The Office of the Victorian Information Commissioner (OVIC) today tabled a damning report of its investigation into VicForests' bloody minded and secretive approach to processing legitimate Freedom of Information (FOI) requests.
The report,Process versus Outcome: Investigation into VicForests' handling of a series of FOI requests, stated:
"The investigation identified contraventions of the FOI Act in relation to how VicForests consulted with the applicant. Instead of telephoning the applicant to discuss her request, VicForests sent lengthy and complex letters which the Commissioner considered would be confounding and difficult to process for a typical member of the public. Unnecessary queries and clarifications about the terms of the applicant's requests delayed the release of information in practice, by extending the processing period for the requests. Challenges made by VicForests about the validity of some of the applicant's FOI requests and complaints, including challenges to the Information Commissioner's jurisdiction, extended the timeframe of the requests and complaints."
"Considering its conduct across all the requests and complaints examined in this investigation, the Commissioner found that VicForests acted inconsistently with the objects outlined in section 3 of the FOI Act. The Commissioner also found that VicForests did not meet its obligations under s 16(1) to administer the Act with a view to making the maximum amount of government information promptly and inexpensively available to the public."
Shadow Special Minister of State, David Davis, said an Andrews government agency challenging the independent umpire's jurisdiction to investigate complaints about its appalling FOI processes was a troubling new low.
"It has already become standard operating procedure for Andrews government departments and agencies to appeal OVIC decisions to the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) where the government would prefer to keep information secret from FOI applicants," Mr Davis said.
"This bloody minded and deliberate strategy comes at great cost to Victorian taxpayers and delays the eventual release of requested information. This is a direct contravention of the objects of the Freedom of information Act.
"A fish rots from its head and the Andrews Labor Government is rotten to its core."
