Types of documents held by the Greater Metropolitan Cemeteries Trust (GMCT)
GMCT hold a range of documents relating to the operation of its cemeteries and crematoria, including those acquired from former cemetery trusts administering the cemeteries prior to amalgamation. This includes records relating to:
Cremations and interments
Governance and administration of GMCT cemeteries
Construction and maintenance records relating to cemetery structures
Land acquisition and management
You have a right to apply for access to documents held by GMCT including, but not limited to, the following documents:
Documents relating to your own personal affairs (such as your ownership of a Right of Interment)
Documents of a non-personal nature which are not older than 5 July 1978
Request access to cemetery records under section 60 of the Cemeteries and Crematoria Act 2003
In accordance with the Cemeteries and Crematoria Act 2003 and Cemeteries and Crematoria Regulations 2015, GMCT is required to maintain records of interments, places of interment, cremations, and rights of interment. These records are available for public inspection at the cemetery for historical or research purposes, subject to the discretion of the cemetery trust in determining what qualifies as historical or research use. A cemetery trust may also charge a fee to cover reasonable costs for providing access or copies of records.
For access to statutory cemetery records, please direct your request to enquiries@gmct.com.au, addressed to the Chief Governance Officer.
Request access to documents under section 17 of the Freedom Of Information Act 1982 (VIC)
Please complete the Freedom of Information (FOI) application form (available below) or prepare a letter clearly outlining the details of your request and stating that you are making a Freedom of Information request.
The request must be clear and specific enough to enable the requested documents to be identified and located.
It must be accompanied by an application fee unless the fee is waived or reduced.
If you wish to request waiver of the application fee, please include this in your application along with supporting evidence (such as a concession or pension card).
If you are seeking access to documents relating to your own personal affairs, please attach proof of your identity (e.g. driver's licence, passport or Health Care card).
Hand deliver, mail or email the request and application.
Access may be refused in some circumstances
Access to part or all of some documents may be refused if deemed to be ‘exempt’ in line with the principles of the FOI Act. Information is most typically exempted because it:
Relates to the personal affairs of another person;
is commercially confidential; or
contains information supplied in confidence.
Application fee
An application fee of $32.66 (2 fee units) is required to be paid to constitute a valid application.
If the application is a valid under FOI, GMCT will forward an invoice for the applicable fee that contains the details for the available payment methods.
GMCT may agree to waive the application fee if you can demonstrate that payment of the application fee would cause you hardship.
Additional costs
An additional fee may be charged in relation to the number of requested documents, the resource time for retrieval, the amount of supervision work required, photocopying, or any other internal costs incurred in responding to the application.
If an additional fee is applicable, GMCT will forward an invoice for the fee that contains the details for the available payment methods.
If the charges relating to your request are expected to be more than $50, GMCT will notify you of this in writing and you may be required to pay a deposit before work continues. You can request that the access charges be waived or reduced and GMCT will consider this when processing your request.
Processing your application
Your request becomes valid once it has been received, together with the application fee (unless waived by GMCT) and accompanying proof of identity documentation (if required),
Once your valid FOI application has been received, GMCT will acknowledge your request and may also seek to clarify aspects of your request.
GMCT will respond to you in writing outlining its decision no later than 30 days from the date your request was received.
The FOI Act provides for this time period to be extended in some circumstances but we would notify you if this were to occur.
Download a Freedom of Information application form – Request for Documents
Freedom of Information application form- request for documents
Alternately, please contact us to have a form sent out to you.
Correction of personal records held by GMCT
You have the right to request the correction or amendment of personal information about you held by the GMCT and which you believe is inaccurate, incomplete, out of date, or misleading. An amendment cannot have the effect of deleting or expunging the information recorded in a document. Generally, this means the amendment will be an addition or notation on the document.
You can also make an amendment request if you are the next of kin of a deceased person and you are seeking an amendment to that individual’s information.
A request to amend documents must be made in writing with details of why the information is considered incorrect, incomplete, out of date or misleading. Please note that you must provide evidence to support your request.
A decision in relation to a request to amend personal records must be made no later than 30 days from the date the request was received.
There are no fees or charges associated with making a request to correct your personal records.
Download a Freedom of Information application form- Request for Amendment
Download a Freedom of Information application form- request for amendment
Alternately, please contact us to have a form sent out to you.
Freedom of Information officer
Chief Governance Officer, The Greater Metropolitan Cemeteries Trust PO Box 42 FAWKNER VIC 3060
Can I request a review of my FOI decision?
If you are not satisfied with the decision, you have the right to seek a review by the Information Commissioner.
The Information Commissioner can hear complaints about an agency's process or handling of a FOI request. The Office of the Victorian Information Commissioner’s (OVIC) website has a review form you may download, which contains more information about the review process and what you can expect from it.
OVIC’s contact details are:
Office of the Victorian Information Commissioner
PO Box 24274
Melbourne VIC 3001
Email: enquiries@ovic.vic.gov.au
Phone: 1300 00 6842 (1300 00 OVIC)
For more information visit the Victorian Government's Office of the Victorian Information Commissioner website.
If the request involves health information, you can also contact the Health Services Commissioner.