Right to information

The Right to Information Act 2009 and the Information Privacy Act 2009 aims to make more information available, provide equal access to information across all sectors of the community, and provide appropriate protection for individuals' privacy.

Council provides information to the public in a number of ways, subject to legal and policy requirements. Livingstone Shire Council is making it easier for you to access information about Council. This includes information about our policies, financial reports, public registers and documents relating to our decisions. Council is committed to providing the community with open and transparent access to information about Council services, activities and business operations.

For more information about Right to Information or Information Privacy, please: 

  • What is Right to Information?

    Right to Information was introduced by the Queensland Government to give the community greater access to information. 

    The Right to Information Act 2009 gives the community the right to access information held by government, including council, unless contrary to public interest. 

    The Information Privacy Act 2009 governs how government manages personal information and guides how people can access this personal information and advise council of changes to it. 

    Aims

    Right to Information aims to: 

    • make more information available
    • provide equal access to information across the community
    • protect an individual's personal information.
       

    The Right to Information Act 2009 gives you the right to access and amend information held by public sector agencies in Queensland, unless there is a good reason for it not to be provided. You have a right to access and amend your personal information held by council under the Information Privacy Act 2009 (IP). You have a right to access personal and non-personal information held by council under the Right to Information Act 2009.

  • The Acts provide the formal basis to request access to council information that is not publicly available. Requests for access to documents under the Right to Information (RTI) and Information Privacy (IP) legislation exclude documents that are readily available by other means. For example, minutes of council meetings are mostly readily available public documents, which can be accessed by the community. Before making a formal Right to Information application, check council's website or contact council about the location and availability of information. 

    For documents not available via the above avenues, applications need to be made in writing by downloading and completing an application form.  All applicants must clearly identify the specific documents or provide sufficient information about the documents, to enable the Right To Information Coordinator to accurately identify the documents requested.

    Once completed, the application form should be addressed and submitted via:

    Post:     RTI Coordinator
                 Livingstone Shire Council 
                 PO Box 2292 
                 Yeppoon, Queensland, 4703

    Email:  rti@livingstone.qld.gov.au

    Application Type Act Application Fee Proof of identity  required Processing Fees Timeframe for decision
    Personal Information Information Privacy Act 2009 NIL YES NIL 25 Business Days

    Personal Information
    (Acting on behalf of another person)

    Information Privacy Act 2009 NIL YES

    (from both parties)

    NIL

    25 Business Days
    Non-Personal Information Right to Information Act 2009 $55.75 NO

    $8.65 for each 15 minutes spent if more than 5 hours*

    25 Business Days

    Mixed Application

    (both non-personal and personal information)

    Right to Information Act 2009 $55.75 YES

    $8.65 for each 15 minutes spent if more than 5 hours*

    25 Business Days
    Amendment of Personal Information Information Privacy Act 2009 NIL YES NIL 25 Business Days

    * If less than 5 hours is spent processing an application, there is no charge.  If more than 5 hours is spent processing an application, a fee of $8.65 per 15 minutes or part of 15 minutes of the time spent working on the application, including the first five hours will be applicable.

    Access Charges may also apply in the processing of Right to Information and Information Privacy applications. Applicants will be advised if there are any additional charges involved prior to processing an application.

    Please refer to the Office of the Information Commissioner Queensland for a full list of charges.

  • How to access information managed by Council

    Council is committed to being open and transparent. It provides information to the public about: 

    • Council businesses
    • Council activities
    • Council services
       

    Much of this information is in documents which make up Council's Publication Scheme. 

    Accessing and amending your personal information

    The Information Privacy Act 2009 (IP Act) allows individuals to apply for access to documents containing their personal information. 'Personal information' is defined as "information or an opinion, including information or an opinion forming part of a database, whether true or not, and whether recorded in a material form or not, about an individual whose identity is apparent, or can reasonably be ascertained, from their information or opinion." If an individual is making an IP Act access application, they will only receive documents containing their own personal information. 

    The IP Act also allows a person to make an application to have their personal information amended if they believe it is;

    • incomplete
    • inaccurate
    • out of date or 
    • misleading
  • Our Publication Scheme lists information which you can obtain from Livingstone Shire Council. The information is organised into seven groups. Most Queensland Government websites provide information in a similar way.

    Accessing Information in the Publication Scheme

    Where possible these documents are available for download from council's website. If you are having difficulty accessing any documents, please contact council to request access to documents in another suitable format (for example, hard copy). Information listed in the Publication Scheme is generally available free of charge from our website. For requests for large volumes of material or other special requests, charges may be payable. Customers will be advised in advance of any charges payable before a request is processed. 

    About Us
    'Who we are and what we do'
     
    Our Services
    'Information about the services we deliver, including advice and guidance, publications, newsletters and media releases.'
     
    Our Finances
    'What we spend and how we spend it, including our financial statements and financial management practices.'

    Our Priorities
    'Council's priorities and how well we are meeting those priorities.'
    Council Plans, Strategies & Reports

    Our Decisions
    'The outcomes of decision making processes.'
    Council Meetings
    Get Involved

    Our Policies & Procedures
    'The outcomes of decision making processes.'
    Policies & Procedures

    Enquiries and complaints about the Publication Scheme

    Your comments are highly valued and any feedback you provide will be used to make improvements to the Publication Scheme. If you wish to provide feedback to improve our Publication Scheme please contact Council

  • Council maintains a disclosure log as part of its commitment to being open and transparent.

    Council’s disclosure log provides documents that were released in response to certain formal applications for access to documents.

    Once documents have been released they are available for access without going through the RTI process. For copies of these documents please contact Council's RTI Officer by emailing rti@livingtone.qld.gov.au

    Disclosure Log 2023 - 2024

    Disclosure Log 2022 - 2023

    Disclosure Log 2021 - 2022

    Disclosure Log 2020 - 2021