Make an FOI request

Make an FOI request

Your request must:

  • be in writing
  • state that the request is an application for the purposes of the FOI Act
  • provide enough information about the document or documents to help us identify them and process your request
  • specify how notices under the FOI Act may be sent to you.

It doesn’t cost anything to make an FOI request.

Post your FOI request to: 

The Freedom of Information (FOI) Coordinator
Registrar of Indigenous Corporations
PO Box 29
Woden  ACT  2606

Deliver your FOI request in person to:

The Freedom of Information (FOI) Coordinator
Charles Perkins House
16 Bowes Place
WODEN ACT 2606

Email your FOI request to: 
info@oric.gov.au

Help with FOIs 

If you need help with the FOI process, call the FOI coordinator on 1800 622 431.

Fees and charges for FOIs

There is no fee to make an FOI request.

It’s free to ask for documents that include only personal information about you.

You may need to pay for other requests under the Freedom of Information (Charges) Regulations 2019.

If you do need to pay, we’ll let you know:

  • the cost estimate
  • our reasons for the cost. 

If the charge is:

  • between $20 and $100, we may ask you to pay a deposit of $20
  • more than $100, we may ask you to pay a 25% deposit before we process your request.

You can ask us to waive the charge or lower it for any reason, such as:

  • financial hardship 
  • on the grounds of public interest. 

In your request, you should explain your reasons. We may ask for evidence.

Getting a response

Within 14 days, we’ll:

  • let you know we’ve received your request
  • give you an estimate of how much your request will cost (if anything).

You’ll receive a decision from us within 30 days unless time is extended. Where we have decided to release all or part of a document, it will be sent to you at this time.

The request could take up to another 30 days if:

  • the document you’ve asked for has a third party’s details in it and we need to consult them
  • your request is complex.

If your request is complex, we’ll ask you to agree to more time.

Disagreeing with our decision

We’ll write to you to explain:

  • our decision 
  • your review and appeal rights.

You can ask for these decisions to be reviewed:

  • We refuse to give you access to all or part of a document or if we defer giving you access.
  • We impose a charge.
  • We refuse to change or annotate information about you that you claim is incomplete, incorrect, out of date or misleading.

If the documents contain third-party information, they can:

  • disagree with our decision to give you documents about them
  • ask for a review.

Internal review

You can write to us asking for an internal review of our decision.

Another officer in ORIC will do the review. We’ll let you know the new decision within 30 days of receiving your request.

Information Commissioner review

You can ask the Australian Information Commissioner to review:

  • our decision 
  • our decision on internal review.

The timeframe for asking for this review is:

  • within 60 days of the decision date
  • within 30 days after you are told you’re a third party in an FOI request.

The Information Commissioner can:

  • uphold the decision
  • vary the decision 
  • substitute a new decision
  • decide not to conduct a review in certain circumstances.

Learn more about the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner.

Making a complaint

If you’re unhappy with the way we handled your request, you can complain to:

They will consult to avoid the same matter being investigated twice.

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