Certain information about a person or an institution is protected information and can only be obtained, recorded, disclosed or used if this Act authorises that to happen. Broadly, protected information is information about a person or an institution that was obtained by an officer of the scheme for the purposes of the scheme and is held in the records of the Department or the Human Services Department. An example of protected information about a person is information that the person gives in his or her application for redress. An example of protected information about an institution is information that the institution provides in compliance with a request for information made by the Operator under section   25.

This Part sets out when a person is authorised to obtain, record, disclose or use protected information. It also has offences for when a person obtains, records, discloses or uses protected information without authorisation under this Act.

This Part also protects information contained in the assessment framework policy guidelines and sets out when a person is authorised to obtain, record, disclose or use that information.