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Freedom of Information resources
This page contains resources and guidance to assist Victorian public sector agencies meet their obligations to provide public access to information under the Freedom of Information Act 1982 (Vic).
Latest updates
Enhancing Victoria's FOI Culture to be Open by Design has been published Updated 27/09/2021
FOI and COVID-19: Frequently asked questions has been published Updated 13/09/2021
Information Commissioner calls for a wide-ranging review of Victoria's FOI law has been published Updated 01/09/2021
Top tasks
The Practice Notes provide detailed guidance on how the Freedom of Information Act 1982, exemptions, and Professional Standards should be administered and interpreted.
These templates have been developed to guide agencies when processing FOI requests and communicating with applicants, third parties, other agencies and internally.
Professional Standards
The Professional Standards were developed to ensure the FOI Act is administered by agencies consistently with the Act’s object and Parliament’s intention.
Review decisions
We publish de-identified review decisions made by the Information Commissioner to improve public understanding of the FOI Act and the right to access government information.
Professional Standards Self-Assessment Tool
The Self-Assessment Tool was designed to help agencies measure their performance against the Professional Standards.
Browse the latest FOI review decisions and case notes made by the Information Commissioner.
Agency FOI Information Service
OVIC’s Agency FOI Information Service is an email service designed to provide Victorian public sector agency FOI principal officers and practitioners free tailored advice and guidance.
FOI and COVID-19 FAQs
These FAQs were developed to support VPS agencies with FOI business continuity during the ongoing impacts of COVID-19.
Agency FOI Information Service Guidelines
This document outlines the guiding principles for Victorian public sector organisations utilising OVIC’s Agency FOI Information Service.
Research
OVIC regularly conducts and publishes research on a range of matters related to FOI in Victoria.
Enhancing Victoria's FOI culture to be open by design
This paper outlines and discusses the culture of FOI in Victoria and how OVIC intends to influence behavioural change in agencies to better support proactive and informal release of information.
The Culture of Administering Access to Government Information and Freedom of Information in Victoria
This pilot study by Monash University aimed to capture the culture of administering the Freedom of Information Act 1982 and the Victorian information access system overall.
This report is the second and final part of a study conducted by Monash University into capturing the culture of administering the FOI Act.
The State of Freedom of Information in Victoria report
The State of FOI in Victoria report analyses the administration of the FOI Act from 2014-19.
Proactive and informal release of information discussion paper
OVIC published this discussion paper to better understand the practices and experiences of Victorian public sector agencies with proactive and informal release.