Our Ref: EDRM050-37833590-1003
22 December 2020
Ms Vanessa Teague
By email t
o xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx@xxxxxxxxxxx.xxx.xx
Dear Ms Teague
Preliminary response to request for information under the Freedom of Information Act 1982
I refer to your request under the
Freedom of Information Act 1982 (Vic) (
FOI Act) received by the
Victorian Electoral Commission (
VEC) on 17 December 2020.
You have requested access to:
1.
the complete preference data for the Northwest Ward in the recent Moreland local
government election
Election records for all of the 2020 local government elections have been sealed in accordance
with Regulation 78 and 79 of the Local Government (Electoral) Regulations 2020 (t
he
Regulations).
Regulation 79 has provisions that specifically relate to the secrecy of election records, and election
records are defined in regulation 78, where electronic ballot paper preference data is mentioned.
Once election records have been sealed and secured they are only able to be opened under
certain conditions.
In the past the VEC has refused similar FOI requests on the grounds that these documents are
exempt under section 38 of the FOI Act.
Should you still wish to pursue your request under the FOI Act, you wil need to pay the application
fee of $29.60 in order for your request to be considered valid. The bank details for the deposit of
the fee are as follows:
VEC Operating Bank Account
BSB:
033-222
Account number:
103348
Reference:
FOI TEAGUE
Once you submit a valid request and the payment of the application fee has cleared you wil
receive an acknowledgement of receipt and we wil begin processing the request.
Under the FOI Act the VEC has 30 days from the date you make a valid request to provide you
with a decision. Additional days may be required depending on the need to consult with third
parties whose information may be contained in the requested documents.
If you have any questions about this letter or the FOI process, please contact me by email at
xxxxx.xxxxxxx@xxx.xxx.xxx.xx. Yours sincerely
Anika Clynick
Manager, Information Protection
Page 2 of 2