Information Relating to Respectful Relationships
Dear Victorian Department of Education,
As a graduate student at Melbourne University conducting research on policy governance and policy mobility I request access to all internal communications, implementation memos, trial feedback summaries, and facilitator guidance notes related to the Respectful Relationships rollout —particularly any documents identified in a prior FOI response dated between Feb 2023 and May 2023, likely submitted Feb 28 and approved 3 Apr, which included appx 18 pages of departmental references to parent backlash, consent education, and curriculum review and which were mentioned on websites, blogs, and media outlets including Sky New and The Age.
Yours faithfully,
Anonymous Student
Good afternoon.
I refer to your below email and note that we have yet to receive an
application fee from you, for this request.
Further I need to confirm to you, that under the Freedom of Information
Act 1982 (Vic) (the Act) an FOI applicant cannot be anonymous. As such we
require your name as the applicant.
Further, for a request to be commenced to be considered an application fee
of $32.70 is required to be paid, or sufficient evidence of financial
hardship provided for a fee waiver.
Application Fee
Section 17(2A) of the Act requires a request to be accompanied by the
payment of the application fee, which is currently $32.70.
Payment can be made as follows:
o through the Victorian government FOI portal at the following
link: [1]https://online.foi.vic.gov.au/
o by money order addressed to the Department of Education and Training
and posted to:
Freedom of Information Manager
Department of Education
GPO Box 4367
MELBOURNE VIC 3001
The application fee may be waived or reduced if you can provide the
Department with evidence that payment of the fee would cause financial
hardship.
We will accept a current health care card or other documentation that
shows you are in receipt of a government social security benefit – not
just a student. Please provide any evidence of financial hardship by
email to [2][Victorian Department of Education request email] and the reference FOI 2025-397 in
your subject line.
It is important to note that the only available fee waiver option (under
the Act) is for waiver of the application fee on the grounds it would
cause the applicant hardship. This is generally considered to be financial
hardship. Generally, there is no fee waiver for access fees (including
search time) when the request is not for personal information pertaining
specifically to the applicant. In fact, Regulation 6 provides that if an
applicant has made a valid request under section 17, they are liable to
pay the charges set out in the Schedule to the Regulations. The charges
for search time are calculated at 1.5 x the unit fee[3]^^[1] per hour or
part thereof which will be $24.50 for the first hour etc.,
Once we have received confirmation of your name, and the application fee,
or evidence that the application fee would cause you financial hardship,
we will make further contact with you to understand and clarify the scope
of your request.
If however, Monash University is undertaking research through its research
program and all relevant documentation has been completed including the
ethics approvals, then we may be in a position to refer you to an area
within the Department that assists with official research programs from
universities, and the documents may be able to be provided outside the
Act. Again, however all relevant documentation from the University will
need to be provided as evidence, of a legitimate research process.
If you have any questions, in relation to this email please feel free to
call our office on 7022 5543, and our pre-assessment staff will be able to
assist you with any inquiries.
Yours sincerely
Monica Barnes
^^[1] Unit Fee set at $16.33 published by the Victorian Treasurer in
accordance with the Monetary Units Act 2004, the fee is to be rounded to
the nearest 10 cents.
Monica Barnes | Manager Freedom of Information,
Freedom of Information Unit | Assurance, Knowledge and Executive Services
Division
Department of Education
Level 2, 2 Treasury Place, East Melbourne VIC 3002
T: 03 7022 0856
E: [Victorian Department of Education request email]
W:www.vic.gov.au/education
-----Original Message-----
From: Anonymous Student <[FOI #13159 email]>
Sent: Wednesday, 14 May 2025 10:09 PM
To: FOI Unit <[Victorian Department of Education request email]>
Subject: Freedom of Information request - Information Relating to
Respectful Relationships
Dear Victorian Department of Education,
As a graduate student at Melbourne University conducting research on
policy governance and policy mobility I request access to all internal
communications, implementation memos, trial feedback summaries, and
facilitator guidance notes related to the Respectful Relationships rollout
—particularly any documents identified in a prior FOI response dated
between Feb 2023 and May 2023, likely submitted Feb 28 and approved 3 Apr,
which included appx 18 pages of departmental references to parent
backlash, consent education, and curriculum review and which were
mentioned on websites, blogs, and media outlets including Sky New and The
Age.
Yours faithfully,
Anonymous Student
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Please use this email address for all replies to this request:
[4][FOI #13159 email]
Is [5][Victorian Department of Education request email] the wrong address for Freedom of
Information requests to Victorian Department of Education? If so, please
contact us using this form:
[6]https://aus01.safelinks.protection.outlo...
