The Freedom of Information Act 1992 (the Act) allows for access to City records that cannot be sourced in any other way, such as publically released or by paying a fee

The Act is meant to: 

• Create a general right of access to state and local government documents.
• Provide a way to confirm that personal information held by state and local government is accurate, complete, up-to-date and not misleading, and
• Make certain that some documents concerning state and local government operations are available to the public.

Before submitting an access application
If you are looking to access certain documents, the best place to start is by contacting the City or visiting the Civic Centre to find out if the documents are available to the public already, or if you can access them without a formal application.
 
To make an enquiry, please email belmont@belmont.wa.gov.au or phone (08) 9477 7222.
 
If the documents are not publicly available, you may be asked to apply under the Act. This means you will need to lodge an access application.
 
Please refer to the City’s Information Statement for further information on accessing documents and the FOI access process.

How to apply
To apply for access to documents under the Act, please submit an application form or written request. You will need to describe the documents you are looking for in as much detail as possible.

Please note, your application is for access to documents; the application process does not answer any questions you have about the documents.

Freedom of Information fees and charges
For non-personal information requests, there is an application fee of $30.00.  Access to personal information can be applied for free of charge.
 
If further charges apply the City will advise you.

Changing personal information
If you are concerned that the City holds information about you that is inaccurate, incomplete, out-of-date or misleading, you should first contact the City by emailing belmont@belmont.wa.gov.au or calling (08) 9477 7222. You may be able to discuss whether the City can correct that information without the need for you to make a formal application under the Act.

Timeframes
Your access application will be processed as soon as possible. This is generally within 45 calendar days, if it is urgent you can ask for the timeframe to be shortened. The City may ask for an extension to the timeframe if the request is large or there are multiple applications in at the same time.
 
For information and advice on FOI, please visit the website for the Office of the Information Commissioner or phone them on (08) 6551-7888.