Download our Privacy Statement here:
Please contact our Privacy Officer for a copy of our privacy policy, and other information about our compliance with privacy and confidentiality requirements.
Email: privacy.officer@vifm.org
Privacy Officer
Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicine
Coronial Services Centre
65 Kavanagh Street
Southbank, Victoria, 3006 Australia
Phone: + 61 3 9684 4339
If you have a complaint or feedback about a service we have provided you should first contact the service area or staff member involved by phone or email and detail your concerns. The staff member will try to address your concerns.
If the staff member is unable to address your concerns you are invited to provide feedback or make a complaint. You can:
email to: complaints@vifm.org; or
write to Complaints Team at VIFM
65 Kavanagh St, Southbank VIC 3006
Our Complaints Team will send an acknowledgement email or letter and then look into what has happened and provide you with a response as soon as possible, and no later than 20 days from the date we received your correspondence.
The VIFM does not tolerate improper conduct by our employees, officers or Council members, or the taking of reprisals against those who come forward to disclose such conduct. The VIFM recognises the value of transparency and accountability in our administrative and management practices and supports the making of disclosures that reveal corrupt conduct, conduct involving a substantial mismanagement of public resources, or conduct involving a substantial risk to public health and safety or the environment.
Under the Public Interest Disclosures Act 2012, the VIFM cannot receive disclosures of improper conduct. Disclosures of improper conduct or detrimental action by our Council members, officers or employees should be made to the Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission (IBAC):
- Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission
- Level 1, North Tower, 459 Collins Street
- Melbourne VIC 3000
- Tel: 1300 735 135
- www.ibac.vic.gov.au
The VIFM has established procedures to protect persons who make public interest disclosures from detrimental action. These procedures can be provided to members of the public on request to the VIFM Public Interest Disclosure Coordinator (protected.disclosure@vifm.org).
The Freedom of Information Act 1982 (Vic) (FOI Act) provides you with the right to request access to documents held by the Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicine.
The object of the Act is to extend as far as possible the right of the community to access information in the possession of the Government and other bodies constituted under the law of Victoria.
Before you make a request for access
You are encouraged to check if the information or document you are seeking is already publicly available such as in our annual report or other resources provided via this website.
If you can’t find the information or document you are seeking, we encourage you to contact us assist@vifm.org and ask if the information or document you are seeking is available or can be provided to you. In some instances we will be able to provide you with the information you are seeking without requiring you to make a formal request for access.
Making a request for FOI access
You can make an FOI request by:
· Writing to foi.officer@vifm.org,
· Clearly describing the information or documents you are requesting to allow us to identify and locate the information or documents, and
· Paying the application fee or requesting the fee to be waived or reduced if paying the fee would cause you hardship.
If we cannot clearly identify the information or documents you are seeking access to, we will contact you to clarify your request.
We are also happy to receive an FOI request made by sing the Office of the Victorian Information Commissioner (OVIC) FOI request form. You can send the form to the VIFM at foi.officer@vifm.org.
Fees
As of July 2023 the application fee for an FOI request is $31.80. The application fee increases each year on 1 July. Please contact foi.officer@vifm.org to confirm the current fee, how to pay the fee or how to apply to waive or reduce the fee due to financial hardship.
We will not be able to process a FOI request until the application fee has been received or a request to waive or reduce the fee has been approved.
Processing your request
Once we understand what information or document you are seeking, we will process your request and provide you with a decision as soon as possible but no later than 30 days. Note that we may extend the 30 day period by up to an additional 15 days if consultation with third parties is required.
Review of VIFM decision
We may decide to refuse access to the information or documents requested, either in full or in part. If you are not happy with our decision, you can ask OVIC to review the decision by applying directly to OVIC within 28 days of us notifying you of our decision. You can find more information about the review process on the OVIC website (ovic.vic.gov.au).
Unless stated otherwise, Copyright for this website (including content and design) is owned by the Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicine or used under licence.
You may make limited copies of the content contained within this website in accordance with the Commonwealth Copyright Act 1968, including copies for research, study, criticism, review or news reporting. You may not reproduce, adapt, modify, communicate to the public, reproduce or otherwise use any part of this website (in particular for commercial purposes) without written permission from the VIFM.
Please address enquiries and requests for permission to the attention to the Communications Officer:
Email: communications@vifm.org
Mailing Address:
Communications Officer
Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicine
65 Kavanagh Street
Southbank, VIC 3006