Legal: Freedom of Information
Freedom of Information
The Victorian Freedom of Information Act 1982 (the Act) gives you a right of access to documents held by VicForests. The Act gives you the right to:
- request documents about your personal affairs and the activities of VicForests
- request that incorrect or misleading information held by VicForests about you be amended or removed.
You can request access to documents held by VicForests by email including payment of the application fee. Your request can be made by letter or by downloading the application form (below) and emailing it to:
You need to provide enough details for us to find the right documents. Avoid phrases like "all documents about" a topic.
If you ask for documents about your personal affairs, we may ask you to provide proof of your identity. If you ask for documents on behalf of another person about their personal affairs, we may ask you for a consent form signed by that person.
We will give you a decision about your request as soon as possible, and no later than 30 days after it is received or after it is clarified (subject to any extensions of time in accordance with the Act). If your request is not clear or is too general, we may ask you to re-submit it so that it is clear or describes specific documents or a specific timeframe.
If we decide not to release some or all of the documents you have requested, we will give you reasons and tell you your appeal/review rights.
We may suggest that you send your application to another agency or transfer your request as appropriate.
A $31.80 application fee must be paid at the same time that you make your request by depositing the amount to the nominated VicForests bank account:
Westpac
VicForests
BSB 033-222 Account 130688
This is a fixed cost which is non-refundable. If payment of the fee would cause you hardship you can ask for it to be waived by providing evidence such as a photocopy of your current health care card.
If paying by cheque or money order, please make payment out to VicForests.
Further charges may be payable for providing documents. You will be advised if these charges are going to be more than $50 and asked if you want to continue. If you wish to continue you may need to pay a deposit.
For the benefit of Victorian citizens, VicForests releases a large amount of information through online and print publishing as well as person-to-person service provision.
These Freedom of Information Part II Information Statements show how VicForests is making information readily available to the public. Making information easily accessible reduces the need for members of the public to submit requests under the Freedom of Information Act 1982.
The information on this page is a basic summary of some aspects of the framework set out in the Freedom of Information Act 1982. The information is not necessarily complete, accurate or current. VicForests is not bound by what is set out here, but rather by the Freedom of Information Act 1982.