Fees and Charges
There are no fees for making an FOI request or for making a request for an internal review.
The Act provides that charges involved in processing FOI requests may be levied. The rates of charges are fixed in accordance with regulations made under the Act. The most common charges are outlined in the table below:
| Activity Item | Charge |
|---|---|
| Search and retrieval: time we spend searching for or retrieving a document | $15.00 per hour |
| Decision making: time we spend in deciding to grant or refuse a request, including examining documents, consulting with other parties, and making deletions | First five hours: Nil Subsequent hours: $20 per hour |
| Transcript: preparing a transcript from a sound recording, shorthand or similar medium | $4.40 per page of transcript |
| Photocopy | $0.10 per page |
| Inspection: supervision by an agency officer of your inspection of documents or hearing or viewing an audio or visual recording at our premises | $6.25 per half hour (or part thereof) |
| Delivery: posting or delivering a copy of a document at your request | Cost of postage or delivery |
If the CDPP decides to impose a charge, we will provide the applicant with a written estimate and the basis of the calculation. Where the estimated charge is between $20 and $100, the CDPP may ask the applicant to pay a deposit of $20, or where the estimated charge exceeds $100, the CDPP may ask the applicant to pay a 25% deposit before processing the FOI request.
The FOI applicant can ask for the charge to be waived or reduced for any reason, including financial hardship or on the grounds of public interest. If this is done, the applicant should explain the reasons and you may need to provide some evidence.
Further information can be found at FOI (Fees and Charges) Amendment Regulations 2010.