Policies and Procedures
Privacy Policy
Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria is committed to protecting personal and sensitive information consistent with the principles set out in the Victorian Privacy and Data Protection Act 2014.
RBGV’s Privacy Policy describes the way personal information will be handled by the organisation.
This Privacy Statement applies to the whole Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria website. It does not apply to linked websites (you should familiarise yourself with the privacy statement of any site you link to).
Public Interest Disclosures Policy and Procedure
Royal Botanic Gardens Board Victoria is committed to the aims and objectives of the Public Interest Disclosures Act 2012. The Royal Botanic Gardens Board Victoria will not tolerate improper conduct by its employees, executives, officers or members, nor detrimental action against those who come forward to disclose such conduct.
Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria's Public Interest Disclosure Policy and Procedure can be found below.
Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria Public Interest Disclosure Policy
Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria Public Interest Disclosure Procedure
Procurement
Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria is committed to best practice organisational and individual procurement achieving value for money through a consistent approach, accountability, and compliance with legislative requirements.
RBGV has further committed to considering opportunities to deliver social and sustainable outcomes in every procurement activity as detailed further in the Social Procurement Strategy.
RBGV is subject to the Standing Directions 2018 under the Financial Management Act 1994 (FMA) and complies with Victorian State Government Policies and legislation regarding procurement.
Complaints
To make a complaint about RBGV's process when carrying out a procurement activity you can write a letter or email providing detail to enable prompt investigation of the matter to the Director and Chief Executive at admin@rbg.vic.gov.au or RBGV, Private Bag 2000, South Yarra 3141.
All complaints are overseen by a person not involved in the subject matter of the complaint who will endeavour to resolve the complaint to the satisfaction of both parties within 14 working days of the complaint’s receipt. Complaints are also reported in RBGV’s annual report, including the procurement activity to which the complaint relates and whether it has been resolved, remains under investigation, or could not be resolved.
Helpful Links
Gifts, Benefits and Hospitality
As a public sector agency, Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria’s management of any offers of gifts, benefits and hospitality is a practical demonstration of its integrity, impartiality and accountability.
Gifts, Benefits and Hospitality Policy
Gift Offers Privacy Collection Statement
Gifts Register
Details of Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria's accepted and declined offers of gifts, benefits and hospitality can be found below.
Freedom of Information
The Freedom of Information Act 1982 (Vic) gives you the right to request access to documents held by the Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria. The right of access is subject to exceptions and exemptions necessary to protect essential public and private interests. Prior to making a Freedom of Information (FOI) request, please search to see if the information is already available online or refer to the Information Statements below. If the information you wish to request is not listed, we may still be able to provide it outside the FOI process. You can contact foi@rbg.vic.gov.au to see if a formal request is required.
Making a Freedom of Information Request
Requests must be made in writing and you must provide enough information about the documents you are requesting to enable us to identify and locate relevant documents. For your application to be processed, payment of the application fee must be received by Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria, unless the fee is waived or reduced due to hardship.
Requests can be lodged by completing the FOI Application Form and lodging it via:
- Email to foi@rbg.vic.gov.au (preferred) or
- Post to the following address:
Freedom of Information (FOI) Officer
Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria
Private Bag 2000
South Yarra, VIC 3141
After you submit a request, the FOI Officer will assess it to ensure it meets the requirements outlined in section 17 of the FOI Act. If the FOI Officer determines your request is not valid, you will be notified within 21 days from the date receipt of your request and you will be provided with assistance to help you make the request valid. If your request is valid, Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria will begin processing it.
Once a valid request is received, Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria has 30 days to process the request and provide a decision to the applicant about whether the documents will be released. The timeline may be extended for consultation or with agreement of the applicant.
Fees and charges
There are two costs associated with making an FOI request. On submission of your application, please contact foi@rbg.vic.gov.au to arrange payment.
Application Fee
This is a fixed, non-refundable cost set by Government. Details of current application fees can be found on the website of the Office of the Victorian Information Commissioner. If payment of the application fee would cause you financial hardship you can ask for the application fee to be waived in full or in part. If you request a waiver, please provide evidence to show why paying the fee would cause you hardship, such as a concession or healthcare card, bank statement, or statutory declaration outlining why payment would cause hardship. Please note that your application will not be considered valid until payment has been received or a waiver agreed to.
Access Charges
Access charges may apply to searching for and granting access to the documents you have requested. These costs are set in the Schedule of the Freedom of Information (Access Charges) Regulations 2014 with fee units set by the Department of Treasury and Finance. The FOI Officer will inform you of any access charges that may apply to your request prior to providing access.
For more information about Freedom of Information in Victoria, visit the Office of the Victorian Information Commissioner’s website.
Information Statements
We aim to make our information and documents easily accessible by members of the public. The statements listed in this part outline the functions of the Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria and provide a non-exhaustive list of the types of information and documents we hold in relation to our functions.
If you cannot find the information you are searching for after reviewing these statements and conducting a search of our website, we encourage you to email foi@rbg.vic.gov.au and ask if the information or document you are seeking is available. In some instances, we may be able to provide you with the information you are seeking without requiring you to make a formal request for access.
Organisation and Functions
Information about the Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria, its functions and governance can be found under Our Organisation.
Categories of Documents
Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria creates and stores a broad range of digital and hard copy documents.
Document types
The types of documents that we hold include:
- scientific research
- records pertaining to the objects in Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria collections (including the State botanical collection, National Herbarium of Victoria and Living Collections)
- strategies and plans
- policies and procedures
- briefings and reports
- correspondence
- meeting minutes and records
- financial records
- educational and public programming material
- marketing material
- human resource management records
- operational records
- registers
- contracts, agreements and licences
- project management documentation
- images and multimedia
Some of these documents are available to the public at no cost and can be accessed via our website. Documents held by Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria are available through the Freedom of Information process, subject to legislative exemptions.
Document categories
Documents are organised under the following categories:
- Committees and Meetings
- Community Relations
- Equipment and Stores
- Financial Management
- Fire and Emergency Management
- Fleet and Machinery Management
- Gardens Management
- Governance
- Government Relations
- Grants and Financial Assistance
- Information Management and Technology
- Legal Counsel
- Occupational Health and Safety
- People and Culture Management
- Policy and Procedures
- Procurement and Contract Management
- Project Management
- Property Management
- Public Programs
- Publications
- Reporting
- Research Management
- Retail Management
- State Botanical Collection
- Strategic Management
- Wildlife Management
Freedom of Information Arrangements
See Making a Freedom of Information Request above.
Publications
Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria produces a number of publications which can be accessed for free from our website.
Corporate, strategic and financial publications, including reports, can be found under Publications.
Scientists at Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria also publish journal articles, books and online resources, available under Scientific Publications.
Other publications may be requested or purchased from Royal Botanic Gardens Shops.
The Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria also has a dedicated botanical library, which includes printed material, original artwork, letters and manuscripts, photographs, maps and realia. Information about accessing the Library of the Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria can be found at Library and Archives.