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:
- Commonwealth Freedom of Information Act 1982 (Cth)
- Victorian Freedom of Information Act 1982 (Vic).
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:
- an Education and Care Services Ombudsman
- National Education and Care Services Freedom of Information Commissioner (NECSFOIC)
- National Education and Care Services Privacy Commissioner (NECSPC) collectively the ECS Commissioners.
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:
- the delivery of education and care services
- children’s health, safety and wellbeing
- the quality of early childhood education and care services.
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:
- corporate or organisational administration
- internal business operations not connected to regulatory decision making.
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:
- be in writing
- state that it is an FOI request
- provide enough detail for us to clearly identify the documents including date range for searches
- include an address or email for us to contact you.
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:
- what the documents relate to, for example, a specific complaint or a particular project
- the date range in which the documents may have been created
- where the documents might be located, for example, in someone’s email account or a specific business unit
- the type of document you want, for example an email, report or CCTV footage.
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:
- draft documents or duplicates (especially in chain emails)
- commercial or personal information relating to other people.
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
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:
- our structure and governance
- our functions and powers
- our policies and procedures
- reports, data, and publications.
This reduces the need to make a formal FOI request.
Contact us
For further information about how we handle requests for information, please email us at VECRA.FOI@education.vic.gov.au or by mail to:
Freedom of Information Officer
Victorian Early Childhood Regulatory Authority
GPO Box 4367
Melbourne VIC 3001
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.
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