Freedom of information

The Victorian Freedom of Information Act 1982 gives members of the community, including staff and students the right to:

• Access documents about their personal affairs and the activities of the University; and
• Request incorrect or misleading information about them held by the University be amended or removed.

Under the Federation University Australia Act 2010 (Vic), the University has the power to make decisions regarding its own governance and to confer awards. All statutes and regulations relating to the organisation and management of the University are available at https://federation.edu.au/staff/governance/legal/feduni-statutes-and-regulations.

University policies are available at Policy Central. If a policy is not available at this address, please contact the Policy Team via policy@federation.edu.au.

Categories of documents

What information is available?

The FOI Act covers access to documents that are held by the University, including documents:

• Created by the University;
• Supplied to the University by an external organisation or individual.

"Documents" can also cover a broad range of media including maps, films, microfiche, photographs, computer printouts, emails, computer discs, tape recordings and videotapes.

Information which might be available without an FOI Act application includes:

• Personal information of the applicant (such as personnel records);
• Information which is available publicly (such as on a public register);
• Information which is available for purchase.

What information is not available?

Not all information is automatically available. The FOI Act allows the University to refuse access to certain 'exempt' documents or information. In some cases access to an entire document may be refused. Alternatively, an applicant may be given access to a document with exempt information deleted.

Documents which may not be accessible include:

• Some internal working documents;
• Documents covered by legal professional privilege, such as legal advice;
• Documents containing personal information about persons other than the applicant;
• Documents containing information provided to the University in confidence;
• Documents containing information provided to the University by a business; and
• Documents which are covered by secrecy provisions in other legislation.

Each document is assessed on its own merits before a decision is made.

Additionally, section 78 of the Protected Disclosure Act 2012 (Vic) excludes the application of the Freedom of Information Act 1982 to any document that relates to a disclosure made under the Protected Disclosure Act 2012.

Freedom of Information arrangements and procedure

If you wish to obtain information from the University that is not publicly available, please forward a written application containing a clear description of the documents you are requesting access to, and a $30.10 application fee.

If you feel you have grounds to waive the application fee (e.g. if payment of the fee would cause financial hardship), please supply evidence with your application.

Processing of a request cannot begin if all of the required information is not supplied.

FOI applications should be addressed to:

Freedom of Information Officer
Federation University Australia
PO Box 663
BALLARAT VIC 3353

Queries and complaints should be directed to the Privacy Officer at privacyofficer@federation.edu.au.

Alternatively, complaints can be directed to the Office of the Victorian Information Commissioner.

Publications, rules, policies and publications

The following information regarding the University's decisions and policies are available from:

• The University's Strategic Plan;
• University policies and procedures;
• Plans, processes and related documents; and
• Organisational data regarding the University

Requests for information not included above should be the subject of an application under the FOI Act, as outlined above.

In addition to the application fee, the FOI Act allows for access charges to be applied such as: