Freedom of Information

Function

Court Services Victoria (CSV) is a statutory body corporate established under the Court Services Victoria Act 2014 (Vic). The function of CSV is to provide the administrative services and facilities necessary or desirable to support the Victorian courts and tribunals: 

• Supreme Court of Victoria
• County Court of Victoria
• Magistrates' Court of Victoria
• Children's Court of Victoria
• Coroners Court of Victoria
• Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal
• Victims of Crime Assistance Tribunal

CSV also provides administrative services and facilities to enable the Judicial College of Victoria and the Judicial Commission of Victoria to perform their functions.

In performing its functions, CSV does not provide services directly to the public.

Organisation

The Courts Council is CSV's governing body. It is comprised of the heads of jurisdiction of each court and VCAT and directs CSV's strategy, governance and risk management.

For more information about CSV's organisation, please visit CSV's Organisation Chart.

Each court and tribunal are separate and distinct entities, with their own governing councils, internal arrangements, and rule-making responsibilities.

CSV creates and stores a range of electronic and hardcopy documents in the course of its work. The types of documents that CSV holds include corporate and administrative records such as:

• Policies, procedures and planning
• Briefings and reports
• Financial records
• Administrative registers
• Employee records
• Correspondence

The documents in CSV's possession relate to its function to provide administrative services and facilities to support the Victorian courts and tribunals.

The FOI Act provides you with the right to request documents held by CSV.

Before you make a request

Please note that if you are seeking access to court or tribunal documents, you should not make an FOI request to CSV. CSV is an agency under the FOI Act, but the Victorian courts and tribunals are not.

Additionally, the FOI Act does not apply to the court's judicial functions. Examples of court and tribunal documents that are not subject to the FOI Act include:

• court files
• court registers
• transcripts of court proceedings
• audio-visual recordings of court proceedings
• judgements
• sentencing remarks
• decisions or orders

If you make an FOI request to CSV for court or tribunal documents, you will be directed to contact the relevant court or tribunal.

Each court and tribunal has its own arrangements to enable a person to access its documents. If you are seeking access to any of the above court documents, please refer to the information on the website of the relevant court or VCAT via the following links:

• Supreme Court of Victoria
• County Court of Victoria
• Magistrates' Court of Victoria
• Children's Court of Victoria
• Coroners Court of Victoria
• VCAT

Making an FOI request

You can make an FOI request to CSV online or by emailing foi@courts.vic.gov.au.

To be valid, a request must be:

• made in writing
• clearly describe the information or document you are seeking access to; and
• be accompanied by the application fee or a request for a fee waiver with evidence of financial hardship, such as a copy of your health care card.

If CSV cannot clearly identify the information or documents you are requesting, CSV will contact you within 21 days to clarify your request. An FOI request cannot be processed until the terms of the request are clear.

Once your request is valid, CSV will process your request and provide you with a decision as soon as possible within 30 days.

CSV may need to extend the 30 day period by up to an additional 15 days if consultation with third parties is required.

For more information about Freedom of Information in Victoria, please visit the Office of the Victorian Information Commissioner's website.

CSV's publications can be accessed through the Publications page.

CSV also publishes general information on the Victorian court system and past and present court development projects on the Projects page.

If you are searching for a specific topic, you can search this website, use the site map or contact us.

In performing its functions, CSV does not provide services directly to the public.

CSV policies and procedures impacting members of the public will be provided as appropriate.

CSV does not have literature available by way of subscription services or free mailing lists or maintain a library or reading room that is available for public use.