Freedom of Information (FOI)
Under the Victorian Freedom of Information Act (1982), you have a general right to request information held by VU. Information will be released in accordance with the legislation.
More information about Freedom of Information (FOI) can be obtained from the Victorian Government's Freedom of Information website.
Making a request
You can contact the FOI Officer for advice or assistance before submitting a formal request to .
Please clearly identify that your request is made under the FOI Act and pay the application fee of $32.70. Fees may be waived or reduced in circumstances of financial hardship.
Complete a Freedom of Information application form to ensure that we have the necessary information to process your request.
Formal requests for access to documents in the University's possession should be made in writing to:
FOI Officer
Records & Archives Services
Victoria University
PO Box 14428
Melbourne, Victoria 8001
Application fee
An application fee of $32.70 applies to requests for access to documents under the Freedom of Information Act (FOI). The application fee increases on 1 July each year.
Payment needs to be made with your application. You can pay:
- by credit card via Freedom of Information web payment.
- in person (for Victoria University staff and students) – visit VUHQ on any campus.
- by cheque or money order – please attach to your application.
Other charges
Under the FOI (Access Charges) Regulations 2014, the following charges may apply:
- search charges - $24.50 per hour or part thereof
- supervision charges - $6.20 for every 15 minutes
- photocopying charges - 20c per black and white A4 page
- providing access in a form other than photocopying - reasonable costs incurred by the University in providing copies
- charge for listening to or viewing a tape - reasonable costs incurred by the University in making arrangements to listen to or view (supervision charges also apply)
- charge for making a written transcript out of a tape - reasonable costs incurred by the University in providing written transcript.
Payments can be made by credit card, in person or by cheque or money order as outlined above.
Fee exemptions & reductions
Fees and charges may be waived or reduced due to financial hardship. Please contact the FOI Officer to apply for a fee waiver. You will need to outline your reasons and attach documentary evidence such as a photocopy of your Centrelink Card.
Timeframes
The University will respond to your request within 30 days of the date that your request is received.
Exemptions
Certain documents are exempt from release as specified in Part IV of the FOI Act. Examples of exempt documents include:
- documents that would unreasonably disclose information about the personal affairs of people other than the applicant
- internal working documents e.g. for the purpose of the deliberative processes involved in the functions of an agency, whereby the disclosure would be contrary to the public interest
- documents subject to legal professional privilege
- documents relating to trade secrets, or to certain other matters of a business, commercial or financial nature
- documents containing material communicated to an agency in confidence, and whose disclosure would be contrary to the public interest by being reasonably likely to impair the agency’s ability to obtain similar information in the future.
Exemptions are considered on a case by case basis.
Information about the University
There is a wide range of University information and documents available to the public on this website, including University policies.
We encourage you to undertake a search of the information on this website before lodging a Freedom of Information request. If the information you are seeking is not sensitive, it can also be requested directly from the relevant area of the University without the need for an FOI request.
The University Archives holds a collection of records that are not required for the day-to-day business of the University, but are still worthy of preservation. Please consult the online guide to the Archives, and contact the University Archivist if you would like to access any of the records in the collection.