Accessing Information

Accessing Information

As a government-owned corporation, Sunwater is committed to supporting the Queensland Government’s commitment to openness and accountability. We proactively and routinely make information available to the public through the Sunwater website, our Publication Scheme and other appropriate means.

Under the Right to Information Act 2009 (Qld) (RTI Act), individuals and corporations have the right to access documents in the possession or under the control of Sunwater (subject to certain exceptions) by making an access application to Sunwater. 

Some documents may be made available by Sunwater without the need for an access application under the RTI Act. 

Before making an access application, please check whether the documents you are looking for are already available on our website. This includes our Publication Scheme, which includes information about Sunwater and its services, finances, priorities and policies, and our disclosure log.  

You may also be able to access the documents through our Administrative Access Scheme, which allows applicants to access certain information without making an access application under the RTI Act. 

Information for RTI Act applicants

An access application under the RTI Act must:

• be in writing and accompanied by the application fee (please note, there is no application fee if you are applying for access to a document containing only your personal information)
• give sufficient information about the document you would like to access so Sunwater can identify the document
• provide an address where notices under the RTI Act may be sent.

If you are applying to access a document containing your personal information, the application must also be accompanied by:

• evidence of your identity e.g. a certified copy of your passport, driver licence or birth certificate
• evidence of your authorisation to act as an agent for the applicant, if applicable.

Please send your access application to:

Post                

Right to Information Officer
Sunwater Limited
PO Box 15536
City East Queensland 4002

Fax                 

07 3120 0260

Email              

RTIRequest@sunwater.com.au

If your access application does not meet the application requirements under the RTI Act, Sunwater will make reasonable efforts to contact you within 15 business days.

Sunwater may also contact you to obtain further information to help us locate the document you are seeking.

No reasons required

You do not need to give a reason for wanting to see the requested document. If Sunwater denies access to the document, you will be provided with a written explanation.

Definition of a document

An access application must be for a document in the possession, or under the control, of Sunwater, whether or not brought into existence or received by Sunwater. This includes documents that Sunwater is entitled to access or those in the possession or control of an officer of Sunwater in their official capacity.

The document must be in existence on the day the access application is received.

Application fee

You will need to pay an application fee, unless you are applying for access to a document that only contains your personal information. In this case, no application fee is payable.

The application fee is calculated according to the Right to Information Regulation 2025. From 1 July 2025, the application fee is $57.65 (GST is not applicable to application fees).

You can pay by cheque or direct deposit. Please make cheques payable to Sunwater Limited, and contact Sunwater’s RTI Officer for direct deposit details.

Sunwater does not accept credit card payments for access applications.

Processing charges and access charges

You may need to pay access charges and/or a processing charge for your access application, although Sunwater has a duty to keep all charges to a minimum.

• Access charges cover the cost of giving you access to a document, noting there is no cost for providing access by email.
• The processing charge covers the time Sunwater spends searching for or retrieving a document and making a decision or doing things related to making a decision on your access application.

No processing charge is payable for documents containing your personal information, although access charges may be payable.

If access and/or processing charges apply, Sunwater will send you a charges estimate notice i.e. a written estimate of the charges payable.

If applying as an individual, you may apply to have the relevant charges waived if you are in financial hardship. Individuals are considered to be in financial hardship if they hold:

• a Centrelink Pensioner Concession Card
• a Veterans’ Affairs Pensioner Concession Card
• a Centrelink Health Care Card.

Non-profit organisations can also have these charges waived if the Information Commissioner has given the organisation financial hardship status.

Processing an access application

Processing an access application takes time. Documents need to be located and a decision about access needs to be made. Sunwater will generally notify you of its decision within 25 business days, but this period may be extended in certain circumstances prescribed by the RTI Act.

Appealing a decision

Internal review

If you are dissatisfied with Sunwater’s decision, you can request an internal review of the decision under the RTI Act. 

An internal review is only available for a ‘reviewable decision’.  The RTI Act lists what constitutes a ‘reviewable decision’ for the purposes of an internal review.

An internal review will be conducted by a different officer of Sunwater who is at least as senior as the original decision maker. The internal review officer will consider your application and the relevant documents and make a new decision as if the original decision had not been made.

An application for an internal review must:

• be in writing
• provide an address where notices under the RTI Act may be sent
• be made within 20 business days of the date of the written notice of the decision (or a further time allowed by Sunwater)
• be lodged with Sunwater at:  

Post                

Right to Information Coordinator
Sunwater Limited
PO Box 15536
City East Queensland 4002

Fax                 

07 3120 0260

Email              

RTIRequest@sunwater.com.au

External review

If you are dissatisfied with Sunwater’s decision, you can request an external review of the decision by the Information Commissioner. You do not need to have an internal review before applying for an external review. As with an internal review, an external review is only available for a ‘reviewable decision’.

An application for external review must:

• be in writing
• provide an address where notices under the RTI Act may be sent
• be made within 20 business days of the date of the written notice of the decision (or a further time allowed by the Information Commissioner)
• be lodged at an office of the Office of the Information Commissioner.

