Credit Report

It is important to know you can get copies of your credit report from a credit provider at no cost to you.

You will find a number of credit reporting agencies that charge to provide you with a copy your credit report. Under Australian privacy laws, you are entitled to access your consumer credit information from a credit provider for free.

Consumer credit information is information on your credit report relating to your credit history or credit standing in relation to credit used for domestic purposes.

In Australia the three main consumer credit reporting agencies in Australia are:

• Baycorp;
• Dun & Bradstreet;
• Tasmanian Collection Service.

You are entitled to have access to or request a copy of your credit report.

To request or obtain this credit information, you need to :

• make a written request for your credit report;
  
• provide your full name and current residential address;
  
• provide personal details the reporting agency or credit provider may request such as date of birth, drivers licence number or previous residential address.

The credit provider or reporting agency must provide you with a copy of your credit report within 10 days of receiving your written request.

You can obtain the file for free from a credit provider and in general you should not be charged a fee to access your personal consumer credit information.

If the company requests a fee and you refuse to pay the fee and you are refused access to your credit report you should refer the matter to the matter to the Privacy Commissioner.