The Freedom of Information Act 1982 (FOI Act) gives members of the community a legally enforceable right to seek access to information held by the government. Cladding Safety Victoria supports this right by:
- making information about CSV operations available to the public
- facilitating a general right of access to documents held by CSV, only limiting access to documents by the proper application of exceptions and exemptions provided for under the FOI Act
- delivering an efficient process for disclosing information at minimal cost to the community.
How to make a request
To make a request for documents, you need to fill out the form below:
You should clearly set out the document or documents you seek from CSV and provide sufficient detail to enable us to locate them.
We may also require proof of your identity (a copy of your birth certificate or drivers licence, etc.). If you are submitting a request on behalf of someone else, you should provide a signed authority from that person.
You must also pay the FOI application fee for us to start processing your request (or apply for us to waive the fee if paying the fee would cause you hardship). We accept payment by bank transfer or cheque (made out to Cladding Safety Victoria) or by credit card (Visa/MasterCard only).
If you are paying by credit card, you should not send any of those details by email. CSV accepts no liability if these details are intercepted and used by a third party without your consent.
Requests for documents held by CSV should be sent by email to foicsv@claddingsafety.vic.gov.au or posted to:
Freedom of Information Officer
Cladding Safety Victoria
PO Box 23392
Docklands Vic 8012
For further information on how to make an FOI request, email CSV’s FOI Officer at foicsv@claddingsafety.vic.gov.au or visit the website for the Office of the Victorian Information Commissioner.
Documents that can be released without an FOI application
Building owners may request one of the following documents by emailing CSV’s FOI Officer at foicsv@claddingsafety.vic.gov.au:
- Building permits;
- Occupancy permits;
- Fire engineering reports;
- Markups of floor plans and drawings;
- Laboratory reports and test results;
- Facade inspection reports; and
- Remediation Work Proposals (RWPs).
CSV may release these documents to people permitted under law to access them. When CSV is unable to verify that the person requesting the documents is permitted to receive it, the requestor may be referred to make an FOI application.
What happens once you submit a request?
Once you submit your FOI request and paid the FOI application fee, we will assess it to ensure it meets the requirements outlined in section 17 of the FOI Act. If we determine your request is not valid, we will notify you within 21 days from the date we received your request and provide you with assistance to help you make the request valid. Reasons your request might not be valid could include:
- If your request is too broad, we will not be able to undertake a search of our records to identify documents relevant to your request. We may therefore request that you narrow the scope of your request or provide more information concerning the information you are seeking.
- Similarly, if your request is not clear, we will not be able to identify the documents relevant to your request. We may therefore ask you to clarify your request or provide further information before your request will be considered valid.
We also cannot accept your application until you have paid the application fee. We may waive this fee if paying the fee will cause you hardship.
If your request is valid, we will begin processing it.
We have 30 days from the date you make a valid request to provide you with a decision. However, we can extend this time by up to 15 days if we need to consult with third parties whose information may be contained in the requested document(s). We may also extend this time by up to 30 days with your agreement. We will let you know if the timeframe changes.
If we refuse you access to the documents sought, you may apply to the Victorian Information Commissioner for a review of our decision. You must do so within 28 days of the date the decision was sent to you by us. The Information Commissioner has 30 days to conduct the review, unless you agree to an extension in time. For further information visit ovic.vic.gov.au.
Authorised decision makers under the FOI Act
A formal decision on a request for access to a record under the FOI Act is made by the Head of Legal.
Collection Notice
Your privacy is important to us. This Collection Notice describes how we collect, use, store and disclose personal information when you interact with Cladding Safety Victoria.
In this Collection Notice, 'personal information’ is any information or an opinion that is recorded in any form and whether true or not, about an individual whose identity is apparent, or can reasonably be ascertained, from the information or opinion.
What information do we collect?
In most circumstances, you will know if we are collecting personal information from you because you will be requested to provide it. For instance, when you complete a form, deed or agreement, we will ask you to provide your name, email address or other information.
Use of your personal information
We will use your personal information to confirm that a suitably authorised representative has provided the required information and approvals as required under the relevant form, deed or agreements.
We may share this information with:
- other Victorian Government departments and agencies where CSV is permitted to do so under Information Sharing Agreements; or
- with other third parties for assurance purposes (such as audits) or where it is obliged to provide the information legally or in accordance with governance of CSV policy.
If you choose not to share your personal information with CSV, this may limit our ability to provide you with support, impacting CSV’s ability to provide advice about how you can mitigate the risk of fire spread through combustible external cladding on your building.
By providing your personal information you consent to the information being collected, used, and disclosed in accordance with this Notice.
If you have any questions about the collection, use or disclosure of your personal information, please reach out to foicsv@claddingsafety.vic.gov.au(opens in a new window).
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