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Freedom of information requests: Victorian Early Childhood Regulatory Authority (VECRA)

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The Victorian Early Childhood Regulatory Authority (VECRA) is committed to openness, transparency, and providing the community with access to information about its work. As a statutory authority operating under both national and Victorian laws, for the purposes of access to information, we are subject to both the:

Under the Education and Care Services National Law Act 2010 (National Law), VECRA is a National Quality Framework Agency, specifically the Victorian Regulator.

Through the National Law there is the appointment of:

The ECS Commissioners form part of the national uniform regulatory and quality assurance system for early childhood education and care services that applies across Australia.

The National Law requires the National Quality Framework (NQF) agencies to apply the Commonwealth Freedom of Information Act 1982 (FOI Act Cth) and the Commonwealth Privacy Act 1988 (Privacy Act) and applies the Commonwealth Ombudsman Act 1976 in relation to Australian Children’s Education and Care Quality Authority (ACECQA).

The ECS Commissioners provide independent and impartial oversight of the NQF agencies in relation to how they apply the FOI and privacy laws. They have the same functions and powers as the Australian Information Commissioner and the Commonwealth Ombudsman.

This page explains how you can request access to documents under each Act, what makes a valid request, fees and charges, timelines, and how to seek review or make a complaint.

Making a Freedom of Information request to VECRA

VECRA operates under national education and care legislation. Because of this, the documents we create or hold in our role as the regulator fall under Commonwealth information laws.

When the Commonwealth FOI Act applies

Most documents held by VECRA relate to our regulatory functions. These include information about:

Access to these types of documents can be requested under the Commonwealth Freedom of Information Act 1982 (FOI Act Cth). The Victorian FOI Act does not apply to VECRA’s regulatory work.

When the Victorian FOI Act applies

Some VECRA activities fall outside our national regulatory responsibilities. These are generally non regulatory or administrative functions, such as:

Documents relating to these non regulatory functions may be requested under the Victorian Freedom of Information Act 1982 (FOI Act Vic).

The information on this page relates to VECRA only, and not other Victorian Government agencies.

If your request relates to documents held by another agency, please contact them directly. A directory to assist you to find the correct agency is provided on the Office of the Victorian Information Commissioner’s website.

Before making a FOI request to VECRA

Before requesting access to documents from VECRA, consider:

Is the information you want in a document?

FOI laws provide access to existing documents. We cannot answer questions or (except for some limited circumstances) create new documents in response to a request.

Does the VECRA hold the document you want?

VECRA began operating as an independent statutory authority from 1 January 2026.

If we are not the appropriate FOI agency to respond to your request, we will either transfer your request (where appropriate) or direct you to the appropriate FOI agency, if known.

Is the document publicly available?

A document may already be available on our website and you may not need to request it under FOI. Consider reviewing our website first, prior to submitting an FOI request.

Unsure which Act to apply under?

If you are unsure which act applies, you can still make a request. We will assess it under the correct legislation and confirm this with you.

FOI requests to VECRA

To request documents under FOI that VECRA holds, send your FOI request to our FOI unit via the below email address or post.

Please follow the guidance provided below.

Email:

VECRA.FOI@education.vic.gov.au

Post:

Attention: Freedom of Information Officer Victorian Early Childhood Regulatory Authority GPO Box 4367 Melbourne VIC 3001

Making a valid FOI request to VECRA

What is a valid FOI request?

To be valid, your request must:

For Victorian FOI requests, an application fee is also required (see below).

If you are requesting your personal information or personal records, you should provide proof of your identity, such as a copy of your driver’s licence or other identification. We may also contact you to verify your identity before releasing any personal information.

Make sure your request is clear

Be clear and specific about the documents you are requesting access to. Your request needs to provide enough information for us to identify and locate all relevant documents. Please note we can only process documents that the VECRA holds and is authorised to provide. We cannot provide documents held by other FOI agencies that are not in our constructive possession.

When writing your request, be specific about what documents you are seeking and include as much information as possible. Consider:

Being specific in your request and excluding documents or information may allow us to process your request more quickly. For example, you could specify that you don’t want:

If your request is not clear enough, we will contact you and take reasonable steps to help you clarify which documents you are seeking.

How to apply under each act

Open all

How to submit a request

What happens after you apply

Once we receive your request, we will:

Processing timeframes

We must make a decision within 30 days of receiving a valid request.

This may be extended if:

Access charges

There is no application fee under the FOI Act Cth. However, we may charge for:

Reviews and complaints

If you disagree with our decision, you can:

How to submit a request

You can submit a Victorian FOI request by:

Application fee

The FOI Act Vic requires an application fee, set annually by the Victorian Treasurer in accordance with the Monetary Units Act 2004.

The fee is payable unless you request a waiver or reduction and provide evidence of hardship.

The current application fee (from 1 July 2025) is $33.60. The application fee increases each year on 1 July. You can pay the application fee by bank transfer. When you send us an email, we will provide details about how to make the payment for the request to be valid.

We can waive or reduce the application fee if it will cause you financial hardship. If you request the application fee to be waived or reduced, you should provide evidence of hardship, for example, a concession or health care card showing low income, a bank statement or statutory declaration outlining why payment would cause you hardship.

What happens after you apply

Once we receive your request and application fee (or waiver request), we will:

Processing timeframes

Under the FOI Act Vic, we must make a decision within 30 days of receiving a valid request.

This may be extended if:

Access charges

Access charges may apply for:

Reviews and complaints

If you disagree with our decision, you may seek:

Information we proactively publish

In line with best practice guidance from the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) and the Office of the Victorian Information Commissioner (OVIC), we aim to make information available proactively wherever possible, including:

This reduces the need to make a formal FOI request.

Contact us

For further information about how we handle requests for information, please contact us:

For further information or for requirements under the Commonwealth freedom of information laws affecting Australian Early Childhood Regulatory Authorities see the Office of the National Education & Care Services FOI Commissioner or the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner website.

For further information about Victoria’s freedom of information laws, see the Victorian Office of the Victorian Information Commissioner website.

Early childhood education and care

Updated 26 March 2026

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