- an Agency;
- a Government Business Division;
- a Government owned corporation;
- a local authority;
- a statutory corporation;
- a person appointed, or body established, by or under an Act or by the Administrator or by a minister;
- the Police Force of the Northern Territory;
- a person holding an office or position under an Act;
- a court of the Territory;
- a tribunal of the Territory;
- a person or body declared by the Regulations to be a public sector organisation. (s.5(1))
Agencies are listed in the Administrative Arrangements Order. They include government departments.
Statutory corporations are corporations, commissions or authorities incorporated by name for a public purpose by a law of the Territory.
For most purposes, Ministers and parliamentary secretaries are public sector organisations in relation to information they hold in connection with that function.
The Act has only limited application to some organisations, for example, Government Business Divisions, Government Owned Corporations, courts and tribunals. See our Special rules for some information and organisations page for more.
The Information Commissioner is not a public sector organisation for the purposes of the Information Act .
A reference to a public sector organisation includes a reference to the following:
- the chief executive officer of the organisation;
- an officer, employee or agent of the organisation;
- a contract service provider to the extent of the services it provides under the service contract;
- an employee or agent of a contract service provider to the extent of the employee's or agent's involvement in collecting or handling personal information under the service contract;
- a person (other than a contract service provider) who provides services to the organisation under a contract between the organisation or the Territory and that person or another person to the extent of the services provided.
Website and Contact details
Many public sector organisations have websites that provide information about their activities, including information on FOI and Privacy.
Details of who to contact about FOI and Privacy issues in most organisations are listed below. This information is updated from time to time using details provided to the Commissioner by the organisations. If you have trouble finding the right person in the organisation, you can ask our Office.