OVIC publishes report on the State of Freedom of Information in Victoria

The Office of the Victorian Information Commissioner (OVIC) has published a report on the State of Freedom of Information in Victoria: Five Years in Review 2014 – 2019.

The report provides a five year overview of the administration of the Freedom of Information Act 1982 (Vic) (FOI Act) in Victoria, measures its effectiveness, illustrates trends and highlights challenges.

The report shows there is room for improvement, and Victorian Information Commissioner Sven Bluemmel is calling for agencies to commit to greater public access to government information.

OVIC collects freedom of information (FOI) data from around 1,000 agencies subject to the FOI Act each year for OVIC’s annual report on the operation of the FOI Act to Parliament. This data was analysed relating to FOI requests received, decision making, reviews, complaints, costs and challenges in administering the FOI Act.

The State of FOI in Victoria report is the first report of its nature published by OVIC, with the aim of promoting understanding of FOI in Victoria to agencies and the public. OVIC also aims to facilitate a discussion and provide recommendations on how the public’s right to access information can be better promoted and protected.

Read the report and our media release.