Making an FOI Request

The FOI Act gives you the right to:

• access copies of documents (except ‘exempt’ documents) held by the University
• request amendments to information held by the University about you if you believe it is incomplete, incorrect, misleading or out-of-date.

'Documents' includes hardcopy or electronic letters, reports, emails, minutes, notes, as well as electronic data stored within databases and servers we have control over.

Documents may be 'exempt' if they meet the conditions as set out in Schedule 1 of the FOI Act.

Before you make an FOI access request, you should check first to see if the information you want is already publicly available.

If you would like to continue with an FOI access request it must:

• be in writing.
• say the request is an application for the purposes of the FOI Act.
• provide clear, detailed information about the document(s) you wish to access.
• provide an Australian postal address for receiving notices under the FOI Act.
• include your application fee payment if applicable.

Use our access request form or write out the request directly to:

The Freedom of Information Officer
Legal Services Branch
The University of Adelaide SA 5005
foi@adelaide.edu.au

Processing charges may apply to your request depending on scope and circumstances.

Help us find the right documents faster and reduce the cost involved in processing your FOI access request by including as much detail as possible about what it is you are looking for, such as:

• the subject of the records and context (including any document reference numbers you might know of).
• the date or date range for the records you are seeking.
• the names of the University Schools or Branches you think are involved.
• the names and/or job titles of the people you think are involved.
• the format of the record you have in mind (e.g. email, report, memorandum etc).

The FOI Act gives you the right to request amendments to documents concerning your personal affairs if you believe that they are incomplete, incorrect, misleading or out-of-date.

For more information, download our:

• FOI Fact Sheet - Requesting amendment to the University’s records concerning your personal affairs
• FOI Application Form - Request to amend a document containing personal affairs information

or contact an FOI Officer.

An FOI Officer will acknowledge that we have received your request.

• If your request is broad, the FOI Officer may need to liaise with you to clarify and/or narrow the scope of your request. They will also give you an estimate of the processing charges if applicable.

We will generally give you our decision within 30 days of receiving your request. If your request is complex, we might ask for your patience as we may need a longer time to process it.

• In certain circumstances the University may formally extend the timeframe for dealing with your application. You will be advised within 20 calendar days if an extension is necessary and why.

When we have made a decision about your FOI request, we will send you a letter explaining our decision and your review and appeal rights.

If the timeframe for dealing with your application has not been formally extended and you do not receive a determination within 30 days, you may assume that the University has refused your application and you are entitled to lodge an application for review. However, we recommend you first inquire with an FOI Officer as to the status of your request.