This request has been made by an individual using Right to Know. This
message and any reply that you make will be published on the internet.
More information on how Right to Know works can be found at:
[7]https://aus01.safelinks.protection.outlo...
Please note that in some cases publication of requests and responses will
be delayed.
If you find this service useful as an FOI officer, please ask your web
manager to link to us from your organisation's FOI page.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------
[8][1] Unit Fee set at $16.33 published by the Victorian Treasurer in
accordance with the Monetary Units Act 2004, the fee is to be rounded to
the nearest 10 cents.
IMPORTANT - This email and any attachments may be confidential. If
received in error, please contact us and delete all copies. Before opening
or using attachments check them for viruses and defects. Regardless of any
loss, damage or consequence, whether caused by the negligence of the
sender or not, resulting directly or indirectly from the use of any
attached files our liability is limited to resupplying any affected
attachments. Any representations or opinions expressed are those of the
individual sender, and not necessarily those of the Department of
Education.
References
Visible links
1. https://online.foi.vic.gov.au/
2. mailto:[Victorian Department of Education request email]
3. file:///tmp/foiextract20250722-30233-1t4papn#_ftn1
4. mailto:[FOI #13159 email]
5. mailto:[Victorian Department of Education request email]
6. https://www.righttoknow.org.au/change_re...
7. https://www.righttoknow.org.au/help/offi...
8. file:///tmp/foiextract20250722-30233-1t4papn#_ftnref1
To whom it may concern,
FREEDOM OF INFORMATION REQUEST
I refer to your email received by Department of Education on 14 May 2025,
seeking access to documents under the provisions of the Freedom of
Information Act 1982 (the Act).
You have requested:
As a graduate student at Melbourne University conducting research on
policy governance and policy mobility I request access to all internal
communications, implementation memos, trial feedback summaries, and
facilitator guidance notes related to the Respectful Relationships rollout
—particularly any documents identified in a prior FOI response dated
between Feb 2023 and May 2023, likely submitted Feb 28 and approved 3 Apr,
which included appx 18 pages of departmental references to parent
backlash, consent education, and curriculum review and which were
mentioned on websites, blogs, and media outlets including Sky New and The
Age.
I refer to email dated 16 June 2025 from this office, in which you were
advised that I need to confirm to you, that under the Freedom of
Information Act 1982 (Vic) (the Act) an FOI applicant cannot be
anonymous. As such we require your name as the applicant.
Further, for a request to be commenced to be considered an application fee
of $32.70 is required to be paid, or sufficient evidence of financial
hardship provided for a fee waiver.
You were invited to consult with this office to provide your name and
payment of the application fee.
As of 25 July 2025, this office has not received any response from you. I
advise that pursuant to the provisions of 17(4) you were given reasonable
opportunity of consultation with the Department of Education, and I have
decided to refuse to process your request under the FOI Act.
Your review rights
If you are dissatisfied with my decision, you may apply for review by the
Information Commissioner.
You must apply in writing within 28 days after you receive this letter,
identifying the Department and the decision to be reviewed. You should
also provide an explanation of why you disagree with the decision. You may
lodge your application by:
email: [1][email address]
post: Information Commissioner
PO Box 24274
MELBOURNE VIC 3001
fax: (03) 8684 7588
More information about review by the Information Commissioner, including a
review application form to assist you in making your application, is
available at [2]www.ovic.vic.gov.au.
Contacting the Department regarding your decision
If you wish to discuss this decision, please contact the FOI Unit on (03)
7022 0856 or by email at [3][Victorian Department of Education request email].
Yours sincerely
Kelly
Freedom of Information Unit
Department of Education
2 Treasury Place, East Melbourne VIC 3002
T: 03 7022 0856
E: [4][Victorian Department of Education request email]
W: [5]www.education.vic.gov.au
IMPORTANT - This email and any attachments may be confidential. If
received in error, please contact us and delete all copies. Before opening
or using attachments check them for viruses and defects. Regardless of any
loss, damage or consequence, whether caused by the negligence of the
sender or not, resulting directly or indirectly from the use of any
attached files our liability is limited to resupplying any affected
attachments. Any representations or opinions expressed are those of the
individual sender, and not necessarily those of the Department of
Education.
References
Visible links
1. mailto:[email address]
2. http://www.ovic.vic.gov.au/
3. mailto:[Victorian Department of Education request email]
4. mailto:[Victorian Department of Education request email]
5. http://www.education.vic.gov.au/