Freedom of information

The Freedom of Information Act 1982 gives people the right to request access to documents held by our department.

How to make an FOI request

FOI requests must be made in writing and include payment of the $24.40 (from 1 July 2011) application fee at the time of submission (cheque or money order made payable to Department of Primary Industries).

The written request can be:

• a letter clearly describing the documents requested or
• a completed DPI - FOI application form 

The request should be sent to:

Manager, Freedom of Information
Department of Primary Industries
GPO Box 4440, Melbourne VIC 3001

Costs

The fee of $24.40 should be sent with any FOI application.

Costs may also be charged for:

• photocopying
• time spent searching for documents
• providing written transcripts of a recorded document
• supervising an inspection of documents.

If the costs of a particular request are likely to be more than $50, the FOI applicant may be required to pay a deposit. They will also be asked if they wish to proceed with the request.

Note: The application fee may be waived if the payment is likely to cause hardship to the FOI applicant. Evidence of financial hardship would be required, such as a copy of a Health Care Card or Pensioner Concession Card.

FOI decisions

The FOI Act sets out a number of situations in which our department may refuse access to certain documents. For example, access may be refused if the documents:

• relate to the personal affairs of another person
• are commercially sensitive
• would undermine law enforcement
• contain information supplied in confidence.

Decisions on FOI requests are required to be made within 45 days of the date we receive a valid FOI request.

An FOI applicant will be advised of their rights of review where they are dissatisfied with a decision under the FOI Act.

Further information

Contact the Freedom of Information Manager on:

Phone: (03) 9658 4030
Fax: (03) 9658 4207
Email: dpifoi.enquiries@dpi.vic.gov.au

For general information relating to Freedom of Information, refer to the Victorian Government Freedom of Information.