Freedom of Information
Fees and Charges
Factsheet
To make a request under the
Freedom of Information Act 1982 you are required to pay an application fee and you
may also be required to pay access charges.
Application fee
To ensure that your written request is valid it must be accompanied by an application fee of $28.40 (effective 1 July
2017).
The $28.40 application fee can be sent as a cheque or money order made payable to the Department of Health &
Human Services. The application fee is GST free.
Can the application fee be waived?
The application fee may be waived if payment is likely to cause you hardship. If you wish to request to have the fee
waived on these grounds you must provide a statement of how payment will cause you hardship.
A request is invalid and cannot be processed until:
the application fee has been paid; or
the department has agreed to waive the fee.
Access charges
An access charge may be applied under the Act for the costs involved in processing a request. Access charges are
applied according to the nature of the request and could include:
search time – charged at 1.5 fee units ($21.33) per hour or part of an hour. Effective 1 July 2017, one fee unit is
equal to $14.22, therefore 1.5 fee units currently equates to $21.33
supervising an inspection of documents – charged at 1.5 fee units ($21.33) per hour (to be calculated per
quarter hour or part of a quarter hour)
photocopying – 20 cents per page
providing written transcripts of a recorded document – costs reasonably incurred.
Please note: The department provides an equitable service to all applicants, regardless of their financial resources.
Deposits
If access charges are estimated at more than $50, you will be requested to pay a deposit. In this case the
department will notify you in writing. Where the access charges payable in respect of your request are estimated at
more than $50, the Act provides that you may request to discuss practicable alternatives for altering your request
or reducing the anticipated charge.
If you are requested to pay a deposit, you can then choose whether to:
proceed with your request and pay the deposit
request to discuss practicable alternatives for altering your request or reducing the anticipated charge
withdraw your request.
Applications should be sent to:
Freedom of Information unit
Department of Health & Human Services
GPO Box 4057
Melbourne Victoria 3001
Need more information?
For further details about fees and charges, please feel free to contact the Freedom of Information unit directly on
(03) 9096 8449 or 1300 650 172.
To receive this publication in an accessible format phone (03) 9096 8449, using the National
Relay Service 13 36 77 if required, or email
xxx@xxxx.xxx.xxx.xx
Authorised and published by the Victorian Government, 1 Treasury Place, Melbourne.
© State of Victoria, Department of Health and Human Services, June 2017.
This fact sheet was created by the Department of Health and Human Services for information purposes only. It
is not a replacement for independent legal advice.
Freedom of Information Factsheet: Fees and Charges
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Document Outline
