Administrative law - Freedom of information - Right of access to documents - Requirement of request in writing - Conscious voluntary act of person requesting - Request by person lacking mental capacity - Freedom of Information Act 1982 (No. 9859), s13, s17.

Administrative law - Freedom of information - Exempt documents - Certificate of Secretary of Department of Premier and Cabinet that document is exempt - Effect of certificate - Power of County Court on appeal from refusal to grant access to certified document - Power to determine whether document properly classified as exempt in certificate - Freedom of Information Act 1982 (No. 9859), s28(4), s50(5).

Administrative law - Freedom of information - Exempt documents - Information communicated in confidence to agency - Document disclosing opinion or advice for deliberative purposes of agency - Whether disclosure contrary to public interest - Whether disclosure likely to impair ability to obtain similar information in future - Freedom of Information Act 1982 (No. 9859), s30(1), s35(1).

Statute - Interpretation - Whether "or" should be read "and" - Freedom of Information Act 1982 (No. 9859), s34.

Administrative law - Freedom of information - Exempt documents - Documents disclosing information relating to trade secrets or matters of business, commercial or financial nature - Whether phrase "other matters of a business, commercial or financial nature" should be read restrictively - Documents relating to Portland aluminium smelter - Whether exemption extends to documents created before proclamation of enabling Act relating to other sites or to construction of different smelter - "Smelters" - "Smelter site" - Freedom of Information Act 1982 (No. 9859), s34 - Alcoa (Portland Aluminium Smelter) (Amendment) Act 1984 (No. 10115), s14.

Administrative law - Freedom of information - Right of access to documents - Exemptions - Document prepared by consultants under contract with Department - Whether "prepared by a Minister" - Freedom of Information Act 1982 (No. 9859), s28(1)(b).

Administrative law - Freedom of information - Exempt documents - Disclosure reasonably likely to endanger life or physical safety - "Reasonably likely" Freedom of Information Act 1982 (No 9859), s31(1)(e).

Administrative law - Freedom of information - Access to documents - Exemption - Cabinet documents - Enactment precluding disclosure of "Cabinet information" - Whether enactment applying to information of particular kind - Freedom of Information Act 1982 (No 9859), s28(1), s38 - Public Service (Unauthorised Disclosure) Regulations 1987, reg3.

Statute - Regulations - Validity - Severability - Public Service Act 1974 (No 8656), s73 - Interpretation of Legislation Act 1982 (No 10096), s22(1) - Public Service (Unauthorised Disclosure) Regulations 1987, reg3.

Administrative law - Freedom of information - Request for access to documents - Exemptions from disclosure - Internal working documents - Documents which would be exempt from disclosure in legal proceedings on ground of legal professional privilege - Documents which would unreasonably disclose "personal affairs" - Power of Administrative Appeals Tribunal to order disclosure of exempt documents - "Public interest" - Freedom of Information Act 1982 (No. 9859), s30(1), s32, s33(1), s50(4).

Administrative law - Freedom of information - Request for access to documents - Exemptions from disclosure - Investigator's report - Medical report - Whether disclosure would prejudice proper administration of the law - Whether disclosure would disclose identities of confidential sources of information - Whether documents contained information of business, commercial or financial nature - "Disadvantage" - Freedom of Information Act 1982 (No 9859), s31(1)(a), s31(1)(c), s34(1), s34(4)(a).

Administrative law - Freedom of information - Request for access to documents - Exemption from disclosure - Documents containing information relating to "the personal affairs of any person" - Whether corporation can have "personal affairs" - Freedom of Information Act 1982 (No 9859), s33(1).

Administrative law - Freedom of information - Request for access to documents - Exemption from disclosure - Documents which, if disclosed, would "prejudice the ... proper administration of the law in a particular instance's - Whether "police briefs" exempt from disclosure - Freedom of Information Act 1982 (No 9859), s31(1)(a).

Administrative law - Freedom of information - Exempt documents - Exemption apparent from nature of document - Agency not required to identify documents or specify exemption - Review of agency's decision - Administrative Appeals Tribunal - Whether tribunal may direct agency to identify documents and specify exemption - Whether tribunal may call for documents - Freedom of Information Act 1982 (No. 9859) ss. 3 25A(5) 38 50(2) 50(4) 52(1) 56(1) - Casino Control Act 1991 (No. 47) s. 151.

