Every member of the public has the right to access certain government information. Glamorgan Spring Bay Council is committed to providing information in order to provide a clear and transparent government and comply with appropriate legislation.

The Right to Information Act 2009 provides a legally enforceable right to members of the public in accordance with this Act, to obtain information contained in the records of the Government and public authorities.

Section 3 defines the object of the Right to Information Act 2009.

(1) The object of this Act is to improve democratic government in Tasmania:

(a) by increasing the accountability of the executive to the people of Tasmania; and

(b) by increasing the ability of the people of Tasmania to participate in their governance; and

(c) by acknowledging that information collected by public authorities is collected for and on behalf of the people of Tasmania and is the property of the State.

(2) This object is to be pursued by giving members of the public the right to obtain information held by public authorities and Ministers.

(3) This object is also to be pursued by giving members of the public the right to obtain information about the operations of Government.

(4) It is the intention of Parliament:

(a) that this Act be interpreted so as to further the object set out in subsection (1); and

(b) that discretions conferred by this Act be exercised so as to facilitate and promote, promptly and at the lowest reasonable cost, the provision of the maximum amount of official information.

ACCESSING INFORMATION

Glamorgan Spring Bay Council provides information to the public through this website, and through the release of publications such as:

• Annual Reports
• Annual Plans
• Strategies
• Policies
• By-laws

If it is old information it may be deposited with the Tasmanian Archives and Heritage Office: www.libraries.tas.gov.au/archive-heritage/Pages/default.aspx  telephone 03 6233 7488

If you cannot find the information you require using the website, please feel free to contact us. If the information is not freely available, we will assist you to make an application for an assessed disclosure. However, it is important to make sure you have looked for the information you require before you make a formal application, because if the information is otherwise available, your application may be refused without the return of your application fee.

HOW TO MAKE A RIGHT TO INFORMATION APPLICATION

If you are looking for information that is not available publicly, you can apply for it. We will conduct an assessment of the information requested and, where permitted by legislation, will release that information to the applicant. These applications are called ‘Applications for Assessed Disclosure’.

To make an application, you can complete our  Right to Information Form (PDF). You can submit your completed form in-person or by sending an email to admin@freycinet.tas.gov.au attaching the completed form.

You can also send it by post to:

Right to Information Officer

Glamorgan Spring Bay Council

PO Box 6

TRIABUNNA  TAS  7190

Applications are to be accompanied by the application fee. This fee is 25 fee units, which is currently $46.75 for the 2024/25 financial year.

PROCESSING YOUR APPLICATION

If your application contains all the required information, our Right to Information Officer will assess it against the Right to Information Act 2009.

We will advise you in writing of the outcome of the assessment process within the following timeframes:

• 20 working days for an ordinary application
• 40 working days where we need to consult a third party.

If your application will take more than 20 working days to assess, either because we are consulting with a third party or because it is for a complex or large amount of information, we will notify you in writing and provide a revised date.

Our Right to Information Officer may contact you during the process to update you on progress or request that you provide more details of the information you are seeking.

If the application or part of the application is refused, then the reasons for the refusal to provide the information must be provided as part of the decision together with details on the right to seek a review of the decision. This is done by writing to:

General Manager

Glamorgan Spring Bay Council

PO Box 6

TRIABUNNA   TAS  7190

RIGHT TO INFORMATION MANUAL AND GUIDELINES

The Ombudsman’s Manual and Guidelines provide more detail on making requests under the Right to Information Act and how they are processed by the agency to which the request is sent.

See the Office of the Ombudsman’s website for more information https://www.ombudsman.tas.gov.au/right-to-information

RELATED ACTS AND REGULATIONS

You can view, download and print the following Acts and Regulations made available by the Tasmanian Legislation Online website:

• Right to Information Act 2009
• Right to Information Regulations 2010