescribed fee, under s.154 of the Justices Act 1886. Contact the Queensland Courts - courthouses.

Transcripts

The State Reporting Bureau (SRB) provides recording and transcription services for proceedings in the Supreme and District Courts, Industrial Relations Commission, Royal Commissions and various tribunals throughout Queensland.

Transcripts of matters heard in a Magistrates Court are available from the court registry of the courthouse where the matter was heard. For more information on access and costs, visit the SRB web page.

How do I get a copy of my birth, death or marriage certificate?

The Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages will supply a copy of a birth, death or marriage certificate to appropriate people (normally immediate family members) on request. You will need to prove your identity and pay the appropriate fee. If you are applying on behalf of someone else, you will need their written authorisation as well as proving your and their identity.

You must provide your name and your residential and postal addresses when seeking information or advice from the registry.

Due to new proof of identity requirements introduced by a number of government agencies, the registry has experienced a significant increase in workload and is presently unable to provide prompt responses to emails. If you require information urgently it is suggested that you contact the Registry by telephone or fax. Please contact them for more information on access and costs.

The registry is located at 110 George Street, Brisbane (details on right).

For more information on access and costs, visit the Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages.

How do I access Coronial records?

The Coroners Act 2003 permits access to certain records in limited circumstances at the discretion of the Coroner. Copies of depositions and post mortem reports may only be accessed by relatives or persons regarded as having a ‘sufficient interest’ in the matter.

Persons with a ‘sufficient interest’, and genuine researchers may obtain access to ‘investigation documents’, as defined in the Act. For more information, or to apply for access to relevant documents, contact the Office of State Coroner. Details on right.

How do I access the electoral roll?

Any person may inspect the Queensland electoral roll free of charge, by attending Electoral Commission Queensland or any regional office of the Electoral Commission Queensland (AEC). Phone the AEC on 132 326 for an office closest to you.

Accessing information about Adult Guardian investigations

The Adult Guardian has a discretion to disclose information about investigations to individuals or members of the public where the Adult Guardian is satisfied it is in the public interest to do so, under s.250 of the Guardianship and Administration Act 2000. For more information, or to request investigation documents under this provision, contact the Office of the Adult Guardian (details on right).

How do I access adoption information?

The Adoption Act 2009 enables identifying adoption information to be provided to an adopted person or birth parent when the person who was adopted on, or after, 1 June 1991 is 18 years of age. In addition, an adopted person or birth parent will be entitled to receive copies of some documents, such as a parent’s consent to the adoption and the adoption order.

The Adoption Act 2009 enables information to be released to relatives of an adopted person, or relatives of a birth parent, only if the adopted person or birth parent has died or is permanently incapable of applying for information. A relative is defined as the spouse, parent, sibling or child of an adopted person or the spouse, parent, sibling or child of a birth parent.

Where an adoption order was made before 1 June 1991, the Adoption Act 2009 no longer allows adopted people and birth parents to lodge an objection to permanently prevent identifying information about them from being released to another party to the adoption.

However, adopted people and birth parents will still have the right to say they do not want to be contacted which, for pre-1991 adoptions, will be legally enforceable.

Adoption Services Queensland (ASQ) is responsible for administering adoption legislation and providing statutory services in Queensland to people seeking information about a past adoption.

Other sources of information maintained by authorities within the Justice portfolio

Register of local practising lawyers under the Legal Profession Act 2007

see the Legal Services Commission website.

Register of JPs and Commissioners for Declarations under the Justices of the Peace and Commissioners for Declarations Act 1991

Access at the discretion of the Registrar – contact the Justices of the Peace Branch on 1300 301 147

Electrical licensing and discipline register under the Electrical Safety Regulation 2002

Conduct an online Electrical licence holder search.

Can I find out who made a complaint about me to a government office?

This depends on the nature of the complaint and the way in which the information was provided, for example, when a person makes a report about suspected child abuse to the Department of Child Safety or the Queensland Police Service, the law requires that their details are kept confidential and their identity is strictly protected.

If a person who made a complaint will be required to give evidence about the complaint in court proceedings, an agency may be more likely to disclose it.

However, there is a strong public interest recognised in the RTI Act in ensuring that members of the community can approach regulatory agencies with information confident that their identities will not be revealed to the subjects of complaints, which will often weigh against disclosure of a complainant’s identity.

Can I find out if someone has been charged with an offence against children?

Generally, no. Applications to access this type of information under the RTI Act will generally be refused, so as to protect important public interests such as the privacy of affected children, and to ensure the fair trial of any individual charged.

The Commission for Children and Young People however is authorised to review the criminal history of people who require ‘blue cards’ to work with children. More information about the blue card may be found on the Commission for Children and Young People and Child Guardian website.

Do government information schemes and RTI allow people to access information about me?

Queensland Government agencies such as the department are required to observe the provisions of the IP Act. The IP Act contains 11 Information Privacy Principles (IPPs), which regulate the collection, management, use and disclosure of personal information by government agencies.

IPP 11, in particular, generally restricts government agencies from disclosing your personal information to other agencies, entities or individuals without your consent (or unless one of several limited exceptions apply). 

The RTI Act does allow people to apply for documents containing another person’s personal information. That does not mean, however, that such an application will be automatically granted. The RTI Act recognises the importance of personal privacy, and access to personal information will generally be limited unless that disclosure is in the public interest.

You would ordinarily be contacted by an agency for your views about the release of your personal information before it was given out.

How do I access my health records?

Under Queensland Health’s policy on administrative access to health records, members of the community may, in most circumstances, obtain access to their own health records held by a public hospital or community health service within Queensland. You can also request access to your health records under the RTI and IP Acts.

Requests for access to health records must be in writing and directed to the office of the medical superintendent of the relevant public hospital or the manager of the community health service. A list of public hospitals and facilities is available on the Queensland Health website.

Documentary evidence of identity should also be supplied at this time (for example, a certified copy of a driver’s licence or birth certificate). Administrative access to health records will usually be provided within 15 working days of receipt of the request.

For more information on how to obtain your health records go to privacy information visit Queensland Health.

What if the information I want is held by the Commonwealth Government or the Government of another State or Territory?

For access to information held by Australian Government agencies you should contact the Freedom of Information (FOI) contact officer for that agency.

For general enquiries about the Commonwealth FOI Act, you can write to the the FOI Contact Officer of the Australian Attorney-General’s Department.

Ministerial media statements

Ministers release media statements every day and these are published online on the Ministerial Media Statements web page.

Cabinet documents

Many decisions of Cabinet are released by Government but other decisions are not made available due to issues of confidentiality and may be exempt under the Right to Information Act 2009. Certain Cabinet decisions are published online.