The Information Commissioner

The Information Commissioner is the independent officer appointed to oversee the Freedom of Information and Privacy provisions of the Act. The two main functions of the Information Commissioner are to:

  • promote understanding and awareness of FOI and Privacy in the community and the public sector;
  • deal with complaints about breaches of privacy and about FOI decisions made by public sector organisations (from 1 July 2004).
Commissioner

Mr Peter Shoyer is the current Information Commissioner (as well as the Ombudsman for the Northern Territory since 2012).

He has an extensive legal and public administration background in the Northern Territory and Queensland.

Peter holds Bachelors and Masters degrees in Law and has been admitted as a solicitor for over 30 years.  He also holds a Bachelor of Economics degree.  He has worked in private practice, as a lawyer for the University of Queensland and in the Office of the Queensland Information Commissioner.

He was previously inaugural NT Information Commissioner (2003-2007).  He then spent over five years as Public Trustee, Registrar-General, Registrar of Births, Deaths and Marriages and an Executive Director within the Department of Justice. During that period, he acted from time to time as Deputy Chief Executive and Chief Executive of the Department.

Deputy Commissioner

Brenda Monaghan is the Deputy Information Commissioner.

Brenda has previously served as Information Commissioner, Legal Member of the Northern Territory Licensing Commission, Judicial Registrar of the Darwin Magistrates Court and Executive Director of Licensing Regulation & Alcohol Strategy.

She is a qualified lawyer and lectured law at Charles Darwin University.