How to access information

Riverina Water publishes a large volume of material on this website. Much information relating to Riverina Water's structure and functions is available to the public on this website or by contacting the relevant area of the organisation. This material will be free of charge or available at the lowest possible cost. The Government Information (Public Information) Act 2009 requires that Government agencies must put certain information on their websites to be available to the public, free of charge. This is known as 'open access information' and includes:

• policy documents
• publication guide
• disclosure log
• register of government contracts
• Annual reports

The information you are looking for may already be available on this website.

If the information you need is not already published on this website, the organisation may still be able to release it to you on request, without your needing to make a formal application. This information may be released if there are no public interest reasons why it should be kept confidential. To make an informal application, contact us.

All policy documents must be made available unless there is an overriding public interest against disclosure (OPIAD). To determine if there is an OPIAD, the public interest test needs to be applied to each document. After applying the public interest test, the General Manager needs to determine whether:

• a policy document may be made available with deletions, or
• a policy document cannot be made publicly available because there is an overriding public interest against disclosure

If a section of a policy document cannot be released, then a copy of the document with deletions should be posted on the website noting that it is an incomplete document.

If you are seeking specific information which is not available on this website and not routinely provided by Riverina Water on request, you may apply formally for access to it. This involves making a written application and paying a fee. Please contact us for a form.

Complete it and send it in with payment to:

Access to Information
Riverina Water
PO Box 456
Wagga Wagga NSW 2650

Applications must:

be in writing and sent to the address above; clearly state that you are making a request under the Government Information (Public Access) Act 2009; enclose the $30 application fee (cheques and postal orders made out to 'Riverina Water County Council') nominate a return postal address in Australia for correspondence purposes; and include as much specific information as necessary to enable Riverina Water to identify the information you are looking for.

If your application does not include all these things, it will be invalid and cannot be processed. If that happens, the agency will let you know what you need to do to make your application valid.

If your application is valid, the agency will acknowledge receipt of the application within 5 working days and deal with your application within 20 working days. Under certain circumstances, an extension of time to complete the application can be obtained by the Riverina Water.

If the agency does not decide your access application within 20 days, it is considered 'refused'. The agency will refund your application fee and you will have the right to seek internal or external review. (This does not apply if an extension of time has been arranged, or where the agency is waiting for you to pay an advance deposit).

The basic fee under the Government Information (Public Access) Act 2009 is $30. Processing charges may be charged at $30 per each hour of processing an application. In some situations, the agency will require you to pay an advance deposit. The agency will let you know when this is required.

Applicants can apply for a 50 per cent reduction in processing costs on the grounds of financial hardship, or ask for the fee to be waived altogether if this information will be of special benefit to the public generally.