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Right to Information

Although the University operates effectively as a business in a competitive context it is a public authority under the Right to Information Act 2009.

Information held by Tasmanian public authorities belongs to the people of the state and has been collected for and on their behalf. Under the Act people have a legally enforceable right to be provided with information held by a public authority.

Personal Information

Individuals have a right to access the personal information we hold about you unless an exception applies. In the first instance send requests for personal information to u.connect@utas.edu.au . For all other information see below.

Making an Application

Address

All applications for information under the Right to Information Act should be made to the following address:

The Proper Office - Vice-Chancellor
C/- General Counsel
Legal Services
Private Bag 42
HOBART  TAS 7001

Alternatively, applications can be emailed to: Legal.Office@utas.edu.au

Applications must be made in writing. Applicants are encouraged to use the application form (PDF 155.9 KB). Where the application form is not used you must include the following items (at a minimum) on your written request.

  • Your name
  • Your address for communication (this may be a postal or email address)
  • Your contact details including a day time phone number and an email address if you are ordinarily contactable on that address during business hours
  • The general topic of the application
  • Details of the information you are requesting
  • Details of any efforts undertaken by you to obtain the information by a method other than an application under the Right to Information Act
  • The date of the application
  • If your application relates to your personal information, you will need to supply the University with proof of identity

Please note, all applications must be signed by the applicant.

Application Fees

All applications must be accompanied by the fee prescribed under section 16 of the Right to Information Act. The fee is 25 fee units which is $42.50 as at 1 July 2022. The fee is indexed annually in accordance with the Fee Units Act 1997. You may apply for a waiver of the application fee if you are a Member of Parliament making the application as part of your official duties, you are impecunious, or if the information sought is intended to be used for a purpose that is of general public interest or benefit.

Pay your application fee by credit card. If you would like to pay your application fee by telephone, please call our finance team on 03 6324 3518 and quote the following reference: Project 104576, Account 15405.

Please note, the application fee must be paid, or a decision to waive the fee must be made, prior to the University assessing your request for information.

Timeframe for Decisions

You will be notified of the decision on an application for assessed disclosure within 20 working days of your application being accepted by the University.

Before the application is accepted, the University has a maximum of 10 working days to negotiate with you to further define the scope of your application.

Where the Right to Information Act requires the University to consult with a third party in relation to all or part of your request, a further 20 days will be allowed in addition to the original 20 day time frame permitted to process your request.

If the above time limits are not met your application will be deemed to be refused and you may apply to the Ombudsman for a review of that decision.

Further Information

If you require further information on how to make an application for assessed disclosure, please contact the University's Legal office on the details provided above. For more general information on the Right to Information Act please click on the following links:

Information Disclosure

The University will uphold the objectives of the Right to Information Act by releasing information to the public routinely, proactively and, where assessed, in the public interest to do so and not exempt pursuant to the RTI Act.