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The Freedom
of Information Act 1992 (FOI) was proclaimed in Western Australia
on 1 November 1993.
The Act gives
the public general right of access to documents held by Government
agencies and the right to apply for an amendment to personal information
that is out of date, misleading or inaccurate. It also requires
certain documents concerning State and Local Government operations
to be publicly available.
The Act is
written with the aim of facilitating access to information with
the onus on the agency to supply fair and just reason why information
should not be released. Those applicants not satisfied with the
outcome of their application for information may request internal
and then external review of decisions made by agencies. External
reviews are handled by the Office of the Freedom of Information
Commissioner.
Structure
For the purposes
of Freedom of Information, the Health Department functions as
a network of separate agencies. The Commissioner of Health is
the Principal Officer for Central Office of the Health Department,
the Minister for Health is the Principal Officer for all Departmental
Hospitals and the Chairperson of the appropriate Board is the
Principal Officer for Board Hospitals. The Principal Officer of
each Teaching Hospital is the Chief Executive Officer. These officers
may delegate their authority to subordinate officers under the
provisions of S 100 of the FOI Act to make decisions on their
behalf.
With these
arrangements in place, the Central Office FOI unit is focussed
on processing applications pertaining to documents held within
Central Office and providing a resource reference for advice and
assistance. Central Office comprises all divisions and units in
the East Perth Government Office Complex, all Public Health units,
including Environmental Health Services and Dental Health Services.
All requests
for access to Health Department records and documents are coordinated
through the Freedom of Information Coordinator on 9222 4414 in
the Corporate Management Branch. Requests for access to non-personal
information carry an application fee of $30; requests for personal information
are free of this charge.
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