Freedom of Information

What information can I request?

The Freedom of Information Act 1982 (Vic) (FOI Act) gives people and organisations the right to access information held by government or certain statutory agencies. It also gives the right to request that incorrect or misleading information held by us about an individual or organisation be amended or removed.

All documents generated or held by us are subject to release under FOI. Access is limited only by the proper application of exceptions and exemptions provided for under the FOI Act. Exemptions are decided on a case-by-case basis.

How do I make an FOI request?

Under the FOI Act members of the public have the right to request information and access documents about their personal affairs and government activities. You can also ask government agencies to amend or remove incorrect or misleading information they hold about you.

We support these rights by:

• Making information about our activities available to the public
• Providing information and guidance to those affected by our activities
• Assisting the public access documents held by us (within the scope provided under the FOI Act)
• Delivering an efficient and timely process for disclosing information to the public.

An FOI request can either be made in writing to the agency that holds the documents being requested or online via the Victorian Government's FOI website. You will need a credit card to pay the application fee.

You can make a request yourself, or you can authorise another person (for example, a solicitor) to make a request on your behalf. Your application must clearly describe the documents you are requesting access to.

Requests direct to TSV should be addressed to:

Freedom of Information Officer
Email: information@transportsafety.vic.gov.au

How much does it cost?

FOI requests attract an application fee. The application fee can be waived if you are the holder of a current Health Care Card or Pension Benefits Card. You will need to provide a copy of the card in lieu of the application fee.

Payment of the application fee can be made by cheque or money order, payable to Transport Safety Victoria and forwarded to the above address with your application.

Further charges may be payable for time spent searching for documents and for photocopying. You will be advised if these charges are going to be excessive and asked if you want to continue.

Note: Processing of your request cannot begin if any of the required information is not supplied.

How are applications processed?

We will take all reasonable steps to make a decision on a request as soon as possible, but in any case no later than 30 days after we receive a request.

This time period begins when the FOI Officer has sufficient information to identify the documents sought and the applicant has paid the appropriate application fee. If you have any questions as to the status of your application, please contact the FOI Officer dealing with the request.

Part II information statement

You do not need to make an FOI request for access to certain information. Before making an FOI request, it is recommended that you read the range of information including industry-related reports and statistics which are available on this website.

• Bus safety incident reports
• Maritime safety incident reports

Our Part II information statement has been prepared for the purpose of Part II of the FOI Act. The following specific statements provide more information about how we make information public and how to access it:

• Organisation and functions
• Documents and publications

Please note that the information contained in this statement is only a snapshot of the types of documents we hold. It is not an exhaustive list of the information that is publicly available. If searching for a specific topic, we recommend a full search of the site or contacting the relevant TSV branch directly.

More information about freedom of information can be found on the Victorian Government's FOI website.

National maritime and rail regulators

Australian Maritime Safety Authority

If you are seeking information in relation to matters covered by the national system for domestic commercial vessel safety (from 1 July 2013), the application must be made to the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) in accordance with the Commonwealth Freedom of Information Act 1982 (Cth).

More information on AMSA’s FOI application process can be obtained from the AMSA website.

Office of the National Rail Safety Regulator

As of 2 December 2019, all Victorian rail operators are regulated by the Office of the National Rail Safety Regulator (ONRSR). Some rail operators transitioned earlier to ONRSR’s authority on 19 May 2014.

If you are seeking information in relation to matters covered by the national system for rail safety regulation, applications must be made to ONRSR in accordance with the South Australian FOI regime. More information on ONRSR’s FOI application process can be obtained from the ONRSR website.

If you are seeking access to information created by or received at TSV, TSV may hold such information depending on the rail operator(s) concerned and the date on which regulatory authority transitioned to ONRSR.

Please contact us prior to making an FOI application so to determine whether the information you seek is in the possession of TSV or ONRSR.