Privacy Statement: The personal information provided above is collected for purpose of processing your application in accordance with the Freedom of Information Act 1982. Your personal details will not be disclosed outside of Council except to the Office of the Victorian Information Commissioner and VCAT if required; or as permitted by law. The details will be stored in Council’s Customer Database and used to identify you when communicating with Council and to deliver services and information to you. Your personal information will be handled in accordance with the Privacy and Data Protection Act 2014. Council’s Policy is available at www.wyndham.vic.gov.au/privacy-policy

Please read the Fact sheet following prior to completion to understand the requirements and anything that may be subject to exception or exemption necessary to protect essential public and private interests within your right to request access under the Freedom of Information Act 1982 (Vic).

This Form is printable and can be filled prior (for typed responses) or after filling the required fields should you wish to submit via the Post or in Person at the Civic Centre.

**Please be sure to SAVE a copy to enable filling and SAVE the file after to ensure your information is retained.

APPLICANT DETAILS:
Surname	Given Name
Title
Postal Address
Postcode	Email
Contact Phone	Mobile
Signature (you can type, draw or insert)	Date

Details of your REPRESENTATIVE (if applicable)
If you are using a representative like a parent, guardian, lawyer, or any other person who is acting on your behalf, please advise who they are. If you are completing this form as the applicant’s representative, advise who you are and provide an authority to act. Otherwise, please leave this blank.
Surname	Given Name
Title	Other
Postal Address
Postcode	Email
Contact Phone	Mobile
Signature (you can type, draw or insert)	Date

DETAILS OF YOUR APPLICATION:
Under the Freedom of Information Act 1982 (the FOI Act), I wish to gain access to the following document(s). (Please attach another page if there is insufficient space below for your details)

INFORMATION ACCESS:
Proof of Identification (Please select where appropriate). If the documents you are seeking access to relate to you personally, you may need to provide a certified copy of your identification. We may not be able to provide access to the requested document(s) if it cannot verify that you are the person the subject of the document(s). FORM OF ACCESS: ☐ I request access to copies of the document(s). ☐ I request access by supervised inspection of the document(s). Excluding Documents or Information you DON’T need: It is helpful to exclude certain documents or information from your request if it isn’t particularly necessary or relevant. This may allow us to process your request more quickly by potentially reducing the number of documents to assess or removing the requirement for us to consult with third parties. Do you require access to (Please select where appropriate)? • Draft documents: Choose an item. • Duplicate documents: Choose an item. • Commercial information relating to third parties: Choose an item. • Personal information relating to third parties: Choose an item. SECTION 25 OF THE FOI ACT: Deletion of Exempt or Irrelevant Material: ☐ Where part of a document is exempt from release or has irrelevant material to the request.

FOI APPLICATION FEE & CHARGES
Payment can be made to Council by the following methods: • In person at the Council Civic Centre, 45 Princes Hwy, Werribee; or • Cheque or Money Order made payable to Wyndham City Council; or • Credit Card payment accepted by phoning the Customer Support Team on 1300 023 411. ☐ I have enclosed the application fee of $33.60, which is payable in accordance with Section 17(2A) of the FOI Act. I understand that further charges may be applicable for search time and photocopying of requested documents. ☐ I have phoned Customer Service and paid over the phone (please retain receipt number for reference). ☐ I have NOT yet made payment.

If you want a copy of this form emailed to you when you submit, please provide your email address details here:

Otherwise, if you don’t require an electronic copy of this form leave the text box above blank and just click the submit form button below. Please make sure you have SAVED your responses first.

Freedom of Information Request – Fact Sheet

The Freedom of Information Act 1982 (FOI Act) provides members of the public with a legal right of access to documents held by Council. Members of the public are entitled to seek access to:

• Documents about their personal affairs, regardless of the age of the documents.

• Documents held by a Council, not older than 1 January 1989.

The FOI Act does not apply to documents which are available for a fee as part of a public register or are documents which are available for purchase.

The term 'document' is broad and includes information in many formats, whether printed or in electronic form, photographs, letters, maps, film, reports, audio and video recordings.

The protection of the public interest and private and business affairs may cause some documents to be exempted from access.

Making a valid request

Under section 17 of the FOI Act, a request must meet the following requirements to be valid:

• your request must be in writing and accompanied by a non-refundable application fee of $33.60.

• provide sufficient information to enable the documents to be identified.

Where possible this should include the approximate date range of the documents sought, if known.

If paying the application fee would cause you hardship, you may ask us to waive or reduce it. You can do so by providing a proof of hardship such as, a copy of your current Health Care Card or Pension Card.

All hardcopy applications for access to information under the FOI Act are to be addressed to:

The Freedom of Information Officer,

Wyndham City Council,

P O Box 197, WERRIBEE VIC 3030

Timeframe

On receipt of a valid request (including payment), the FOI Officer has 30 days to respond to the applicant with a decision. Under the Act, the period may be extended by 15 days if consultation is required under certain sections of the FOI Act. Further extensions of the period can be sought with agreement by the applicant for not more than 30 days at a time. Where a decision is made to deny or defer access, the applicant will be notified in writing of the reasons for the denial and the procedures available to appeal the decision.

Under the FOI Act, Council may deny access to ‘exempt’ documents. Examples of ‘exempt’ documents include:

•	confidential matters considered by Council

•	law enforcement documents

•	some internal working documents

•	documents covered by legal professional privilege, such as legal advice

•	documents obtained in confidence or containing personal information about other people

•	documents containing "Commercial in-Confidence" information or trade secrets

Other Costs

Where an application for access is granted, costs may be incurred by the applicant (in addition to the application fee) to access the documents. These charges are levied under with the Freedom of Information (Access Charges) Regulations 2025 and relate to:

•	Search charges - $25.20 per hour or part of an hour

•	Inspection supervision charges $6.30 per quarter hour; 15 to 30 minutes = $12.60; 45 minutes to 1 hour = $25.20.

•	Photocopying charges - 20 cents per black and white A4 page. Colour copies and paper sizes	other than A4 are set at a reasonable cost incurred by Council in providing the copy.

Where it is anticipated that the costs will exceed $70.00, the applicant will be advised and requested to pay a deposit. The applicant will also be asked if they wish to continue with the request or narrow the terms/scope of their request to reduce costs.

Further information

For further information please contact Council’s FOI Officer.