FOI
The Freedom of Information Act 1992 (the Act), gives people a general right of access to documents held by State and local government agencies.
The Act requires personal information held by State and local government agencies to be accurate, complete, up to date and not misleading.
The Office of the Electoral Distribution Commissioners aims to make information available promptly and at the least possible cost. Whenever possible, documents will be provided outside the Freedom of Information process.
Electoral distributions commence as soon as practicable two years after polling day following each State general. Submissions can be made during the process, in accordance with the set timetable.
All submissions received will become public documents when lodged. Copies will be available for viewing at the Office of the Electoral Distribution Commissioners from the next business day after submissions close. They will also be made available electronically at www.boundaries.wa.gov.au as soon as possible after the time for close of submissions.
Copies of all media releases, submissions and publications relating to the determination of electoral boundaries will be available at www.boundaries.wa.gov.au. Notices will be published in the Government Gazette and through other media.
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Members of the public may submit formal Freedom of Information applications for documents held by the Office of the Electoral Distribution Commissioners, which are not publicly available.
A formal application for information must be:
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in writing;
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give enough detail to identify the requested documents;
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give an Australian address and, where possible, a contact telephone number;
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lodged with the Office of the Electoral Distribution Commissioners accompanied by a $30 application fee (non-personal information). No fees or charges apply for personal information; and
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addressed to our Freedom of Information Coordinator.
Applications will be acknowledged in writing and you will be notified of the decision within 45 days.
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The contact details for the office are:
Freedom of Information Coordinator
Office of the Electoral Distribution Commissioners
Level 2
111 St George's Terrace
PERTH WA 6000
Postal Address:
GPO Box F316
PERTH WA 6841
Telephone: 13 63 06 (WA callers) or (08) 9214 0450
Telephone Typewriter (TTY): (08) 9214 0487
Facsimile: (08) 9214 0455
Email: boundaries@waec.wa.gov.au
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Freedom of Information applications or general enquiries are managed by our Freedom of Information Coordinator. Branch managers who have responsibility for the information being sought are able to make decisions regarding applications.
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The rate of fees and charges are set under the Freedom of Information Act. Apart from the application fee for non-personal information all charges are discretionary. The charges are as follows:
|
Type of Fee |
|
|
Personal information about the applicant |
No fee |
|
Application fee (for non-personal information) |
$30.00 |
|
Type of Charge |
|
|
Charge for time dealing with the application (per hour, or pro rata) |
$30.00 |
|
Access time supervised by staff (per hour, or pro rata) |
$30.00 |
|
Photocopying staff time (per hour, or pro rata) |
$30.00 |
|
Per photocopy |
$00.20 |
|
Transcribing from tape, film or computer (per hour, or pro rata) |
$30.00 |
|
Duplicating a tape, film or computer information |
Actual Cost |
|
Delivery, packaging and postage |
Actual Cost |
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As soon as possible, but in any case within 45 days, you will be provided with a notice of decision which will include details such as:
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the date the decision was made
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the name and the designation of the officer who made the decision
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if the document is an exempt document the reasons for classifying the matter exempt; or the fact that access is given to an edited document
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information on the right to review and the procedures to be followed to exercise those rights
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Applicants who are dissatisfied with a decision of the agency are entitled to ask for an internal review by the office. Applications should be made in writing within 30 days of receiving the notice of decision.
You will be notified of the outcome of the review within 15 days.
If you disagree with the result you can apply to the Information Commissioner for an external review, and details would be advised to applicants when the internal review decision is issued.
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