Maitland City Council is committed to being open and accountable in the exercise of Council's functions, and to handle personal information in a fair and reasonable manner. Council will seek to ensure that legitimate requests for access to information are handled promptly and that members of the public  are able to access information, subject however to the need to protect the privacy of others, commercially sensitive information and information the disclosure of which would not be in the public interest.

The objective of this webpage is to describe Council's procedures regarding public access to information and to facilitate the processing of requests for such access. Maitland City Council is committed to the following principles regarding public access to records:

• open and transparent government
• consideration of the public interest in relation to such access requests
• respect for the privacy of individuals

Council has developed an "Right to Information Guidelines " document which identifies the who, what, when, where and why in regards to records of public access and any restrictions that may apply. Council will assess all requests for access to documents and information in a timely manner and in accordance with the "Access to Maitland City Council Information Guidelines" and relevant legislation. To access non-contentious Council information you can submit the Access to Information Application Form - Informal, or if the information is in relation to Development and Building applications you can use the Request to View File Information, and to access information of a contentious nature you can submit the Access to Infomation Application - Formal. Any associated fees with regards to information requests can be found in Council’s fees and charges.

For more information about this new Act and the Officer of the Information Commissioner please go to: http://www.oic.nsw.gov.au/

• Office of the Information Commissioner Publication - How to Access Government Information
• Right to Information Guidelines
• Maitland City Council's Publication Guide  

The table below identifies the different types of records that are available under current NSW legislation. Please identify the type of record you are seeking to access. If you are unsure please contact Council's Public Officer for assistance.

1.   Access to Information Frequently Asked Questions

2.   Government Information (Public Access) Act 2009 (GIPA) 

3.   Open Access Registers

4.   Privacy & Personal Information Protection Act 1998 (PPIPA) / Health Records and Information Privacy Act  (HRIPA)

5.   Privacy Statement

6.   NSW State Records Act 1998