Freedom of information

Everyone has the right under the Freedom of Information Act 1982 (Vic) to request access to documents of a public agency, other than exempt documents. Maribyrnong City Council is a public agency.

Access to Documents

The Act gives you the right to request:

access to documents in Council's records that were created after 1 January 1989.
access to documents about your personal affairs, regardless of the age of the documents.
that incorrect or misleading information held by Council about you to be amended or removed.

Documents may be written, printed, or electronic documents, maps, films, photographs and audio and video recordings.

Exempt Documents

Not all documents are automatically available. The Act allows Council to refuse access to certain documents. In some cases, you may be refused access to an entire document. Alternatively, you may be given access to a document with the exempt information removed.

This should not deter you from asking for access as each document is assessed on its merits before a decision is made.

Making a FOI Request

To make a valid request you must provide enough information to enable the correct documents to be identified. If we need further information to identify the documents, we will let you know. If your request does not comply with the requirements of the Act, Council can provide advice and assistance to help you to submit a valid request.

The application must:

be in writing.
clearly and accurately describe the documents you are seeking to access.
be for specific documents or group of documents.
include payment of the application fee of $33.60 if required.
include a copy of your identification, if you are seeking documents about your own personal affairs.
Include your written authorisation if another person is acting on your behalf.

Timeframe for Answering Requests

Once your request is considered valid, Council has 30 days to provide a decision in writing. Extensions are sometimes necessary to ensure that complete searches are undertaken, or if third parties are to be consulted prior to releasing documents. If an extension is necessary, Council's FOI officer will contact you in writing.

Fees and Charges

There are fees associated with making an FOI request. The fees may include:

Application Fee - $33.60.
Access charges / search fees - $25.20 per hour or part thereof.
Additional fees for retrieval of hardcopy archives, photocopying and supervising inspection of documents may also apply.

Council's FOI Officer will contact you to discuss any applicable fees prior to processing your request.

Lodging Your Application

Applications can be lodged via our online Freedom of Information Request form, or via email to governance@maribyrnong.vic.gov.au.