Access to Information - Formal Release

Formal release of information

If you are unable to obtain your required information through any of the previous methods, a formal access application may be necessary.  With a formal request you have a legally enforceable right to be provided with access unless there is an overriding public interest against disclosure of the information or the information is excluded under Schedule 2 of the Government Information (Public Access) Act 2009 No 52.

Please complete the Application Form and present it with the $30 application fee at any of our Customer Service Centres.

A valid access application, must:

• be in writing sent to or lodged at Council;
• clearly indicate that it is an access application made under the GIPA Act;
• be accompanied by a $30 application fee;
• state a postal address in Australia as the address for correspondence in connection with the application;
• include such information as is reasonably necessary to enable the government information applied for to be identified.

Council must give the applicant notice of its decision within 20 working days, although this time can be extended under section 57(2) to consult with third parties or retrieve information from archives.  Processing charges at a rate of $30 per hour may also apply as part of deciding the application.  Under the Act, we must consider the privacy and personal interests of any third parties before making a determination as to whether there is an overriding public interest against disclosure of the information or for disclosure of the information .

Council is not permitted to make open access information available in any way that would constitute an infringement of copyright.

Council keeps a record of the open access information that it does not make publicly available on the basis of an overriding public interest against disclosure. The record is to indicate only the general nature of the information concerned.