esta.vic.gov.au

Requests for audio under the ESTA Act

Fill in the form to request audio of a triple zero call.

ESTA Act and Ministerial Authorisation

Section 33 of the Emergency Services Telecommunications Authority Act 2004 (ESTA Act)External Link is titled “Secrecy”. It protects the privacy of all information shared during Triple Zero calls. The law restricts how ESTA, its employees, and others can access and use that information.

ESTA has Ministerial Authorisation to release confidential information, but only with the written consent of:

  • the person who made the call, and
  • any other people identified in the call.

ESTA is not able to share personally identifiable information without consent from the individual/s or organisation/s involved.

Personally identifiable information may include an individual’s:

  • voice
  • name
  • description
  • address or location
  • work or profession
  • relationship to the caller
  • circumstances being reported to Triple Zero.

If someone doesn't give permission to release their call, ESTA will refuse access under Section 33 of the ESTA Act. In such cases, ESTA will look into identification concerns and may provide access to redacted call audio (with personally identifiable information edited out).

Requesting Triple Zero audio recordings

ESTA has limitations on the information it can share and the people it can share it with.

To request Triple Zero audio recordings, you need to be either:

  • the person who made the call (or their agent)
  • the next of kin of a person who made a call, who is either a child or is deceased
  • a person who is a subject of the Triple Zero call where the caller has provided consent or cannot be identified.

Proof of identity

To access Triple Zero call audio, you must provide photographic proof of identification. ESTA cannot give you access without valid identification.

  • If the request is related to you, you'll need to submit a copy of your photo ID (such as your driver's licence or passport) as proof of identification.
  • If you are a next of kin, you will need to provide your identification and proof of your relationship, such as a death certificate or a child’s birth certificate that includes your name on the document.
  • If you are not the person who made the call, then you should (if you can) provide proof of identification from the person who made the call and that person’s written consent to release this information.
  • If the call relates to you, but the caller is unknown to you, ESTA may be able to contact the caller to obtain their consent. We will not be able to release a call if we do not receive their written consent.
  • After filling in the Audio Request form on this page, email a copy of the relevant proof of identity to FOI.Request@ESTA.vic.gov.au. Please include the reference number you received via email after completing the form.

Requests will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis.

How to submit a request

  1. Before completing the form, please ensure you have all the information relating to the call that will enable us to locate the event and consider release. This includes:
    • date and time of call
    • location of event including street and suburb (call audio requests limited to Triple Zero calls in Victoria only)
    • telephone number used to contact Triple Zero (if known)
    • caller and requester identification document
    • next of kin authority, proof of relationship or death certificate (if relevant)
    • consent of any person that is identified in the call, including the caller (if known).
      ESTA Act Consent FormExternal Link (106.29kb)
  2. Complete the form at the bottom of this page. Please note the following:
    • You can’t include/send documents via the form.
    • Once your request is lodged you will receive an automatic reply with an “INF number”. Please check junk folder if you do not receive a response back.
    • Reply back to the email with your proof of identity documents.
    • If you need to contact us, email FOI.Request@esta.vic.gov.au or call (03) 9259 3737.

ESTA receives a high number of audio requests each month, so it may take some time to process your request. We apologise for any delays and advise we are unable to provide updates on the progress of your request.

Information for law firms requesting information

To make your request quicker for us to process, please provide ESTA with as much information as possible about the call you need access to, including:

  • date and time of call/incident
  • location of call/incident
  • brief description of the incident
  • whether your client is the caller
  • what number your client called from
  • whether your client agrees for their name and involvement in the event to be released to a third party for the purpose of consultation.
  • a signed and dated authorisation from your client that specifically addresses the details of your request. An authorization that only mentions "health information" is not enough
  • any information they know about the caller, such as their name and the phone number they called from, if your client was not the caller.

If you have an urgent request due to a court date or any other important reason, please let us know and include relevant documentation when submitting your request.

Further points to note:

  • ESTA is currently only able to provide the call recordings themselves. We are unable to provide.
  • We may redact the call audio in certain circumstances.
  • We are unable to provide updates for individual cases due to the volume of requests we receive.

Other ways to request information

If you need information relating to the actual services that attended an event, consider making a Freedom of Information request to the agency:

Fill in the form

Audio request form

Please provide a contact phone number including the state code.

Please click on the calendar icon to select the date.

Please provide time of the call in the format hh:mm:ss.

If not known, please type "unknown"

Include street name/s and building number. ESTA can only assist with call audio for events in Victoria. 

Please type in a subject for your enquiry.
Please provide any further detail regarding your enquiry.

The Department of Government Services (DGS) collects your personal information on behalf of ESTA and discloses that information to ESTA for the purpose of contacting you. If you choose not to provide all or part of the information required, we may not be able to contact you or action your request.

If you have any questions about how your personal information will be handled or would like to gain access to your personal information, you can contact ESTA on (03) 8656 1200 or privacy@esta.vic.gov.au.

ESTA is using the services of Drupal 9 to administer this form. The information that you provide is stored by the Department of Government Services (DGS) on the Microsoft Azure infrastructure in Sydney, Australia.

For more information on our handling of any personal information, please refer to our privacy pageExternal Link .

Reviewed 17 August 2023

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