Freedom of Information
Under section 15 of the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act 1982, any person is entitled to apply for access to documents that fall within its scope, that is, Australian Government documents after 1970.
The Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government holds Australian Government documents relating to its roles including:
- planning and coordinating infrastructure and facilitating major projects;
- carrying out research and providing advice on transport, transport security and regional issues;
- conducting investigations into transport safety;
- administering regulations and standards for all modes of transport; and
- delivering a range of programmes on behalf of the Australian Government, including services to support regional development and local governments.
A request under the FOI Act must be in writing or email and state an address in Australia to which notices under the FOI Act can be sent. A request under the FOI Act must identify the documents that you wish to see. The Freedom of Information Coordinator can assist you to identify the sort of documents held by the Department. Please provide as much information as possible about the documents you are seeking and a phone number or email address so you can be contacted, if necessary, to discuss the request.
The information on the form below will only be used for the purpose for which you have provided it. We will not use this information for any other purpose, and will not disclose it without your consent.
A request costs $30.00. Payment can be made by credit card or cheque. To make payment by credit card, please click here to obtain a copy of a credit card payment authority.
- Freedom of Information Credit Card Payment Form [
DOC: 80 KB] - Freedom of Information Credit Card Payment Form [
PDF: 119 KB]
Your cheque or completed Credit Card Payment Form can be sent to the following address:
Freedom of Information Coordinator
Department of Infrastructure, Transport,
Regional Development and Local Government
GPO Box 594
CANBERRA ACT 2601
The Credit Card Payment Form can also be faxed to (02) 6275 1347. To make an electronic payment (direct debit), please contact the FOI Coordinator.
In some circumstances, the $30.00 application fee will not be charged, or will be refunded. If you want to ask that the fee not apply to your request, the criteria considered by the Department include whether:
- the payment of the fee or a part of the fee would cause financial hardship to the applicant or person on whose behalf the application was made; or
- the giving of access to documents is in the general public interest or in the interest of a substantial section of the public.
You would need to contact the Department in writing or email and explain why you meet the criteria or that the overall circumstances justify you not paying the fee. Please forward your request for non-payment of the application fee to the Freedom of Information Coordinator. Until the application fee for a request is paid or otherwise decided on, your FOI request cannot be processed.
The FOI Act provides for other fees and charges associated with the processing of the request. These charges may relate to the time spent searching for and retrieving relevant documents, decision making time, photocopying and other costs. If lodging a FOI request, you will be notified of any estimate of the charges associated with processing your request as soon as possible. Your request will not be processed until you respond to any such notification.
If you need further information or wish to lodge a formal request seeking access to documents under the FOI Act, please do not hesitate to contact the FOI Coordinator:
Freedom of Information Coordinator
Department of Infrastructure, Transport,
Regional Development and Local Government
GPO Box 594
CANBERRA ACT 2601
Tel: (02) 6274 7531
Fax: (02) 6275 1347
email: foi@infrastructure.gov.au
PDF: In order to download or print PDF versions of documents, you need to have Adobe Reader installed. If you don't have Adobe Reader installed, download the installer from the Adobe Reader web page and then install the Reader before continuing.
DOC, RTF: To view a Microsoft Word file, you need to have Microsoft Word or Word Viewer installed on the computer. If you do not have the necessary software installed, you can download Microsoft Word Viewer free of charge from the Microsoft website.
Disclaimer: The compatible application(s) listed above are examples only. The Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government does not endorse any particular software developer or specific application.