Safe Transport Victoria (ST Vic) (formerly known as Transport Safety Victoria and Commercial Passenger Vehicles Victoria) supports the rights of individuals and organizations to access information under the Freedom of Information Act 1982 (Vic) (FOI Act).

Requests for access to information can be made in writing or online through the Victorian Government’s Freedom of Information (FOI) online portal. The FOI Act provides the right to access information held by government or certain statutory agencies.

All documents generated or held by Safe Transport Victoria are subject to release under FOI, subject to proper application of exemptions provided for under the FOI Act. Exemptions are determined on a case-by-case basis.

Individuals have the right to access documents about their personal affairs and the activities of government agencies and may request government agencies to amend or remove incorrect or misleading information.

ST Vic supports these rights by making information available to the public, providing information and guidance, assisting the public in accessing documents held by ST Vic (within the scope provided under the FOI Act), and delivering an efficient and timely process for disclosing information to the public.

How do I make a FOI request

Under the FOI Act, members of the public have the right to request information and access documents regarding their personal affairs and government activities.

To make an FOI request, three requirements must be met for the request to be valid:

  1. Your request must be in writing;
  2. You must provide sufficient information about the documents you are requesting; and
  3. You must pay the application fee, or request the agency waive the fee due to hardship.

Request in writing

You can submit an FOI request in two ways:

  1. You can submit and pay for a FOI request on the Victorian Government FOI online portal; or
  2. You can make a request by emailing foi@safetransport.vic.gov.au.Individuals can make the request themselves or authorize another person, such as a solicitor, to make the request on their behalf.

How much will a FOI cost?

To ensure your FOI request is valid, you must pay the FOI application fee. The application fee for FOI requests is $31.80 , which can be waived for those with a valid Health Care Card or Pension Benefits Card.

You can make payment in two ways:

  1. Online through the Victorian Government FOI online portal; or
  2. Pay the application fee by EFT to the Safe Transport Victoria Operating account. You must provide full payment details in an email to foi@safetransport.vic.gov.au so that your FOI request can be matched to your payment:

Safe Transport Operating Account
BSB: 033222
Account: 151286

How long does a FOI take to process?

ST Vic will make every effort to process FOI requests and provide a decision as soon as possible, but no later than 30 days after the request is received. This timeframe starts when the FOI Officer has enough information to identify the requested documents and the applicant has paid the required application fee.

If applicants have any questions about the status of their request, they can contact the FOI Officer handling the request for more information or emailing foi@safetransport.vic.gov.au.

Request for personal/health information held by Safe Transport Victoria

ST Vic is bound by the Privacy and Data Protection Act 2014 (Vic) (PDP Act), the Health Records Act 2001 (Vic) and Marine Safety Act 2010 (Vic) in how it manages personal and health information.

ST Vic is committed to protecting the personal and health information of persons with whom it interacts within the course of the performance of its regulatory functions and activities.

We are required to comply with the Information Privacy Principles (IPPs) set out under the PDP Act. The Information Privacy Principles apply strict guidelines to the release of personal information to organisations outside of ST Vic, including law enforcement agencies.

Under IPP 2.1(g), Safe Transport Victoria can use or disclose personal information if it reasonably believes that the use or disclosure is reasonably necessary for any of five specified purposes undertaken by or on behalf of a law enforcement agency, being:

  • the prevention, detection, investigation, prosecution or punishment of criminal offences or breaches of a law imposing a penalty or sanction;
  • the enforcement of laws relating to the confiscation of the proceeds of crime;
  • the protection of public revenue;
  • the prevention, detection, investigation or remedying or seriously improper conduct; or
  • the preparation for, or conduct of, proceedings before any court or tribunal, or implementation of the orders of a court or tribunal.

IPP 2.1(g) authorizes disclosure of personal information to law enforcement agencies. “Law enforcement agency” is defined in section 3 of the PDP Act and specifically includes state and federal police; crime commissions and examiners; the Business Licensing Authority, and the Special Investigations Monitor.

The definition also includes agencies which are involved in the prevention and detection of crime; the release of persons from custody; the execution of warrants; the provision of correctional services; the management and seizure of property under confiscation laws; and the protection of public revenue.

IPP 2.1(g) also authorizes disclosure to persons who carry out any of the five functions on behalf of the law enforcement agency (for example, lawyers preparing matters for trial on behalf of a law enforcement agency or the Office of Public Prosecutions).

In order for Safe Transport Victoria to comply with its obligations under the PDP Act, if you wish to make a request for any personal/health information or documents held by Safe Transport Victoria, and your request is on behalf of a law enforcement agency, and is not pursuant to a court process, then Safe Transport Victoria requires you to complete and submit the Request for Personal/Health Information Form below to Safe Transport Victoria’s Privacy Unit via email at: privacy@safetransport.vic.gov.au

Please note that Safe Transport Victoria will not process any requests for personal and/or health information until it has received a completed form.

