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.
Payment and fees
After you submit a request, our FOI Officer will get back to you with payment options. They will also let you know of any other expected charges relating to the request.
A non-refundable application fee of $30.10 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;
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.
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;
The
following eight sections are identified within Part II Information Statement