Access to Council information
Access to Information
The Government Information (Public Access) Act 2009 (GIPA Act) commenced on 1 July 2010 and requires Council to make certain information publicly available. This information is called “open access information” or “mandatory release information”. This information is to be published on Council’s website, unless to do so would impose unreasonable additional costs.
Council’s open access information includes the following:
- an information guide
- access to Council's plans, policies, reports and other publications
- a disclosure log of access applications
- a register of Council contracts
- Open Access Information not publicly available
- a donations and sponsorship register
The Government Information (Public Access) Regulation 2018 prescribes additional open access information that Councils must make publicly available.
Some of the open access information required to be publicly available under the Regulation is available in Plans, policies and reports.
Informal access requests
Open access information that Council is not able to make available on the website can be accessed by completing a GIPA Act application form and ticking “Informal Request”.
Council will allow access to other information it holds unless there is an overriding public interest against disclosure of the information. Access to this information can be applied for by completing a GIPA Act application form and ticking “Informal request”.
Application form for access to Council information(PDF, 366KB)
Formal access requests
Access to other Council information, such as information containing personal information of another party or commercial information can be applied for by completing GIPA Act application form and ticking “Formal Application”.
An application fee of $30.00 applies for Formal Applications and a processing fee of $30.00 per hour may also apply.
Further information may be obtained by contacting Council’s Governance Department on 9391 7001.
Application form for access to Council information(PDF, 366KB)
Information Guide
Information guide
The Government Information (Public Access) Act 2009 (the GIPA Act) requires Council to maintain a information guide.
The information guide:
- describes the structure and functions of the Council,
- describes the ways in which the functions (including, in particular, the decision-making functions) of the Council affect members of the public,
- specifies any arrangements that exist to enable members of the public to participate in the formulation of the Council’s policy and the exercise of the Council’s functions,
- identifies the various kinds of government information held by the Council,
- identifies the kinds of government information held by the Council that the Council makes (or will make) publicly available,
- specifies the manner in which the Council makes (or will make) government information publicly available, and
- identifies the kinds of information that are (or will be) made publicly available free of charge and those kinds for which a charge is (or will be) imposed.
Disclosure Log of access applications
Disclosure Log of access applications
A Disclosure Log is a record containing details of Council’s information already released under the Government Information (Public Access) Act 2009 (GIPA Act).
Council's Disclosure Log is prepared in accordance with Section 25 of the Government Information (Public Access) Act 2009, and includes details of information released in response to Formal Access Applications.
The Disclosure Log is a record of Formal Access Applications to Council that may be of interest to other members of the public, in accordance with the GIPA Act. Details are entered into the Disclosure Log when the Access Application has been determined and any relevant review time limits have expired.
The Disclosure Log does not include details of Access Applications where the released information was not considered of interest to other members of the public, or the information has been released by Council in other ways (proactive release, open access or informal request).
The purpose of this log is to record the following information about each access application:
- The date the application was decided
- A general description of the information that was released in response to the application
- Whether the information has been redacted and how the information can be accessed.
Disclosure Log(PDF, 277KB)
The Disclosure Log is updated when Council completes its GIPA Annual Report, at the end of October each year. It may also be updated from time to time throughout the year.
Public Information And Registers