Right to Information

Publication Scheme

Our publication scheme describes the types of information that is routinely available from Richmond Shire Council.

This information and documents are accessible via Council’s publication scheme and can be downloaded from Council’s website, however, if you experience difficulty in accessing the documents from the website, please contact council to request access to the information in another suitable format, e.g. hardcopy.  Where the provision of documents would require substantial administrative costs,  charges may be applicable.  You will be advised in advance if charges are payable for the request.

There are seven (7) classes of information accessible through the Publication Scheme.

1. About Us (Who we are and what we do)
2. Our services (The services we offer)
3. Our finances (What we spend and how we spend it)
4. Our priorities (What our priorities are and how we are doing it)
5. Our decisions (How we make decisions)
6. Our policies (Our policies and procedures)
7. Our lists (Lists and registers)

If you are not been able to locate the particular information/service you are after via our website, or by contacting the relevant department within Council, you may wish to contact Council's Chief Executive Officer to discuss your particular enquiry.  In many cases, they will be able to direct you to the appropriate channel.

If you are still unable to access the information you are seeking, you may wish to make a formal application under the Right to Information Act 2009.

If you have any enquiries or complaints about our Publication Scheme, please contact Council on 07 47 193 377 or send an email to enquiries@richmond.qld.gov.au.

About Us

This section contains information about Council’s history, our location, contact information, our role in government, and our structure.

Council History 
Richmond Shire Council was established in 1916 and first known as Wyangarie Shire Council. Richmond is situated half way between Townsville and Mount Isa on the Flinders Highway.  Its main industries including agriculture, tourism and some mining.  Richmond is most famous for its fossils and its world renowed museum Kronosaurus Korner. With a population of 1,000 in the Shire covering 26,000sqkm the town of Richmond is the central service centre. The town itself features a man made lake known as Lake Fred Tritton, named after the late Fred Tritton and former Mayor.  The lake offers a range of recreational activities from skiing, fishing and swimming.

Council’s role in Government 
In the Australian federal system there are three (3) levels of government: Federal, State and Local. Each level of government has its own responsibilities, though many responsibilities are shared in various ways. Local Government Council, the lowest level of government in Australia, is often seen as being the most accessible to the people. Local government bodies such as Council have specific responsibilities, duties and limitations on their areas of responsibility or influence.

Mayor and Councillors 
As elected representatives, councillors have a responsibility to ensure that Richmond Shire Council delivers high quality services in an effective and efficient manner and that its goals are achieved through collaboration with government, industry and community stakeholders and close involvement with their community.

Organisational Structure 
To view Councils organisational structure please click here – click

Local Government Act 
The principal piece of legislation which provides the legislative framework for Council is the
Local Government Act 2009. The Act provides Council with autonomy and flexibility while
requiring accountability for its performance.

Contact Council
Details for contacting Richmond Shire Council can be found on our Contact Us page.

Our Services

This section contains information about the services Richmond Shire Council provides.

• Airport
• Arts & Cultural Services
• Inhome Aged Care Services
• Community Facilities
• Corporate Services
• Environmental Health
• Library Services
• Local Laws and Animals
• Planning and Development
• Tourism and Economic Development
• Waste
• Water and Sewerage
• Outside of School Hours Care

Further information can be found on the council services section of this website.  Additionally please see our Annual Report which provides a summary of our activities for financial year and our media releases for all the latest news.

Our Finances

This section provides financial information about Richmond Shire Council’s projected and actual income and expenditure, procurement, and tenders.

• Budget
• Tenders
• Procurement Policy
• Corporate Plan
• Operational Plan
• Annual Report
• Local Laws
• Council Meetings

Our Priorities

The priorities of Richmond Shire Council are documented in Council’s Corporate Plan, Operational Plan and Annual Report.

Our Decisions

Council functions and powers are dependent on State Government legislation.  The Local Government Act 2009 and other legislative provisions clearly define the powers and responsibilities of Council.  Council has no authority in regard to matters falling outside the mandatory or discretionary powers conferred by the legislation.  Council is vested with a variety of specific powers to control, regulate, license or prevent and prohibit the matters deemed relevant to a Local Authority.  These powers are administered through Local Laws adopted by Council.

