The Western Australian Freedom of Information Act 1992 (the FOI Act) gives you the right to request access to government-held information.
Under the FOI Act, agencies and local governments are required to assist the public with access to documents at the lowest reasonable cost and to ensure that personal information held is accurate, complete, up to date and not misleading.
Documents held by the Shire, including those available outside of FOI, are listed in our Information Statement.
Detailed information is provided in the Shire’s Information statement below, including:
FOI access applications must:
Applications lodged on behalf of another person require written authorisation from the person who is to accompany the application.
More information on the FOI process can be found in the Shire's Information Statement.
A scale of fees and charges are set out in the FOI Regulations. Apart from the application fee for non-personal information (information that is not personal information about the applicant) all charges are discretionary. The fees and charges are as follows.
| Fees | |
|---|---|
Personal information about the applicant | No fee and no charges |
Application fee (for non-personal information) | $30.00 |
| Charges | |
|---|---|
Charge for time dealing with the application (per hour, or pro rata) | $30.00 |
Access time supervised by staff (per hour, or pro rata) | $30.00 |
Photocopying staff time (per hour, or pro rata) | $30.00 |
Per photocopy | $0.20 |
Transcribing from tape, file or computer (per hour, or pro rata) | $30.00 |
Duplicating a tape, film or computer information | Actual cost |
Delivery, packaging and postage | Actual cost |
| Deposits - Fees and Charges | |
|---|---|
An advance deposit may be required in respect of the estimated charges | 25% |
Further advance deposit may be required to meet the charges for dealing with the application | 75% |
Applications may be lodged:
Applications will be acknowledged in writing, and the applicant will be notified of the decision within 45 calendar days. The 45 calendar day response period can only be suspended to inform the applicant if a charge is required.
Please refer to the Shire’s Information Statement above for information on your right to appeal a decision made by the Shire.
For assistance with lodging a FOI application, please call the Shire on (08) 9780 5255 or email [email protected]
For general information about the FOI process, visit the Office of the Information Commissioner website.
