The Freedom of Information Act 1982(opens in a new window) gives people a formal way to ask for documents from government agencies, including EPA. This is called a freedom of information (FOI) request. You can ask for any documents, including those that have:
- personal information about you
- information about government policies and decisions.
Any person has a right to apply to access documents held by us. This includes documents created by us and documents given to us by an external organisation or individual.
A fee applies to make an FOI request. You may also have to pay access charges.
Find information about us
Many documents about our policies and decisions are published on our website. Visit our policies and annual plans and reports.
You can access our Public register for information about:
- permission holders
- permission applications
- court proceedings
- environmental audits.
Under the FOI Act, we can refuse access – either fully or partially – to certain documents or information if an exemption applies. That might include:
- cabinet documents
- documents covered by legal professional privilege (such as legal advice)
- information provided to us in confidence
- law enforcement documents
- personal information about other people
- some internal working documents.
Make an FOI request
If you cannot find what you're looking for on our website, you can make an FOI request. To make a request, you need to:
- make your request in writing
- clearly state the documents you want
- provide a certified copy of a current photo ID (if your request is for personal information about you)
- pay the application fee and any charges.
Another person can make an FOI request on your behalf – for example, a lawyer. If the request is for personal information about you, this person must have evidence that you've given your permission to make the request.
You can make your request in several ways:
- online by visiting FOI Victoria and self-registering for an account
- by email to foi@epa.vic.gov.au
- by post to EPA Victoria, Freedom of Information Officer, GPO Box 4395, Melbourne VIC 3001.
We send you a decision in 30 days. If consultation is needed, we may take up to 45 days to make a decision.
If we need more time or more information, we will let you know.
Pay FOI request fees and charges
A fee applies to make an FOI request. This fee is non-refundable.
You may also have to pay access charges. These cover our costs for acting on your FOI request.
| Fee type | Fee in 2024–25 | Fee units |
| application fee | $32.70 (2 fee units) | 2 |
| search time charge | $24.53 (per hour) | 1.5 per hour |
| staff supervision | $24.53 (per 15 minutes) | 1.5 per 15 minutes |
| photocopying | 20 cents per black-and-white A4 page |
There may also be a fee for listening to audio or video and writing audio or video transcripts.
Under some circumstances, we can waive the fee and charges.
To find out more about fees and charges, visit Fees.
Review FOI decisions or processes
If you disagree with our decision, you can apply to the Office of the Victorian Information Commissioner (OVIC) for an independent review of the decision. Visit the OVIC website to learn about FOI reviews.
If there's a problem with how we handled your request, you can also make a complaint to OVIC.
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