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The object of the Freedom of Information Act 1982 (the FOI Act) is to “extend as far as possible the right of the Australian community to access to information in the possession of the Government of the Commonwealth”.
The FOI Act aims to achieve this objective by:
- requiring Australian Government agencies to publish information about their operations and powers affecting members of the public as well as manuals and other documents used in making decisions and recommendations affecting the public;
- requiring agencies to provide access to documents in their possession unless the document falls within an exception or exemption necessary for the protection of essential public interests or the private and business affairs of persons in respect of whom information is collected and held; and
- creating a right to bring about the amendment of records containing personal information that is incomplete, incorrect, out of date or misleading.
How to make a Freedom of Information application
Applications for access to documents must:
- be in writing;
- state that the application is made under the FOI Act;
- provide enough information concerning the documents sought as is reasonably necessary to enable a responsible officer of the department to identify them; and
- give details of how notices may be sent to the applicant (for example, a postal or email address).
Please note – from 1 November 2010 the FOI Act will not require an application fee for FOI requests.
Applications to the department may be sent to the department in one of the following ways:
Via email to the following address:
foi@deewr.gov.au
Via pre-paid post:
To the address of any central or regional office of this department specified in a current telephone directory.
We prefer that you mail your request to the following address:
FOI Team Leader
Administrative Law Team
Legal and Investigations Group
C148CW2
GPO Box 9880
CANBERRA ACT 2601
Delivery in person:
To an officer of the department at the address of any central or regional office of this department specified in a current telephone directory.
Charges
The FOI Act provides that in certain circumstances charges may be imposed for processing applications.
The department may decide to reduce or not impose charges for any reason, including if grounds of financial hardship or general public interest can be established by the applicant.
Contacts
If you would like further information about making a Freedom of Information request, please contact a member of the FOI Team on (02) 6121 6000 or by e-mail to foi@deewr.gov.au.
Further information
The Office of the Australian Information Commissioner’s website contains additional information about the FOI Act – see http://www.oaic.gov.au.
Further information about the Department’s handling of FOI applications can be found in the Current DEEWR Annual Report.