Office of the Privacy Commissioner | Case Note 0191 [1994]: Complainant requested access to a letter written by his doctor to a specialist
The complainant requested access to a letter written by his doctor to a specialist. The doctor maintained that letters written to specialists are "private" and in any case he had not retained a copy of the letter.
We noted that a specification that a document is "private" did not necessarily amount to a reason for withholding the information under the Privacy Act. However, in this case the complainant had obtained a copy of the letter he was seeking from another source. In this circumstance there seemed to be little to be gained from conducting an investigation.
We therefore exercised discretion under section 71(2) deciding not to investigate the complaint.