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Freedom of Information
The Western Australian Freedom of Information Act 1992 gives all West Australians a right of access to information held by the Department of the Attorney General.
If you are searching for court transcripts and documents of a judicial nature please contact the relevant court directly as these documents are accessible outside of Freedom of Information provisions.
For information held by other State Government Departments & Local Government Authorities please ensure you direct your enquiries and applications directly to those agencies. The Department of the Attorney General is only able to assist applicants with documents within its possession.
There are a number of Freedom of Information co-ordinators who respond to Freedom of Information applications for documents held by the Department of the Attorney General.
Applications for documents of an administrative nature should be addressed to:
Team Leader
Central Administrative Records Team
Department of the Attorney General
Level 9, 141 St Georges Terrace
PERTH WA 6000
Applications for documents of a legal nature should be addressed to:
FOI Coordinator
State Solicitors Office
Level 14, 141 St Georges Terrace
PERTH WA 6000
Applications for documents dealing with wills, trustees and estate management should be addressed to:
Public Trust Office
Department of the Attorney General
565 Hay Street
PERTH WA 6000
Applications for documents relating to personal guardianship should be addressed to:
Public Advocate
Department of the Attorney General
Level 1, 30 Terrace Road
PERTH WA 6000
Applications for documents relating to the State Administrative Tribunal should be addressed to:
State Administrative Tribunal
Level 4, 12 St Georges Terrace
PERTH WA 6000
Applications for documents relating to the Office of Native Title:
Team Leader
Central Administrative Records Team
Department of the Attorney General
GPO Box 317
PERTH WA 6841
Information statement
The information statement as required by the Freedom of Information Act 1992 is incorporated in the Department's Handbook.
Information requests - Personal information
No fee or charge is payable for an application for personal information. All applications relating to personal information must be in writing.
Personal information can be:
Information requests - Non-personal information
Requests for information under the Western Australian FOI Act must be in writing; accompanied by a $30 application fee.
Service delivery
Under the Act, the Department is required to process requests for information within 45 days of receiving the application. While the Act encourages open government through the release of documents and information, there is provision under Section 23 to refuse access on a range of grounds. Applicants have a right of appeal in these cases, initially to the Department and subsequently to the Information Commissioner.
Notice of decision
The applicant will receive in writing, notice of the Department's decision relating to the request. The notice will include the following information:
Review rights
If the applicant is aggrieved with a decision made by the Department, they have the right to submit a written request for a review of that decision. This must be done within 30 days after being given notice of the decision. The review is to be conducted by a person other than the person who made the original decision and who is not subordinate to that person. The agency must respond with a written notice of decision within 15 days and no fees are involved.
If the applicant is still aggrieved, they may lodge a written complaint to the office of the Information Commissioner within 60 days following the internal review decision (30 days for third parties). The commissioner's decision is final unless an appeal is made to the Supreme Court on a question of law.
Amendment of personal information
A person can apply to amend personal information in a document held by the Department. This provision exists to ensure the Department does not unfairly harm the person referred to, misrepresent facts about them or does not give a misleading impression.
Applicants must provide details and, if necessary, documentation in support of their claim to amend inaccurate, incomplete, out of date or misleading information.
In addition, applicants must indicate how they want the amendment to be made within the options set out in the Act, including:
Charges
The Department can apply the following charges when processing an FOI application:
In cases where charges levied are expected to be higher than $25, the applicant will be provided with an estimate of charges as soon as possible after receipt of the application. The Department reserves the right to request an advance deposit. A reduction in charges may be sought in the case of financial hardship.
To inspect Department information available to the public, or for assistance with your request, contact the Team Leader, Central Administrative Records Team.
Team Leader, Central Administrative Records Team
Department of the Attorney General
Level 9, 141 St Georges Terrace
PERTH WA 6000
Phone: (08) 9264 1845
Fax: (08) 9264 6340
Contact Freedom of Information
Last Updated: 30-Jun-2009
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