Access to Information

On 1 July 2025, amendments to the Right to Information Act 2009 (RTI Act) and the Information Privacy Act 2009 (IP Act) came into effect through the Information Privacy and Other Legislation Amendment Act 2023.

These changes aim to:

  • Enhance privacy protections
  • Increase transparency across government
  • Simplify the process for accessing government-held information

What is Right to Information

Under the RTI Act, Queensland government agencies—including local councils—are committed to a pro-disclosure approach, meaning information should be made available to the public wherever possible.

Gympie Regional Council supports this commitment by:

  • Making information accessible via our website, publication scheme, and administrative release
  • Ensuring residents are informed about decisions that affect them
  • Safeguarding personal information and maintaining its accuracy

Members of the public have a legal right to access information held by Council unless its release would be contrary to the public interest.

If the information you're seeking isn't already publicly available, you can submit a request using the Right to Information Application Form

Check before you apply

Before submitting a formal RTI application, check if the information is already available through one of the following channels:

1. DA Online – Gympie

Access development application information for the Gympie region

2. Property and Rates Searches

Includes:

  • Land Record Search
  • Rates only Search
  • Property Search
  • Special Water Meter Reading
  • Building and Plumbing Searches
  • Certificate of Classification for commercial buildings
  • Planning and Development certificates and searches

3. Publication Scheme

Provides access to:

  • Policies
  • Plans and Strategies
  • Financial reports and budgets
  • Public registers

4. Administrative access

Non-sensitive information may be released informally, without the need for a formal RTI application under an administrative access.

5. Submitting a Right to Information application

If the information you need isn’t available through any of the above methods, you can submit a formal RTI application:

  • On the approved Gympie Regional Council form (link this to form)
  • Or submit a written request including:
    • Your name and contact details
    • Specific details of the information sought
    • Subject matter and relevant reference numbers
    • Document types and applicable date/time range

Completed applications are to be forwarded to:

  • RTI Officer
  • Gympie Regional Council
  • PO Box 155
  • Gympie Qld 4570

Or emailed to rtiofficer@gympie.qld.gov.au

Fees and charges

Fees for non-personal information are set by the Queensland Government:

  • Application fee (2025/2026): $57.65
  • Processing fee (2025/2026): $8.95 per 15 minutes (or $35.80 per hour) if document retrieval exceeds five hours

Should your processing your application take longer than five hours, you will receive charges estimate if outlining the processing fees that will apply.

More information

For further information in regard to Right to Information, the Queensland Office of Information Commissioner provides additional information at About right to information | Office of the Information Commissioner Queensland

For information about privacy legislation in Australia check Privacy legislation in Queensland | Office of the Information Commissioner Queensland

 

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