Freedom of Information
What is Freedom of Information?
The Freedom of Information Act 1992 (The FOI Act) is an Act that provides the public access to documents held by the Shire of Westonia and to ensure that personal information held by the Shire is accurate, complete and up to date.
The FOI Act is designed to make State and Local Government agencies more open and accountable by:
- Enabling the public to participate more effectively in governing the State.
- Making the persons and bodies that are responsible for State and Local Government more accountable to the public
The Shire of Westonia gives effect to the FOI Act in a way that:
- Creates a general right of access to documents held by the Shire (subject to the sensitivities of the document, i.e. exemptions).
- Allows access to documents to be obtained promptly and at the lowest reasonable cost.
- Assists the public to ensure that personal information held by the Shire is accurate, complete, up to date and not misleading.
- Ensures certain documents concerning government operations are made available to the public. Whenever possible, documents will be provided outside the FOI process
Process
Before you start
Before lodging a Freedom of Information application with the Shire of Westonia, you should check to see if the information is available outside the Act.
Please review the Information Statement for documents that are available free of charge, or for purchase.
Submitting your request
Upon receipt of a written application, together with payment of the prescribed $30 application fee, a search will begin to identify the documents you have requested. These documents will then be reviewed to determine if any exemptions apply. The requested documents will be provided within the shortest possible time (within 45 days) at the lowest reasonable cost.
There is no application fee or charges associated with FOI applications for personal information about the applicant, and amendment of personal records.
How do you apply?
Freedom of Information applications must be in writing and include an Australian address to where notices can be sent. Ideally contact details like your full name, telephone number and email address will be beneficial in assisting with your application.
You also need to provide enough information about the documents to assist us to process your request. The more specific an application is, the quicker the process. Requests of a general nature, for example 'all documents about a subject for an unspecified period of time' can be time consuming and costly.
You may wish to contact the Freedom of Information Coordinator when completing your application for assistance in reducing the scope of your request. This can also prevent the likelihood of the Shire refusing to deal with your application due to its size.
Your completed application form, together with the prescribed $30 fee can be sent:
By Post In Person
Shire of Westonia or Shire of Westonia
PO Box 11 41 Wolfram Street
Westonia WA 6423 Westonia WA 6423
An application without the prescribed fee of $30 included will be considered as invalid and the application will not proceed until full payment is received.
If you are requesting personal information, please include evidence of your identity.
Applicants will receive a response from the Shire as soon as possible within the statutory forty-five (45) days of the Shire receiving the request with the application fee.Freedom of Information applications must be in writing and include an Australian address to where notices can be sent. Ideally contact details like your full name, telephone number and email address will be beneficial in assisting with your application.