Further information is available from the Office of the Information Commissioner.

Disclosure log

Our disclosure log (below) provides details of documents that Sunwater has given access to after an access application under the RTI Act. The disclosure log does not include documents that contain personal information.

You can access any of the documents in our disclosure log by contacting Sunwater’s RTI Officer at RTIRequest@sunwater.com.au.

Sunwater Reference	Decision date	Topic/information requested	Status	Approx no. of pages
SW RTI 24-000730/001	13/09/2024	Geotechnical data used to prepare the report by Sunwater commissioned by Rous County Council – Dam Stability Analysis report conducted on Rocky Creek Dam in 2001/2002 final report dated March 2002 Project #E-01795.	Completed	82
SW RTI 24-000715/001	20/08/24	Paranui Weir Preliminary Business Case completed in December 2023, funded by the Australian Government through the National Water Grid Fund.	Completed	788
SW RTI 23-001493/001	18/01/24	Documents held by Sunwater for the period January 2012 – July 2015 relating to the “reclassification” of Giru Weir and Val Bird Weir in June 2014 in particular who was the decision maker that approved the reclassification, justifiable reasons for the decision, correspondence with irrigators on reclassifying the weirs. The term “reclassification” refers to the suggested change of the classification of the above-mentioned weirs from “Bulk” to “Distribution” during the transfer evaluation process of assets from Sunwater to Local Management.	Completed	31
SW RTI 23-001247-001	21/12/23	Documents held by Sunwater for the period 1 March 2020 – 1 February 2021 relating to incidents and workplace health and safety involving Cutrite Commercial Pty Ltd an employee.	Completed	145
SW 22-001002/001	29/08/22	From 1 January 2019 to 30 July 2021, any of the follow types of documents that discuss land clearing at Prairie Station: Correspondence (including records of meetings, emails, briefs and letters) with the landholder of Prairie Station or the federal environment department (variously known as Department of the Environment and Energy or Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment)	Completed	2
SW 21-001864/001	15/11/21	Gauging Data – All historical data in raw format: -Station 130315D (Linkes Crossing) – level and flow -Station 130377A (Callide Release Channel) – level and flow -Station 130314C (Callide Dam Wall) – level Water quality data – all historical data in raw format: -Historical salinity and major ion chemistry of water stored in Callide Dam.	Completed	4
SW 20-00186/001	2/11/20	Investigations/findings/recommendations regarding the current structural stability and safety of Leslie Dam; structural upgrades recommended to be carried out on Leslie Dam over the next 10 years.	Completed	205
SWRTI 20-000976-001	13/08/20	Documentation relating to construction works or augmentation of Kinchant Dam	Completed	5212
20-000728/001	16/04/20	Submission for the Office of the Inspector-General Emergency Management (IGEM) on the 2019 Monsoon Trough Rainfall and Flood Review	Completed	59
20-000245/001	14 /02/20	On-site visitor/sign in details for Paradise Dam, administered by Sunwater (for the period 1 January 2019-13 January 2020	Completed	20
19-002688/001	5/12/20	Resignation letter of Nicole Hollows as CEO	Completed	1
19-000493/001	12/04/19	All correspondence between Sunwater and Townsville City Council in relation to the Ross River Dam	Completed	938
SWRTI15-004	17/07/2015	Information regarding possible seepage at Kinchant Dam (Reports Only)	Completed	3000 (approx)
SWRTI15-003	29/05/2015	Callide Dam February 2015 Emergency Event Report	Completed	591
SWRTI15-001	20/04/2015	Callide Dam Automatic Water Release 20 February 2015	Completed	500 (approx)
SWRTI15-002	08/04/2015	Callide Dam Emergency Action Plan and Operation and Maintenance Manual	Completed	479
SWRTI14-002	01/06/2014	Release of Water from Callide Dam 24 January to 1 March 2013	Completed	3300 (approx)
SWRTI13-003	03/06/2013	Incident Callide Dam Wall between 1 January 2013 and 30 April 2013	Completed	257
SWRTI12-008	29/01/2013	Tinaroo Dam Releases for Hydro and Environment 1 July 2011 to June 30 2012	Completed	1
SWRTI12-007	28/08/2012	Operational Costs associated with Paradise Dam Reports dated November 2005 to June 2012	Completed
SWRTI12-005	25/05/2012	Paradise Dam Aquatic Ecosystem Monitoring Reports	Completed	184
SWRTI12-003	18/04/2012	Analytical Results of Fluoride Chemicals added to Bamaga Water	Completed	18
SWRTI10-002	11/11/2010	Water Pricing and Market Trading Policies, Procedures and Strategies	Completed	24
SWRTI10-003	07/12/2010	Paradise Dam Fishway Monitoring Documentation	Completed	215

Enquiries

Right to Information Officer
Phone 13 15 89
Email  RTIRequest@sunwater.com.au