Freedom of Information

The general objects of the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act 1982 are to :

1. give the Australian community access to information held by the Government of the Commonwealth, by:
   1. requiring agencies to publish the information; and
   2. providing for a right of access to documents.

2. promote Australia’s representative democracy by contributing towards the following:
   1. increasing public participation in Government processes, with a view to promoting better-informed decision-making;
   2. increasing scrutiny, discussion, comment and review of the Government’s activities.

3. increase recognition that information held by the Government is to be managed for public purposes, and is a national resource.

4. provide that functions and powers given by the FOI Act are to be performed and exercised, as far as possible, to facilitate and promote public access to information, promptly and at the lowest reasonable cost.

The Department of Infrastructure and Transport holds Australian Government documents relating to its role in assisting the Government promote, evaluate, plan and invest in infrastructure and foster an efficient, sustainable, competitive, safe and secure transport system through the provision of policy advice, programs and regulation across a wide range of areas including:

• infrastructure planning and coordination;
• transport safety, including investigations;
• land transport;
• civil aviation and airports;
• transport security;
• maritime transport including shipping; and
• major projects facilitation.

Making an FOI Request

A request under the FOI Act must be in writing or email and state an address 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.

If you wish to lodge a formal request seeking access to documents under the FOI Act, or need further information on how to lodge a request, please contact the FOI Coordinator:

Freedom of Information Coordinator
Department of Infrastructure and Transport
GPO Box 594
CANBERRA ACT 2601

Tel: (02) 6274 7531
Fax: (02) 6275 1347
email: foi@infrastructure.gov.au

Fees and Charges

There are no application fees payable to lodge an FOI request.

You may still be charged for the processing of your request, for example the time spent searching for and retrieving relevant documents, decision making time, photocopying and other costs, as provided in The FOI Act and Regulations. Should your FOI request incur any charges, you will be notified as soon as possible and be provided with an estimate of the charges for your consideration. Your request will not be processed until you respond to any such notification.

In some circumstances, the processing charges will not be imposed, 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 charges. Please forward your request for non-payment of the processing charges to the Freedom of Information Coordinator.

Payment of processing charges as estimated to by the Department 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: 78 KB]
• Freedom of Information Credit Card Payment Form [PDF: 108 KB]

Your cheque or completed Credit Card Payment Form can be sent to the following address:

Freedom of Information Coordinator
Department of Infrastructure and Transport
GPO Box 594
CANBERRA ACT 2601

The Credit Card Payment Form can also be faxed to (02) 6275 1347.

The information on the Credit Card Payment Form 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.

Further Information

If you need further information or have any questions relating to seeking access to documents under the FOI Act, please contact the FOI Coordinator:

Freedom of Information Coordinator
Department of Infrastructure and Transport
GPO Box 594
CANBERRA ACT 2601

Information Publication Scheme

If you would like further information on the Department’s Information Publication Plan, please contact the FOI coordinator:

Tel: (02) 6274 7531
Fax: (02) 6275 1347
email: foi@infrastructure.gov.au