The objects of the Freedom of Information Act 1982 (the FOI Act) are to ‘give the Australian community access to information held by Australian Government agencies’, and, ‘to increase recognition that information held by the Government is to be managed for public purposes, and is a national resource’.
Making an FOI request
In order for the FRDC to process your request as quickly as possible, and at the lowest possible cost your request must:
- be made in writing
- state that you are seeking information in accordance with the FOI Act
- provide enough information for the FRDC to clearly identify the scope of your request, the time period’s your request falls under, and the category of documents sought. i.e. reports, minutes, emails, etc.
- specify an address (either email or physical) so the FRDC can correspond with you about your request.
Although not a requirement under the FOI Act, you may also wish to provide a phone number to make it easier for us to talk to you about your request.
No form is necessary, but the information provided by the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner is a useful guide to the matters that should be addressed in your FOI application.
FOI requests should be sent to:
FOI Officer
Fisheries Research & Development Corporation
Locked Bag 222
DEAKIN WEST ACT 2600
or via email foi@frdc.com.au
Fees and charges for FOI
Request
Charge
Application
No fee
Search and retrieval
$15 per hour
Decision making and consultation
First five hours free, after that $20 per hour
When a FOI request is not responded to within the statutory time limit
No fees
Internal review
No fee
Request for personal information
No fee
If you wish to apply to have your request processed for a reduced fee, or free of charge, you can seek a waiver/remission of fees on the grounds of financial hardship or public interest, or any other factor you feel may be relevant. If you wish to have your request considered for reduced charges or free of charge, please include reasons in your application.
Where the FRDC decides that you are liable to pay a charge for access to a document, it will give you a written notice stating its preliminary assessment of the charge.
You may contend that the charge has been wrongly assessed, or should be reduced or not imposed. In deciding whether to reduce or not to impose a charge, the FRDC will, amongst other things, take into account whether payment of the charge, or part of it, would cause you financial hardship and whether the giving of access to the documents is in the general public interest.
Cheques and money orders are to be made payable to Fisheries Research and Development Corporation. Payment may also be made through direct deposit, by contacting the FOI Officer.
Additional matters
Processing an FOI request can take some time, especially if the number of documents sought is large. If the request for documents contains information about a person, company or organisation other than the applicant, the FRDC is required to consult with them before making a decision.
It may not be possible to obtain access to all of the documents sought in the request because some may be exempt from release under the FOI Act.
Contact
Please contact the FRDC FOI Officer for further information:
- Switchboard: +61 2 6122 2100
- Email: foi@frdc.com.au
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