Right to information

The RTI Act lists 4 categories of information disclosure:  

• required disclosure – information that is required by law to be published, such as an annual report
• routine disclosure – information of interest to the public that is released on a routine basis, such as statistics
• active disclosure – information freely released on request, without a formal application and assessment process
• assessed disclosure – information that is released on application after it has been formally assessed under the provisions of the RTI Act. This is meant to be the method of last resort.

Where we can, we will provide you with the information you request. However, some sensitive information, such as business or personal information, may need formal assessment before we decide whether it can be disclosed.

Part 3 of the RTI Act lists the grounds under which information may be exempt from disclosure. We are not obliged to release exempt information. (See ‘Assessed Disclosure’ below for details.)

We release information on this website, in publications (like fact sheets, newsletters and our annual report), through other government departments/bodies, and in previous Assessed Disclosure responses.

All submitted and approved RTI documents can be viewed here.

Many requests will be responded to without reference to the RTI Act. However, if you specifically ask for your request to be treated as a RTI request, you will be directed to the RTI Officer.

Contact

Right to Information Officer 
Hydro Tasmania 
Email: corporation.secretary@hydro.com.au

Assessed Disclosure

For formal assessment under the RTI Act, you will need to complete a Right to information application form.

Applications for assessed disclosure incur a fee, currently $47.75 and indexed on 1 July each year in accordance with the Fee Units Act 1997. This fee is the maximum amount the information will cost you. Once your payment has been processed, the application fee will not be refunded.

You may apply to have the fee waived if:

• you are in financial hardship – we would usually ask to see evidence that you receive Centrelink or Veterans Affairs payments
• you are a member of parliament and the application is in connection with your official duties

• you are able to demonstrate that you intend to use the information for a purpose that is of general public interest or benefit.

   

Next steps

We will check your application to make sure we have all the information we need and that the application fee is paid, or you are eligible for it to be waived. The day we receive your request, or the day we receive any extra information that we need, is called the acceptance date.

We will then assess your application against the RTI Act and notify you of the outcome in either 20 or 40 working days following the acceptance date, depending on whether consultation with third parties is required for sensitive, personal or business-related information. The RTI Officer will advise you if third-party consultation is necessary.

If some or all of the information is exempt information, the RTI Officer will explain the reasons to you in writing, as well as your rights if you want an independent review of the decision.

If the RTI Officer assessing your request does not notify you of their decision within the timeframe allowed or negotiated with you, you are entitled to apply to the Ombudsman for resolution of the matter.

Read the manual and guidelines for more detail on your rights. 

Find previous disclosures here.