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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
Agency FOI Information Service has been published Updated 11/06/2021
Decisions and case notes has been updated Updated 08/06/2021
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.
The Professional Standards were developed to ensure the FOI Act is administered by agencies consistently with the Act’s object and Parliament’s intention.
Professional Standards There are 33 standards based on 10 themes, relating to the conduct of agencies in performing functions under the FOI Act and the administration and operation of the Act by agencies.
Professional Standards Self-Assessment Tool The Self-Assessment Tool was designed to help agencies measure their performance against the Professional Standards.
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.
Decisions and case notes 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.
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.
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.