Right to Information guidance

• 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; and
• Providing that access to information held by government bodies is restricted in only limited circumstances which are defined in the Act.

Section 3 of the Act includes this statement of the objects of the Act:

The object of this Act is to improve democratic government in Tasmania –

• by increasing the accountability of the executive to the people of Tasmania; and
• by increasing the ability of the people of Tasmania to participate in their governance; and
• by acknowledging that information collected by public authorities is collected for and on behalf of the people of Tasmania and is the property of the State.

This object is to be pursued by giving members of the public the right to obtain information held by public authorities and Ministers.

This object is also to be pursued by giving members of the public the right to obtain information about the operations of Government.

It is the intention of Parliament –

• that this Act be interpreted so as to further the object set out in subsection (1); and
• that discretions conferred by this Act be exercised so as to facilitate and promote, promptly and at the lowest reasonable cost, the provision of the maximum amount of official information.

We are required by the Act to make information available to the public through a process of proactive disclosure. This means that we routinely make information available to the public if it will assist them in understanding what it is we do and how we do it. There are exemptions, for information that is determined to not be of a general public interest or because it’s exempt under the Act. We assess each application against the exemptions in the Right to Information Act 2009 prior to disclosure.

The public may get access to our information generally via our website, through publications (e.g. fact sheets, or discussion papers), via reports (e.g. our Annual Report). If you can’t locate the information via one of the means above, contact us and we may be able to assist you in finding it, or we may give it to you. If it is not freely available we will assist you to make an application for an assessed disclosure.You may find information from TasWater, or on the history of water and sewerage in Tasmania, in one of the following ways:

• Have a look at the TAHO system - www.archives.tas.gov.au/database
• Call TAHO on 03 6233 7488
• Email TAHO on [email protected]  

We commenced operations in July 2013, so we don’t generally hold historical information, so business, operational plans and other documents relating to water and sewerage matters before 1 July 2009 may be held by the relevant local council.

• Applications for information need to be made to the department, authority or council holding the relevant information or most closely linked to the information. A webpage like this one is available for most other public authorities.
• If you are not using the form, please note that your applications must be made in writing and include the information which is requested in the form – this is a requirement of Regulation 4 of the Right to Information Regulations 2010. 
• Applications are to be accompanied by the application fee of $44.50 (25 fee units) for FY23/24.   

• you are impecunious;
• you are a member of parliament and the application is in connection with your official duty; or
• you are able to gives us information which shows that the information sought is intended to be used for a purpose that is of general public interest or benefit.