The Chief Executive has the delegated authority of Richmond Shire Council to make decisions on a number of specified matters, in particular of an administrative nature.  In turn, the Chief Executive Officer has delegated a numbers of these powers to specified staff.  Delegations are recorded in a register of delegations which is open for public inspection at the office of the Chief Executive at PO Box 18, Richmond QLD 4822.

Our Policies

Council policies state Council’s intent, commitment or position on strategic issues and assists in informing the community and council officers on Council’s desired outcomes.  Strategic policies are approved and adopted by Council.

A range of policies are available online, click here.  If you require access to a particular policy which is not published, please make a written request addressed to:

Chief Executive Officer
Richmond Shire Council
PO Box 18
RICHMOND  Q   4822

Alternatively, you may email enquiries@richmond.qld.gov.au

Our Lists

Lists and registers that we are required to hold by law are open for public inspection.  If you wish to seek further information regarding our public registers or wish to view any, please contact Council on 07 47 193 377.

A sample of our public registers open for inspection are:

• Delegations Register
• Policy Register
• Fees & Charges Register
• Roads Register
• Local Laws Register
• Register of Interests

Disclosure Log

Our disclosure log provides documents released in response to information requests made under the Right to Information Act 2009, where they do not contain the applicant's personal information, or are otherwise unsuitable for publication according to legislation.

Where documents have been determined suitable for release they are provided in Portable Document Format (PDF).

If a copy of the information on our disclosure log is required in an alternative format, please contact us via email or call us on 07 47 193 377 and we will endeavour to provide it to you in a more suitable format. 

Administrative Access

The phrase ‘administrative access' or ‘administrative release' simply means providing information to a person in an informal way - it could be provided verbally over the phone, in an email, or by post for example.  An applicable fee may be charged for access to the information.

It is a quick and simple way to give you information, without you having to resort to formal legal processes to obtain information.

In the first instance please contact:

Richmond Shire Council
Phone: 07 47 193 377
Email: enquiries@richmond.qld.gov.au

or write to Council

Chief Executive Officer
Richmond Shire Council
PO Box 18
RICHMOND   Q   4822

If the Chief Executive Officer (or their nominated officer) decides the information requested could not be provided administratively (for example if there are commercial sensitivities), you will be instructed to complete a formal Right to Information Application.

Apply for Information

While Council proactively releases much information to the community about activities, the Right to Information Act 2009 (RTI) provides a formal means of requesting access to information held by council that is not normally publicly available.

Requests for access to information must be made in the approved form and be accompanied by the application fee to Council as required under the RTI.

Application forms

An approved Right to Information application form is available to complete and submit from the Right to Information web site on www.rti.qld.gov.au. All RTI applications should provide sufficient information to allow the identification of the documents you are seeking, aswell as certified identification of the applicant eg, drivers licence, birth certificate, within 10 days of lodging the application.

Council will determine if information or documents requested is available under the Right to Information Act.

Fees and Charges

For current fees and charges issued by the Office of the Information Commissioner, please visit www.rti.qld.gov.au/fees-and-charges

Please note that all processing and access charges are normally payable when we notify you of the decision regarding your application.

There is no application fee for access to personal information under the Information Privacy Act 2009. You will receive further notices /correspondence outlining

• That you are required to pay a charge
• What the estimated charge price maybe
• Basis for calculating the estimate
• Offer to consult with the agency to reduce the charge
• You must agree in writing to pay the application charge, withdraw or request waiver of the charge under financial hardship.

Council has 25 business days to provide applicants with a decision in regards to accessing information. Some factors can alter this limit as per s 69 of the act.

Right to Information and Information Privacy applications can be lodged:

In person:

Richmond Shire Council
65 Goldring Street
RICHMOND  Q   4822

By post addressed to:

Richmond Shire Council
65 Goldring Street
RICHMOND  Q   4822

Further information:

 All enquiries about Right to Information and Information Privacy should be directed to Council's Right to Information officers atenquiries@richmond.qld.gov.au  or telephone 07 47 193 377.