Freedom of information arrangements
How can I request access to VEC records?
How can I amend personal information?
How can I write to the VEC
Once you have provided us with enough information to identify the documents you are seeking, and once you have paid the application fee, we will search for the documents. If the documents are available, we will notify you in writing and provide the documents to you within 45 days of receiving your application.
We will advise you in writing if the documents you have requested are exempt or partially exempt and we will provide you with written reasons for their exempt status. We will also let you know how you can seek an internal review of any decision to claim an exemption for any document, or part of any document.
In certain circumstances, we may waive or reduce the fees that apply to your request. We may, for example, consider taking such action where you can show that payment would cause you hardship.
You may do so where you consider that the information is incorrect, incomplete, out of date, or where it would give a misleading impression. You may do this regardless of when the documents were created.
To request the correction or amendment of personal information that is contained in a VEC document, you should contact us in writing. You should specify:
How can I amend personal information?
How can I write to the VEC
How can I request access to VEC records?
If you would like to obtain VEC records, you may write to the VEC to request access.Different types of access
You may ask to inspect or to obtain a copy of printed documents. You may also request different types of access if the document you require takes a different form. For example, if the document you are after is information held on computer equipment, you may request a printed document containing that information.Identification of documents
It is important that your freedom of information (FOI) request contain sufficient detail for us to identify the documents you are seeking. Your request should indicate the documents' subject-matter. It should also indicate approximate dates for the documents. If your request does not provide us with enough information, our FOI Officer will help you clarify your request.Once you have provided us with enough information to identify the documents you are seeking, and once you have paid the application fee, we will search for the documents. If the documents are available, we will notify you in writing and provide the documents to you within 45 days of receiving your application.
Exemptions
Some documents are exempted from release by Part IV of the Freedom of Information Act 1982. This means that we may not be able to grant access to the documents you have requested or that we may be able to provide only partial access to those documents.We will advise you in writing if the documents you have requested are exempt or partially exempt and we will provide you with written reasons for their exempt status. We will also let you know how you can seek an internal review of any decision to claim an exemption for any document, or part of any document.
Charges under the Freedom of Information Act
If you make an FOI request, you will be required to pay an application fee and any other fees that may apply. Charges for access to documents are set out in the Freedom of Information (Access Charges) Regulations 2004. They include:- application fee: $22.70;
- search fees: if the VEC needs to identify and locate the documents - $20.00 per hour or part of an hour;
- supervision fees: if you choose to inspect documents at the VEC under the supervision of an officer - $5.00 per quarter hour or part of a quarter hour;
- photocopy fees: 20 cents per A4 page, non-coloured photocopy;
- other fees: the reasonable costs incurred by the VEC in producing a copy - for example, the reasonable costs incurred in creating a microfiche of a file, or of retrieving information from a computer file; and
- deposits: where charges will be substantial, we may require a deposit of $25.00 before we will grant access.
In certain circumstances, we may waive or reduce the fees that apply to your request. We may, for example, consider taking such action where you can show that payment would cause you hardship.
How can I amend personal information?
You may ask for any information contained in VEC documents that relates to your personal affairs to be corrected or amended.You may do so where you consider that the information is incorrect, incomplete, out of date, or where it would give a misleading impression. You may do this regardless of when the documents were created.
To request the correction or amendment of personal information that is contained in a VEC document, you should contact us in writing. You should specify:
- your contact address;
- your telephone contact number;
- why you think the information is incomplete, inaccurate, incorrect, out of date or misleading; and
- the changes that you would like to be made.
How can I write to the VEC
If you would like to request access to VEC records or if you would like to amend any personal details contained in VEC documents, you may write to:Sue Lang
Authorised FOI Officer
Victorian Electoral Commission
Level 8, 505 Little Collins Street
Melbourne
Victoria 3000
Telephone (03) 9299 0730
Facsimile (03) 9629 9330
Email sue.lang@vec.vic.gov.au