Freedom of Information (FOI)

The Freedom of Information Act 1992 (WA) (the FOI Act) gives the public a right to access Western Australian government documents, subject to some limitations.

The right applies to documents held by most State government agencies (such as departments, public hospitals, public universities and State government authorities), Ministers and local government. Together, these bodies are referred to as ’agencies’.

Documents accessible under the FOI Act include (but are not limited to):

• maps
• plans
• diagrams
• graphs
• drawings
• photographs
• videos
• audiotapes
• CCTV footage
• electronic records including emails.

The access rights under the FOI Act do not apply to documents that are already publicly available for inspection or purchase. An individual can also apply to have their own personal information in government documents amended if that information is inaccurate, incomplete, out of date or misleading.

To understand more about accessing Government documents, visit the Office of the Information Commissioner website.

Freedom of Information Statement

The FOI Act requires agencies to publish information about their operations, structure, functions and the types of information it holds.

Freedom of Information Application Form

Your access application must:

• be in writing;
• give enough detail to identify the documents you are seeking;
• give an Australian address (include a telephone number or email address for a faster response); and
• be lodged at the City of Canning, either in person, via post or email along with a $30 application fee (where applicable for non-personal documents).

Request an Internal Review of Freedom of Information decision

A person who is aggrieved by a decision made under the Freedom of Information Act has a right to have the decision reviewed. The application for internal review must be in writing and lodged with the agency within 30 days of receiving the City’s Notice of Decision.