Freedom of Information
The Freedom of Information Act 1991 serves to promote openness and transparency in governance and accountability of government agencies, including councils.
Freedom of Information (FOI) Requests
You can contact our Accredited FOI Officer to discuss what is required before lodging a request by calling us on 08 8768 2003 or downloading a Freedom of Information Application form.
Once completed, the application form can be returned to Council via:
- Email: council@robe.sa.gov.au
- Post: PO Box 1 Robe SA 5276
- In person: Council Office, 3 Royal Circus Robe SA 5276
Internal Review
If you are unhappy with a decision regarding your FOI application, you have the option to request an internal review. This request must be submitted to Council within the 30-day appeal period following notification of the decision to approve or deny access to documents, and it should include the applicable fee.
If you are experiencing financial hardship, you can apply for a fee waiver. Please ensure that you provide evidence of your financial disadvantage with your application, such as a photocopy of your concession card.
If you remain dissatisfied after the internal review, you may consider seeking an external review of the determination by the Ombudsman of South Australia.
For further information visit State Records of South Australia.
Freedom of Information Statement
This freedom of information statement is published by the District Council of Robe in accordance with the requirements of Section 9 (1a) of the Freedom of Information Act 1991.
Subject to certain restrictions, the FOI Act gives members of the public a legally enforceable right to access information held by South Australian (Local) Government agencies such as councils. The purpose of this statement is to assist members of the public to identify the functions and decision-making processes of Council, detail the type of information held by Council and advise how it can be accessed by the public.
Types of documents you can access
FOI means you can apply for access to any document in our possession. Documents you can access include:
- hard copy or electronic records
- files
- maps or plans
- photographs, recordings, films or videotapes
- any other means of storing information.
Documents can include copies of whole documents or parts of or extracts from documents.
Many of our documents, such as minutes and agendas for Council and committees, annual reports, budget statements and rates assessment books are already publicly available and therefore, it is not necessary to lodge an FOI application to gain access to these. You can view them by contacting or visiting us. Many of these resources are also available on our website.
Documents that are not available
While FOI aims to give you access to the maximum amount of information possible, a number of exemptions are necessary.
These are to make sure that the privacy of others is not unduly invaded, or the proper administration of the Council is not unduly affected.
The types of documents that are exempt include (but are not limited to):
- historical records (where they exist)
- documents subject to legal professional privilege
- documents that lead to unreasonable disclosure of another’s affairs
- documents that contain information of commercial value relevant to Council or any other person, where disclosure could be reasonably expected to destroy or diminish the commercial value of the information.
Only documents held by the District Council of Robe are accessible through Council. If you are seeking documents from another Government Agency, please go through them directly via this link: https://www.archives.sa.gov.au/finding-information/sa-government-information/making-a-freedom-of-information-application