The NSW Government has been accused of trying to silence the Opposition by charging large fees for freedom of information requests, reports ABC News.
NSW Govt FOI charges ‘extraordinary’
When Labor Upper House MP Walt Secord sought documents about the decision to downsize Grafton jail he was told it would cost $1000.
Corrective Services then told the MP that collating the documents would take more than 34 hours.
Mr Secord said the cost and timeframe were “extraordinary” and designed to “bankrupt the Opposition”.
“This is simply a tactic to stop their release,” he said.
“The 108 people who lost their jobs at Grafton jail have a right to know what happened and why the decision was made and who was responsible.”
Mr Secord says before the election the Coalition promised to do away with freedom of information charges and adopt a principle of pro-active disclosure.
A spokesman for Premier O’Farrell said the Government is providing the public with more information than any other in the state’s history.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-08-08/foi-fees-questioned/4184920
Thank you @grathom for sourcing and kindly sharing this article with us 
But just how CORRUPT is this whole system!? Almost unbelievable!
Same as with the recent NSW GIPA changes, why do injured workers have to pay significant fees to obtain copies of their OWN information under the FOI act?
Starve injured workers, cut them off any and all miserable little “benefit” they may have been entitled to under the law… and take even further advantage of them by demanding exorbitant $ fees for basic rights such as FOI information.
Hell, Barry, why don’t you sent us all to a leprosy island, Alacatraz or something like that?
THE DOCTORS AND LAWYERS AND POLATICIANS involved in this corporate FRAUD don;t want anyone to see just how CORRUPT they actually are.Although it;s pretty bloody obvious by now . the scum in power are turning this country into A POLICE STATE . like my ntd refusing to give me access to my files after having me thrown out of the medical centre . the medical system in this country is a complete and utter joke. THE BULLYING AND HARRASSMENT AND CORRUPTION ALL STARTS IN OUR GOVERNMENT . WHERE IS IT ALL GOING TO END UP . THE CORRUPTION GOING ON WHITHIN OUR GOVERNMENT IS BLOODY SCARY .A MENTALY RETARDED PERSON COULD SEE HOW CORRUPT OUR POLATICIANS ARE. THEY ARE TRYING TO DOMINATE PEOPLE WITH FEAR AND INSECURITY . SLAVE CLASS WORKERS. CLASS DISTINCTION . I AM ASHAMED TO BE AN AUSTRALIAN .
At least at the Leper Colony or Alcatraz all our medical expenses would be covered, fed 3 meals a day, dental work would be free, gym to go to etc etc :-/
Pretty sucky to know that criminals receive and have better facilities than I do!
In South Australia (since 1991 under a Labor govt, and still is under a Labor govt who screwed workers here in 2008 by creating their own version of workcover which wasnt even legal)
http://www.workcover.com/documents.ashx?id=1572&type=pdf
The Freedom of Information (Fees and Charges) Regulations
1991 set out the fees and charges payable under the Act.
Fee Schedule
1. On application for access to an agency’s document
(section 13(c)) $30.50
2.(1) For dealing with an application for access to an agency’s
document and in respect of the giving of access to the
document (section 19(1)(b) and (c)) –
(a) in the case of a document that contains information
concerning the personal affairs of the applicant
(i) for up to the first 2 hours spent by the agency in dealing
with the application and giving access no charge
(ii) for each subsequent 15 minutes so spent by the
agency $11.40
(b) in any other case – for each 15 minutes so spent by
the agency $11.40
2.(2) In addition to the fees specified in subclause (1), the
following fees are payable in respect of the giving of
access to an agency’s document:
(a) where access is to be given in the form of a photocopy
of the document (per page) $0.20
(b) where access is to be given in the form of a written
transcript of words recorded or contained in the
document (per page) $6.80
(c) where access is to be given in the form of a copy of a
photograph, x-ray, video tape, computer tape
or computer disk the actual cost incurred by the agency
in producing the copy
Note: If the applicant requires that a document be posted or
delivered, the applicant must pay the actual costs incurred by
the agency in posting or delivering the document.
3. On application for review by an agency of a determination
made by the agency under Part 3 of the Act (section 29(2)(b)).$30.50
**********(wait for it)***********
The regulations also stipulate the circumstances where
WorkCoverSA must remit or waive fees and charges, for example
a concession card holder. If you believe that you are eligible for a
reduction of fees and charges, please supply copies of supporting
documents with your FOI application. See Waiver and Remission
details below:
Waiver and remission
Where a person liable to pay a fee or charge to WorkCoverSA
under the Act satisfies WorkCoverSA that:
(a) he or she is the holder of a current State concession card
issued by the Commonwealth;
(b) he or she is the holder of a current concession card issued
by the Department for Family and Community Services;
(c) he or she is a totally and permanently incapacitated
disability pensioner;
(d) he or she is a British Commonwealth Service Pensioner in
receipt of a pension from and assessed as eligible by, the
Commonwealth Department of Veteran Affairs;
(e) he or she is in receipt of Commonwealth unemployment
of sickness benefits or State financial assistance;
(f) he or she is a holder of a student identification card issued
under the State Transport Authority Act 1974; or
(g) by such other evidence as WorkCoverSA may require that
the fee or charge should be waived or remitted on the
grounds of financial hardship,
WorkCoverSA must waive or remit the fee or charge.
Fees and charges will be applied in accordance with the Act.
************************************
You can do a S107B request (free) but they pretty much decide what you can have, and you have no right to request a record gets fixed or amended under S107B. So they just refuse.
Game plan is to use S107B to see what they have, then pay through the nose to get the particular documents that need to be fixed throught FOI. That is “if” they provided it so you even know it exists.
But if you are already kicked off workcover, scraping crumbs out the back of the cupboard and limping down the road on a bike with bent wheels and punctures you cant afford a puncture kit for, you can then (when its too late) do an FOI free.
They win,or they win.
And dont get me started on paying vast sums to try and get your own medical records, or even see them, then not even getting that after all the money you had to fork out.
The whole FOI thing is the opposite what they claim it to be.