The FOI Act gives you a right to access documents held by State and local government agencies, subject to some limitations.

The type of government documents or records that can be requested extends to all manner of information, however recorded, in the possession or under the control of an agency.

Documents include (but are not limited to) maps, plans, diagrams, graphs, drawings, photographs, videos, audiotapes, CCTV footage and electronic records including emails (see definition of ‘document’ in the Glossary to the FOI Act).

Note: Your right under the FOI Act is to access documents, not to receive answers to questions.

An agency may be prepared to provide documents to you outside the FOI process. Some agencies have policies that allow them to routinely give people access to particular documents or kinds of documents. The access rights under the FOI Act do not apply to documents that are already publicly available (section 6)