Administrative law - Freedom of information - Exempt document - Exemption based on secrecy provision in another statute - Public interest override - Whether applicable - Meaning of "requires" - Freedom of Information Act 1982 (No. 9859) ss. 3 20 30 38 50(4) 55 - Casino Control Act 1991 (No. 47) s. 151.

Appeal - Appeal from Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal - Leave to appeal - Guidelines for granting of leave - Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal Act 1998 (No. 53) s. 148(1).

Administrative law - Freedom of information - Access - Request for access to documents - Multiple requests - Aggregation of requests - Agency entitled to refuse request if oppressive - Whether entitled to aggregate requests to determine whether oppressive - Statutes - Interpretation - Purposive - Interpretation promoting purpose and effect - Transaction broken up to avoid statutory provision - No other reason for breaking up transaction - Appeal - Leave to appeal - No substantial injustice - No issue estoppel - Freedom of Information Act 1982 (No 9859) ss 3 5(1) 13 17 18 21 25A 53 - Interpretation of Legislation Act 1984 (No 10096) s 37 - Victorian and Civil Administrative Tribunal Act 1998 (No 53) s 148(2).

Administrative law - Freedom of information - Exemptions - Cabinet documents - Consideration by Cabinet - Copy drafts and excerpts of Cabinet documents - Disclosure of Cabinet deliberations or decisions - Rationale of exemption - One agency instructing another agency to prepare reports - Reports having dual purposes - Use by instructing agency to advise its ministers - Use by instructing agency as raw material which might be submitted to Cabinet - Reporting agency instructed to mark reports Cabinet-in-confidence - Content of reports transposed and included in full or summary form in submission to Cabinet committee - Documents not exempt - "Deliberation" - Freedom of Information Act 1982 (No 9859) ss 3, 28(1)(b), 28(1)(c), 28(1)(d).

Administrative law - Freedom of information - Exempt documents - Secrecy provision in another statute - Scope of exemption - Whether other statute must prohibit disclosure by person in possession of document - Freedom of Information Act 1982 (No 9859) s 38 - Corrections Act 1986 (No 117) ss 17 30(1)(f) 30(2) - Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal Act 1998 (No 53) s 148

Administrative law - Freedom of information - Exempt documents - Personal affairs of any person - Unreasonable disclosure - Test - Relevant considerations - Effect of disclosure of document - Extent of possible or likely disclosure of information - Whether statutory disclosure of document necessarily disclosure to world at large - "Would" - "Involve" - "Unreasonable disclosure of information" - Freedom of Information Act 1982 (No 9859) ss 3 13 29 29A 31(1) 33(1) 33(2A)

Administrative law - Freedom of information - Exempt documents - Override power to order release of exempt document where public interest required release - Stringent test - Court's inspection of disputed documents - Legal professional privilege - Legal advice to Attorney-General - Petition for mercy - Attorney issuing press release announcing refusal of petition - Press release reference to senior counsel's advice to government - No reference to other legal advices - Whether press release misleading - Scope of legislative concept of public interest - Policy considerations - Political and ministerial accountability - "Requires" - Freedom of Information Act 1982 (No 9859) ss 32 50(4).

Administrative law - Freedom of information - Access - Entitlement - Agency - Ministerial documents - Possession - Actual - Constructive - Affairs of an agency - Connection with agency - Premier of State of Victoria - Electronic private diary of Premier's Chief of Staff - "Official document of a Minister" - "Relates to the affairs of an agency" - Freedom of Information Act 1982 (No 9859) ss 3(1) 5(1) 13(b) 25

Administrative law — Freedom of information — Access — Records of information stored electronically only — Whether ‘documents of an agency’ — Whether ordinary access provisions apply — Whether provisions relating to use of computers apply — Higher access charges for access under computer provisions — Freedom of Information Act 1982 (Vic), ss 17, 19

Words and phrases — ‘document’ — ‘document of an agency’