Freedom of Information

Under the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act, you have the right to seek access to documents held by Council by submitting a request for documents.

You do not need to submit a request for certain documents that can be freely accessed on our website including:

For an extensive list of documents that are publicly available, see our Freedom of Information Part II Statement.

Key information

Council may refuse to give you access to documents if they are exempt. Exempt documents include those that contain:

  • confidential information, as defined under section 125 in the LGA 2020
  • legally privileged information
  • commercially sensitive information
  • information about a third party’s personal affairs
  • information provided by a third party in confidence to Council.

Access may also be denied where:

  • the request infringes copyright
  • document preservation is required.

How to request access

Check documents availability

For a list of publicly available documents, view the Freedom of Information Part II Statement.

If you would like access to a document not on the list, please submit a request.

Request access to a document

Submit your request online

Or you may download and submit the Freedom of Information request form(PDF, 155KB) to council@stonnington.vic.gov.au

Receive a response

We will make a decision within 30 days after receiving your request and application fee.

Request document access

Time

You'll be notified of a decision within 30 days of submitting a request and paying the application fee.

This period may be extended by 15 days if Council needs to consult with third parties.

Cost

  • $32.70 application fee
  • $0.20 photocopying per A4 page
  • $24.50 search fee per hour
  • $6.13 supervised inspection fee per 15 minutes
  • $24.50 supervised inspection fee per hour

If the fee exceeds $50, we will contact you for approval to proceed and request a deposit.

Fees may be reduced or waived if you are experiencing hardship. You must provide evidence by uploading a concession card, pension card, or another government-issued document to the request form.

Contact us

Email

council@stonnington.vic.gov.au

Phone

03 8290 1333