Freedom of Information

The Freedom of information Act (1982) (the Act) aims to promote openness, accountability and transparency within the Victorian public service by giving members of the public the right to access official documents created by the Victorian Government and its agencies.

The Office of the Victorian Information Commissioner (OVIC) has more information about your rights regarding Freedom of Information (FOI) and our obligations as a Victorian Government Agency.

As a Victorian Government Agency, we publish and permit access to a large amount of information outside of the Act. Please read our Part II Statement to find out more about free, quick and convenient access to the information you require.

If your request sits outside of these options, you must apply for access under the Act.

How to make a valid FOI request

FOI requests are completed quicker and easier when the applicant and the FOI Officer work together. Our FOI Officers are bound to administer the Act in a specific way and required to keep you informed on your request throughout the process.

The following include requirements and helpful ways to ensure your request is resolved as quickly as possible;

• Your request must be in writing.
• You must pay an application fee of $29.60, however if payment of this application fee would cause you hardship, you can request to have the fee waived full or in part with a health care or pension card.
• You must provide sufficient information about the documents you are requesting to help us identify and locate relevant documents.
• We cannot create any new record/s to suit your request. Example: ‘I would like to know the amount of money spent on xx’ cannot be granted as it does not refer to a particular document.
• Where possible identify record types and time frames. Example: ’a report about xx created between 1 January 2019 to 8 June 2019.
• Avoid phrases like ‘all documents in relation to’ and ‘including but not limited to’, as these will almost certainly require further correspondence from our FOI Officer to narrow down the request.
• If you ask for documents on behalf of another person, we may ask you for a signed consent form.
• Specify the format you would like to receive the records. Example: copies sent via post, emailed or inspect originals at our Traralgon office.
• Specify whether you would like complete documents or would like irrelevant or exempt material removed.
• You must include enough detail for us to contact you for further information/ clarification is required. Example: an email is a quicker form of correspondence then a postal address.

Payment and fees

After you submit a request, our FOI Officer will get back to you with online payment options. They will also let you know of any other expected charges relating to the request.

Direct payment with your FOI request can be made via cheque or bank cheque or in person at our Traralgon Office.

A non-refundable application fee of $29.60 is required to make an FOI request- we can waive this fee with proof of hardship (health care or pension card).

The following charges may also be required depending on the request;

• Searching for information - $22.20 per hour.
• Supervision (if requesting physical access to original records) - $5.60 up to 15 minutes, 15-30 minutes $11.10 and 45-60 minutes $22.20.
• Photo copying – 20 cents per black and white A4 page.

Should we estimate the charge to be greater than $50, we will ask you to provide a deposit or we can work together to narrow down and modify the request.

Further details on these FOI charges are available on OVIC’s website.

After you submit a request

Our FOI officers will guide you through the FOI process, keep in regular contact about the status of your request and inform you on your rights and responsibilities.

We have 30 days from receipt of a valid request to fulfil your application, however we may extend the time up to 30 days for lengthy requests. Should we require this, we will contact you with details for the extension.

Part II Information Statement

We release a large amount of information for public access. This information statement as specified in the Act is designed to assist you in;

• finding out about us;
• seeing the types of information and records we create and publish on our website
• seeing how we manage our FOI requests;
• identifying information and documents that can be obtained outside of an FOI request; and
• deciding whether you need to make an FOI request.

The following eight sections are identified within Part II Information Statement

• 1 – Our Organisation
• 2 – Our Documents
• 3 – Our Document Location
• 4 – Our subscriptions
• 5 – Our rules policies and procedures
• 6 – Our Freedom of Information Officers
• 7 - Our Boards and Committees
• 8 - Our information available for public viewing

To submit a request, please fill out the freedom of information request form and email it to foi@gippswater.com.au

If you are applying for a FOI on behalf of another individual, please fill out the freedom of information representative request form and email it to foi@gippswater.com.au.