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Freedom of Information

The Victorian Freedom of Information Act 1982 gives you the right to request access to documents about your personal affairs and the activities of government agencies held by:

• Ministers
• State Government departments
• local councils
• most semi-government agencies and statutory authorities
• public hospitals
• universities, TAFE colleges and schools.

You can also request that agencies amend or remove incorrect or misleading information they hold about you.

FOI Online

The FOI Online website contains further information to help you access government documents. On the site you can download a request form and locate the correct agency to send your freedom of information (FOI) request to. You can also make a request online to one of the 11 government departments or Victoria Police.

Making a request to a Justice agency

The Department of Justice's FOI Unit handles requests for access to documents held by the department's various business units, such as Corrections Victoria and Consumer Affairs Victoria.

The department’s statutory agencies process their own requests. If you wish to access documents held by these agencies, they can be contacted directly (contact details are available on the FOI Online website). Some of the Justice statutory agencies covered by FOI include:

• Country Fire Authority
• Metropolitan Fire and Emergency Services Board
• Office of Public Prosecutions
• Victoria Legal Aid
• Victoria Police
• Victoria State Emergency Service
• Victorian Electoral Commission.