Advice
FOI Solutions can provide expert advice on all aspects of FOI/RTI legislation in Australia.
We take the view that FOI/RTI legislation can be much more complex than is often thought to be the case. Our experience in this area has confirmed our view; there is no such thing as an easy FOI/RTI question.
We pride ourselves on the ability to provide relevant, informed, legally accurate, and practical advice on a timely basis.
Processing
FOI Solutions can provide legal assistance in processing FOI/RTI requests. In addition it can provide an introduction to our affiliated non-legal consulting firm, FOI Support.
We can advise on or conduct all aspects of processing FOI/RTI requests including:
Validity of requests
Deciding whether requests need to be processed (e.g. is it a substantial and unreasonable diversion request?)
Application fees, access charges and deposits
Application of exemptions
Consulting with third parties
Drafting decision notices
Handling requests for amendment of personal information
Review and appeal rights (see below)
For more information about the non-legal services that can be provided by FOI Support, click here.
Reviews and Appeals
We can advise on and conduct any review application or appeal made about an FOI/RTI decision your agency has made.
Where your agency decision is the subject of an application for review by a commissioner, Ombudsman, or other review body, we can advise on or conduct that review.
We have conducted hundreds of proceedings for government agency clients in the following tribunals and courts:
- Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal
- Supreme Court (including Court of Appeal)
- Administrative Appeals Tribunal
- Federal Circuit Court (formerly Federal Magistrates’ Court)
- Federal Court
- High Court
As a one-stop-shop we regularly appear in tribunal review proceedings so there may be no need to brief counsel.
If a review decision is legally flawed, we can advise on and conduct an appeal to the appropriate court.
Case Summaries
Victoria - Monthly
FOI Solutions offers a monthly subscription service to all FOI decisions made by the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal. By subscribing to this service, you will have timely access to the most recent VCAT decisions, in an easy-to-understand format within days or weeks of them being made. These practical summaries will help maintain your knowledge in a non-legalistic way.
For more information or to subscribe to this invaluable service, click here.
Victoria – Annual
We publish an annual summary of all decisions of the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal in FOI. Those summaries are practical and easy to read and include:
- legislation index referring to the main sections of the Acts dealt with in each case
- comprehensive index of key words and phrases
- alphabetical case index
- links to full-text copies of each case.
Annual summaries are available from 2004, providing you with an immediate library of previous cases. To order any of those summaries or for more information, click here.
Commonwealth - Monthly
FOI Solutions offers a monthly subscription service to all FOI decisions made by the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner and the Administrative Appeals Tribunal.
By subscribing to this service, you will have timely access to the most recent decisions, in an easy-to-understand format as soon as possible after they are published. These practical summaries will help maintain your knowledge in a non-legalistic way.
For more information or to subscribe to this invaluable service, click here.
Commonwealth – Annual
In 2020, we will be creating an annual summary of all FOI decisions made by the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner and the Administrative Appeals Tribunal.
Those summaries will be practical and easy to read and will include:
- legislation index referring to the main sections of the FOI Act dealt with in each case
- comprehensive index of key words and phrases
- alphabetical case index
- links to full-text copies of each case.
By subscribing to this service, it will provide you with an immediate library of cases for the immediately preceding year. To register interest in this service or for more information, click here.
FOI/RTI products and resources
30 day date calculator
FOI Solutions has created a 30 day date calculator which is available to government agencies as a complimentary mousepad. If you would like one, to help make calculation of due dates easier, please contact us.
Date calculator
This website also contains a date calculator which enables you to work out due dates for decisions in your jurisdiction. To go to the calculator, click here.
Principal Officer Information Kit
For Victorian government agencies, we have developed an information kit for principal officers. The Kit details the powers, functions, obligations and duties that principal officers have under the Freedom of Information Act 1982 (Vic) and Professional Standards made under that Act.
The Kit includes:
- a simple flowchart to help agencies determine who their principal officer is
- a detailed description of powers, functions, obligations and duties
- a copy or extract from relevant sourced documents,
providing a comprehensive, self-contained resource. This will help agencies avoid potentially serious and embarrassing consequences from not knowing this information.
For more information or to order a Kit, click here.