Freedom of Information

Under the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act, you have the right to seek access to documents held by Council.

Before lodging an FOI request, you should first determine if the documents you seek are already available in another way. If you apply for a document that is otherwise available, we will not be able to release it to you under FOI, but we will advise you on how you obtain it. In these circumstances, your application will not be refunded.

Documents which are freely available

Many documents can be freely accessed on our website including:

Documents which are available on application

Many documents can be accessed after lodgement of an application, and in some cases, the payment of a fee, including:

For an extensive list of documents that are available, see our Freedom of Information Part II Statement.

Key information

Council may refuse to give you access to documents if they are exempt. Exempt documents include those that contain:

  • confidential information, as defined under section 125 in the LGA 2020
  • legally privileged information
  • commercially sensitive information
  • information about a third party’s personal affairs
  • information provided by a third party in confidence to Council.

Access may also be denied where:

  • the request infringes copyright
  • document preservation is required.

How to request access

Check documents availability

For a list of publicly available documents, view the Freedom of Information Part II Statement.

If you would like access to a document not on the list, please submit a request.

Request access to a document

Submit your request online

Or you may download and submit the Freedom of Information request form(PDF, 252KB) to us via email.

Receive a response

We will make a decision within 30 days after receiving your request and application fee.

Request for documents

Time

You'll be notified of a decision within 30 days of submitting a request and paying the application fee.

This period may be extended by 15 days if Council needs to consult with third parties.

Cost

  • $33.60 application fee
  • $0.20 photocopying per A4 page
  • $25.20 search fee per hour
  • $6.30 supervised inspection fee per 15 minutes
  • $25.20 supervised inspection fee per hour

If the fee exceeds $50, we will contact you for approval to proceed and request a deposit.

Fees may be reduced or waived if you are experiencing hardship. You must provide evidence by uploading a concession card, pension card, or another government-issued document to the request form.

Contact us

Find out how you can get in touch