Right to Information

The Right to Information Act 2009 commenced on 1 July 2010 and works to provide the community with greater access to information held by government bodies such as our Council – for example:

• Authorising and encouraging greater routine disclosure of information held by public authorities without the need for requests or applications;
• Authorising and encouraging greater active disclosure of information held by public authorities in response to informal requests without the need for applications;
• Giving members of the public an enforceable right to information held by public authorities.

Providing access to information held by government bodies is restricted by the circumstances defined in the Act.

Most information can be accessed via the following channels:

• Our Council website (e.g. under Governance) 
• Publications (e.g. fact sheets, or discussion papers)
• Reports (e.g. our Annual Report).

If the information you’re searching for is old, it may be held at Tasmanian Archives and Heritage Office (TAHO).

• Have a look at the TAHO system
• Call 03 6233 7488
• Email [email protected]

If you still cannot find the information you’re searching for, please contact our Council staff directly:

• Call 03 6429 8900
• Email [email protected]

If the information is not freely available, we can help you apply for an Assessed Disclosure.

The process for applying for information from a public authority that isn’t freely available is called Assessed Disclosure.  This is something we can help you with.

We encourage you to make sure you’ve looked for the information before making a formal application, as if the information is already available, your application may be refused without the return of your application fee.

Here is the process for submitting an Assessed Disclosure:

• A form to assist in making an application is available here. 
• If you are not using the form, your application must be made in writing and include the information requested in the form – this is a requirement of Regulation 5 of the Right to Information Regulations 2021.
• Applications incur an administration fee. The fee is shown on the form and is indexed annually.
• You may apply to have the fee waived if:
  • You are in financial hardship (evidence of this financial hardship must be provided);
  • You are a journalist acting in your professional duties;
  • You are a member of parliament, and the application is connected to your official duties;
  • You can prove the information sought is for a purpose of general public interest or benefit.

Applications to us at Central Coast Council must addressed to:

Right to Information Officer
Central Coast Council
PO Box 220
ULVERSTONE   TAS   7315

Or emailed:  [email protected]

• We will check your application to make sure we have the information we need and that you have paid the application fee (or we will waive the fee).
• We may transfer your application to another public authority if we do not believe we are best placed to provide you with the information.
• Before your application is accepted, we may need to contact you to ask you about your application, this will help us understand your request.
• Once we have taken these steps, an officer will assess your application against the Right to Information Act 2009 and let you know the outcome of that process in writing.
• You will be notified of the decision on your application for an Assessed Disclosure as soon as practicable, but in no more than 20 working days of the application being accepted.
• If your request is complex or for a large amount of information, we may require more time to provide the disclosures.
• If there is a need to consult with a third party about their business affairs or about their personal information, more time is automatically given and we will let you know the outcome as soon as practicable, but no later than 40 working days – we will let you know if this is happening.
• If the application or part of the application is refused, then the reasons for the refusal to provide the information must be provided as part of the decision.  The request to review the decision must be in writing to:

Principal Officer
Right to Information
Central Coast Council
PO Box 220
ULVERSTONE   TAS   7315

• If the officer assessing your request does not get back to you in the timeframe allowed, then you are able to make an ‘application for review’ to the Ombudsman.

Office of the Ombudsman

The Ombudsman Tasmania website also provides information on how to make a request under the Right to Information Act, and how requests are processed.

Related Acts & Regulations

• You can view, download and print the following Acts and Regulations available from the Tasmanian Legislation online website.
• Right to Information Act 2009
• Right to Information Regulations 2021
• Fee Units Act 1997