Australian Maritime Safety Authority

If you are seeking information in relation to matters covered by the national system for domestic commercial vessel safety (from 1 July 2013), the application must be made to the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) in accordance with the Freedom of Information Act 1982 (Cth).

More information on AMSA’s FOI application process can be obtained from the AMSA website.

Information statements

Part II – Information Statements

Safe Transport Victoria (ST Vic) releases a large amount of information through online and print publishing. These Information Statements outline our function and role and make it easy for the public to find information regarding key functions, services, reports and outputs, and demonstrate how we make information available to the public.

The statements below are a statutory requirement under the Freedom of Information Act 1982 (Vic) (FOI Act). The purpose of the statement is to:

  • provide a snapshot of the types of information and documents that the department holds
  • outline how to access this information and locate publicly available information
  • inform the public how to make a request for access under the FOI Act

For more information contact us.

For more information about Freedom of Information in Victoria, visit the Office of the Victorian Information Commissioner’s website.

Information Statements

  • Statement 1: Organisation and functions
  • Statement 2: Categories of documents
  • Statement 3: Freedom of Information arrangements
  • Statement 4: Publications
  • Statement 5: Rules, policies and procedures
  • Statement 6: Report literature

ST Vic regulates the commercial passenger vehicle, bus and maritime industries in Victoria.

Ministerial portfolios within ST Vic include:

  • Public Transport;
  • Roads and Road Safety;
  • Ports and Freight; and
  • Outdoor Recreation

More information relating to ST Vic and our functions, can be found on this website in:

  • Organisation Structure
  • Annual Report
  • Safety Approach
  • Industry Engagement
  • Acts, regulations and other legislative instruments

If you require other information about our functions, you may contact us directly by email at contact@safetransport.vic.gov.au  or by phone (toll-free) on 1800 638 802.

ST Vic creates many documents and records in the course of its work. We use a number of electronic documents and records management systems to classify, store, access and manage the broad range of electronic and hard copy documents that we hold.

Under section 7 of the Freedom of Information Act 1982 (FOI Act), an agency must publish a statement of the categories of documents it maintains. This statement broadly describes the documents we hold.

The types of documents that ST Vic holds include documents relating to:

  • policy, procedures and standards:
    • administrative materials – corporate/operational, boards, committees
    • compliance materials – reports, responses
    • instructional materials – standards, policies, procedures, guidelines
    • program materials – initiation, operations, evaluation
    • project materials – initiation, governance, management
    • training and educational materials
  • stakeholder surveys
  • briefings and reports:
    • for example, briefs to relevant Ministers, the Secretary and Deputy or Associate Secretaries
  • registers:
    • compliance and operational
  • correspondence:
    • corporate and Ministerial
    • emails or letters
  • meeting records:
    •  meeting minutes and agendas
  • financial records:
    • grants
    • remuneration and salaries
    • procurement materials – tenders, Expressions of Interest, contracts
  • human resource management:
    • recruitment, payroll, employee records, HR data/statistics

The above list is not an exhaustive list and provides a snapshot of the documents we hold.

To find a specific topic relating to ST Vic, please conduct a full search of our website site map or send an email to contact@safetransport.vic.gov.au  for further information.

Under the FOI Act members of the public have the right to request access to documents held by ST Vic.

A Freedom of Information request needs to be made in writing to the agency that holds the documents being requested.  It should clearly describe the information or document you are seeking to access.  If we cannot clearly identify the information or document you are requesting, we will contact you to clarify the request.

Further information on how to make a Freedom of Information request with us is available on our Freedom of Information page.

ST Vic produces a wide range of information, including forms which can be accessed on this website.

  • Documents and Forms
  • Consultation Papers
  • eNews
  • Industry Statistics

The resource locations and content presented above provide a snapshot of the information available on our website and are not an exhaustive representation.

In some cases, it is not possible to supply the publication as a downloadable file. If you require further assistance, please contact us directly by email at contact@safetransport.vic.gov.au  or by phone (toll-free) on 1800 638 802.

This section highlights some areas in which ST Vic publishes internal rules, policies and procedures online. Please note the list below is not intended to be an exhaustive list of all the information that is publicly available.

Types of information that can be found on this website include:

  • policies, guidelines and legislation
  • rights and responsibilities for accredited drivers and passengers
  • internal review
  • information about ST Vic’s Public Register
  • information on fares
  • accessibility statement
  • privacy policy
  • complaint handling procedures.

To find a specific topic relating to ST Vic, please conduct a full search of our website site map.

This section illustrates examples of where ST Vic publishes a wide range of reports and information about reforms that have been implemented.

  • Annual Reports – CPV, Bus, Marine
  • Industry statistics

To request further information, please contact us directly by email at contact@safetransport.vic.gov.au  or by phone (toll-free) on 1800 638 802.