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Freedom of information

Freedom of information

The Freedom of Information Act 1982 (the Act), gives you a general right to access information held by State and Local Government agencies.

The Act allows access to documents held, including those about your personal affairs.

You can request that agencies amend or delete incorrect or misleading personal information held about you.

You can request access to any documents held by Bayside City Council, but there are some exemptions under the Act. The more common exemptions relevant to Local Government are:

documents affecting personal privacy (such as names, addresses, telephone numbers) - section 33(1)
documents relating to trade secrets (putting a commercial business at an unreasonable disadvantage) - section 34(1)
documents of copyright status, like plans (building, planning), drawings, photographs - section 23(3)(c)
documents affecting legal proceedings (legal advice or opinions) - section 32(1)
documents prepared for and used at a meeting closed to the general public (such as minutes, reports) - section 38A.

How to make a freedom of information request

FOI requests should be made using the online form below and accompanied by a non-refundable application fee of $28.90 paid via online credit card facility.

Please contact the Governance Coordinator on 9599 4444 if you would like a printable application form or more information.

Further charges may be imposed to recover, in part, the cost of accessing the required information and for the time spent by Council officers in providing such information. Your request must clearly describe the document(s) being sought and must include your name, address, contact telephone number(s) and in what form the documents are required (e.g. paper copy of inspection only).

If your request relates to the correction or amendment of your own personal information held by Council, you will need to specify how and why you believe the information about you is incorrect, incomplete, misleading or out of date, by providing details of the amendments that need to be made.

The application fee may be waived or reduced in certain circumstances (e.g. for applicants who hold a current health care or pension card - a copy of the relevant card must be submitted along with the FOI request form). Application fees are reviewed on 1 July each year.

Cost

Application fee: $28.90
Search and retrieval of documents: minimum $21.70 per hour
Photocopying of documents (black and white): 20 cents per A4 page
Supervisor inspection of documents: $5.40 per ¼ hour or part of a ¼ hour

Please note:

No charges apply for requests to correct or amend your own personal information.
You will be notified if charges are likely to exceed $50. A minimum deposit of $25 may be required if you want to proceed with the request.

Time frames

Under the Act there is a 30 day timeframe from receiving a valid request to make a decision on whether to release the document(s) and 30 days to make a decision relating to the correction or amendment of personal information. Extensions to this time may be required if third party consultation is required. You will be notified in writing of this decision.

Appeal and review

When you receive a decision about your request, you will be advised of your rights to seek an internal review of the decision.

For more information,call the Governance Coordinator on (03) 9599 4444.

Freedom of Information Part II Statement

For queries relating to the Freedom of Information Part II Statement (PDF, 1.16MB) please contact the Governance Coordinator on 9599 4444.

Make a Freedom of Information Request

Under the Freedom of Information Act 1982, I wish to gain access to the following document (s): (Please list the specific documents you require or upload additional information)

Upload additional information

Files must be less than 10 MB.
Allowed file types: gif jpg jpeg png txt pdf doc zip.

How would you like to access the documents? *

I request copies of the document(s) to be sent by mail

I request copies of the document(s) to be sent by email

I request to view the document(s) at the Corporate Centre

Do you require the information relating to personal affairs of any person as defined in s 33(9) of the FOI Act? *

Under the FOI Act 1982, we are required to consult with third parties mentioned in the documents. As part of this consultation, your name may be provided to these parties. Additional processing time will be required to do this.

I do not need information relating to the personal affairs of any person as defined in s33(9) of the FOI Act

I do need information relating to the personal affairs of any person as defined in s33(9) of the FOI Act

Your contact details

Title

Please specify

First name *

Last name *

Email *

Phone *

Business name (optional)

Your address

Unit number

Street number *

Street name *

Suburb *

Postcode *

Is your mailing address as above? *

Yes

Select no if you would like to use a PO Box

Postal address

I would like to use a PO Box

Unit number

Street number *

Street name *

Suburb *

State *

Postcode *

PO Box details

PO Box *

Street number

Street name

Suburb *

State *

Postcode *

Acknowledgment *

I acknowledge that the details above are correct to the best of my knowledge and that a non-refundable application fee of $28.90 will be charged to my credit card in order to process this application. I understand that there may be additional charges for search time and photocopied documents which will be detailed in a decision letter to you.

Fees

	Item	Price
	Application fee	$28.90
	Credit card surcharge - 0.69%
	Total

Application fee (Hidden)

Credit Card Information This payment form accepts Visa and Mastercard

Name on card

Card number

Expiration *

Security code

Please note that your payment may not be updated until the following business day and that Visa or MasterCard payments will be subject to a 0.69% surcharge.

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