Right to information at TAFE Gippsland

TAFE Gippsland is a prescribed authority (or agency) under the Victorian Freedom of Information Act 1982 (FOI Act) which gives individuals the right to access documents of an agency, subject to some specified exemptions.

TAFE Gippsland is committed to making information about TAFE Gippsland and documents held by TAFE Gippsland readily available to the public via our website, through internal administrative access processes and via FOI Act processes.

TAFE Gippsland has appointed points of contact for different categories of information to make it easier for member of the public to gain access to information and so that it is not always necessary to make a formal FOI application for access to information.

Common requests (Administrative Access)

Common requests for information may be released routinely to current or past students without the need to make an FOI Application. Some requests for information attract a charge. Send requests for the below information to enquiries@tafegippsland.edu.au or direct to TAFE Gippsland’s Academic Registry team (academicregistry@tafegippsland.edu.au)

  • Replacement course certificates
  • Academic records
  • Statements of attainment
  • Statements of results
  • Replacement competency cards
  • Placement records
  • Letters of completion

Points of contact for different categories of information

If you would like to make a request for access to information, we recommend you first contact the recommended point of contact (listed below) relevant to the category of request / information you seek.

The point of contact can provide you with advice on accessing the information you seek outside of the FOI Act, if available or they may refer you to the FOI Officer if an FOI application is required to be made.

Media requests

Media requests should be directed to TAFE Gippsland’s Marketing team via email: marketing@tafegippsland.edu.au 

Past and current students and staff access to personal information

Past and current students can access information (including personal information) that TAFE Gippsland holds about them by sending a request via email to enquiries@tafegippsland.edu.au or academicregistry@tafegippsland.edu.au – see ‘Common requests’ section, above.

Past and current staff can request information via email to the People & Culture team (peopleandculture@tafegippsland.edu.au). Current staff can also access information via the Employee Self Service Kiosk on TAFE Gippsland Staffpoint.

Requests by third parties for information about past or current students

Requests by third parties for information about past or current students should be directed to TAFE Gippsland via FOI Request. TAFE Gippsland’s FOI Officer will assess the request and, if it is not required to be managed as part of the formal FOI process, will redirect the request to the relevant TAFE Gippsland department.

Request for health and medical records

Access requests for health and medical information held by TAFE Gippsland are handled under the FOI Act and the Health Records Act 2001.

You will be asked to put your request in writing and provide proof of your identity. Requests made on behalf of another person must be made in writing and include evidence of their authority to act on behalf of the other person.

Other information available under FOI Act

The FOI Act gives any person the right to:

  • request access to copies of documents we hold, except exempt or excepted documents
  • ask for information we hold about you to be changed or annotated if it is incomplete, out of date, incorrect or misleading, and
  • seek a review of our decision not to allow you access to a document or not to amend your personal record

Under the FOI Act you can request:

  • personal information regardless of the age of the documents
  • documents of a non-personal nature created since 5 July 1978.

While you have the right to request any document that we hold, we can refuse access to some documents, or parts of documents, subject to exemptions or exceptions permitted by the FOI Act. In addition, fees and charges may apply to a request for access made under the FOI Act.

A person does not have the right to obtain, under the FOI Act, publications or documents which are sold by the Institute, documents held by Public Record Office Victoria, or documents that are readily available to the public.

TAFE Gippsland aims to make information and documents easily accessible to members of the public. We release a large amount of information through online and print publishing as well as directly to an individual upon their request. Making information easily accessible reduces the need for members of the public to submit requests under the Freedom of Information Act 1982 (Vic).

Publications

You can access a wide range of material related to TAFE Gippsland’s governance and organisation from the TAFE Gippsland’s website - www.tafegippsland.edu.au/about

Policies and processes

A number of policies and processes are also publicly available via TAFE Gippsland’s website - www.tafegippsland.edu.au/about/policies

Reports and other publications

TAFE Gippsland publishes a range of reports, publications, course guides and other information via TAFE Gippsland’s website, including:

  • Annual Reports from 2014 onward
  • Student Handbook
  • Course information

Publications are available from www.tafegippsland.edu.au/publications

Making a Freedom of Information request

If you wish to obtain information from TAFE Gippsland that is not publicly available, your request for access must be submitted in writing to:

The Chief Executive Officer
Attention: The Freedom of Information Officer
TAFE Gippsland
PO Box 3279
GMC Morwell Vic 3841

All requests must be accompanied by a completed Freedom of Information Request Form outlining the document(s) you require, plus the prescribed application fee.

Application Fee

The application fee for the financial year beginning 1 July 2023 is $31.80.

The application fee can be paid by Cheque or Money order (made payable to TAFE Gippsland) or via EFT to:

Account Name: TAFE Gippsland
BSB: 083510
Account Number: 989702476

If you feel you have grounds to waive the application fee (e.g. if payment of the fee would cause financial hardship), please state your reasons in writing via email to FOI@tafegippsland.edu.au and provide any evidence that you believe supports your claim, such as a valid Health Care Card. You will be notified whether your hardship claim has been accepted.

Access Charges

Access charges may be applicable for processing a request. Access charges are established by the Freedom of Information (Access Charges) Regulations 2014 and may be charged for searching, photocopying and supervision of document inspection.

Where access charges are greater than $50.00, an estimate of the charges applicable to your request and how they were calculated will be provided to you in writing. You may contact the Institute to alter your request to reduce the estimated charge, if necessary, or abandon the request entirely.

Deposits

If the estimated access charge is more than $50.00 up to $100.00, a deposit of $25.00 is required. If the estimated charge is more than $100.00, the deposit is 50% of the estimated charge.

Please note that in cases where the Institute requests a deposit from you for access charges, the 30-day time limit ceases from the time the deposit is requested and then restarts from the time when the deposit is received. In such cases you will be notified of the revised date by which the decision is due.

Processing timeframe

The FOI Act requires the Institute to complete your request within 30 days of the date it was received, however this time limit only applies if your request valid. A valid request is one that is submitted in writing, sufficiently clear for the FOI officer to process and the application fee has been paid or waived.

Additional time may be allocated if consultation with a third party is required and, in some instances, the timeframe may be impacted by other legislative provisions. If it becomes apparent during the processing of your request that this applies, you will be notified.
You can contact us at any time for an update on your request.

Contact

Enquiries can be made to the Freedom of Information Officer on (03) 5150 4258 or via FOI@tafegippsland.edu.au