How to make a Freedom of Information request: General Requests
A request to the Department of Defence for access to a document under the Freedom of Information Act 1982 (FOI Act) must:
- be in writing;
- provide sufficient information about the document as is reasonably necessary to enable it to be identified and located;
- give an address within Australia to which notices under the Act may be sent; and
- unless exempt from the fee, be accompanied by payment of the prescribed application fee of AU$30.00.
“Defence” means the Department of Defence, the Australian Defence Force (ADF), the Australian Army Cadets, the Australian Naval Cadets and the Australian Air Force Cadets but does not include the Defence Imagery and Geospatial Organisation (DIGO), the Defence Signals Directorate (DSD) or the Defence Intelligence Organisation (DIO). [Note: DIGO, DSD, and DIO are exempt agencies for the purpose of the FOI Act.]
Please note:
You do not need to use a special form when making a request under the FOI Act.
A letter or email is sufficient. You should not use FOI application forms developed by other agencies.
You can send your request to:
Freedom of Information Directorate
CP2-3-054
Department of Defence
CANBERRA ACT 2600
Send a form-based email to the FOI Directorate
Fees and Charges
A request will not be considered valid under the FOI Act until you have paid the FOI AU$30 (thirty Australian dollar) application fee or obtained remission of the fee. You may also be liable to pay associated processing charges. Details of the FOI fees and charges are described in
- Fact Sheets - Fees and Charges Information for Applicants [PDF, 65KB]
- Fact Sheets - Fees and Charges Information for Applicants [RTF 437KB]
If you require further assistance please contact our office.