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This is an HTML version of an attachment to the Freedom of Information request 'Information on claims that the Minister regards as “non disability” claims'.



Our reference: FOI 23/24-1302 
GPO Box 700 
Canberra   ACT   2601 
1800 800 110 
25 July 2024 
 
ndis.gov.au 
 
 
Shirley Humprhis 
  
 
By email: xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx@xxxxxxxxxxx.xxx.xx  
 
 
Dear Shirley Humphris 
 
Freedom of Information request - Notification of Decision 
 
Thank you for your correspondence of 26 May 2024, in which you requested access to 
documents held by the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA), under the Freedom of 
Information Act 1982 (FOI Act). 
 
The purpose of this letter is to notify you of my decision on your application.  
 
Scope of your request 
As per your email of 19 June 2024, you have requested access to the fol owing documents 
held by the NDIA: 
 
Jan 1st 2022 – 26 May 2024 (date of application) 
 
Part 1 
1. 
The number of participants who have claimed funding for the purchase of birdseed. 
2. 
The number of participants who have claimed funding for the purchase of birdseed 
for an assistance animal. 
3. 
The number of these claims disputed by the NDIA. 
4. 
The number of these claims in respect of which a debt was raised by the NDIA. 
5. 
The number of these claims that resulted in a change to the management of an NDIS 
plan. 
Part 2 
1. 
The number of participants who have claimed funding for the purchase of a mobile 
phone. 
2. 
The number of these claims disputed by the NDIA. 
3. 
The number of these claims accepted by the NDIA as a reasonable and necessary 
support. 
4. 
The number of these claims in respect of which a debt was raised by the NDIA. 
5. 
The number of these claims that resulted in a change to the management of an NDIS 
plan. 
Part 3 
1. 
The number of participants who have claimed funding for the purchase of treadmil s. 
2. 
The number of these claims disputed by the NDIA. 
3. 
The number of these claims accepted by the NDIA as a reasonable and necessary 
support. 
4. 
The number of these claims in respect of which a debt was raised by the NDIA. 
5. 
The number of these claims that resulted in a change to the management of an NDIS 
plan. 
 
1 
Part 4 
1. 
The number of participants who have claimed funding for the purchase of TV 
antennae. 
2. 
The number of these claims disputed by the NDIA. 
3. 
The number of these claims accepted by the NDIA as a reasonable and necessary 
support. 
4. 
The number of these claims in respect of which a debt was raised by the NDIA. 
5. 
The number of these claims that resulted in a change to the management of an NDIS 
plan.” 
 
The purpose of this letter is to notify you of my decision on your application.  
 
Extension of time 
On 17 June 2024, you agreed to a 30-day extension of time under section 15AA of the FOI 
Act. Taking this agreed extension in to account, I have recalculated the new due date and 
advise this is 25 July 2024, not 24 July 2024 as previously noted.  
 
Search efforts 
Searches for documents were conducted by the NDIA’s Analytics, Data and Actuarial 
Division (ADA) and I have been advised that no responsive documents were located. 
 
Decision on access to documents 
In summary, I have decided to refuse access to the information you have requested on the 
basis that the documents are non-existent or unlocatable pursuant to section 24A of the FOI 
Act. 
 
I made this decision as an authorised FOI decision maker under section 23(1) of the FOI 
Act. 
 
A detailed statement of reasons explaining my decision is Attachment A to this decision 
notice. 
 
Additional Information 
I acknowledge your comments in your email dated 18 June 2024, referencing the statements 
made by John Dardo as not being substantiated when mentioned in Estimates. For your 
convenience, I have undertaken research and confirm that the approved Question on Notice 
(QoN) response is due on 25 July 2024, and this wil  be published on the parliamentary 
website under the respective committee – being the Senate Community Affairs Legislative 
Committee - please see link below to assist you with locating this. 
 
Community Affairs – Parliament of Australia (aph.gov.au) 
Rights of review 
Your rights to seek a review of my decision, or lodge a complaint, are set out at 
Attachment B. 
 
Should you have any enquiries concerning this matter, please do not hesitate to contact me 
by email at xxx@xxxx.xxx.xx. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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Yours sincerely 
 
Jennifer 
Senior Freedom on Information Officer 
Government, Risk & Legal – Complaints Management and FOI 
General Counsel Division 
 
 
 
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Attachment A 
Statement of Reasons 
FOI Application FOI 23/24-1302 
___________________________________________________________________ 
 
Refused information 
I have refused access to the information you have requested on the basis that the documents 
are unlocatable or do not exist under section 24A of the FOI Act. 
 
Relevant law 
Under the FOI Act, a person has a right to be given access to documents of an agency. 
However, the right of access is subject to limitations, including grounds for refusal of access. 
Section  24A  of the FOI  Act states that an agency may refuse a request for access to a 
document if all reasonable steps have been taken to find the document and the agency is 
satisfied that the document cannot be found or does not exist.   
 
Searches for documents 
After reviewing the scope of your FOI application, I determined that I needed to make enquiries 
to assess whether the documents you requested existed.  
 
On 5 July 2024, ADA advised that there is no structured data to answer your questions. I 
sought further clarity from ADA as to the meaning of their advice and I was advised the 
following: 
Whereas structured' data means that we have 'summarisable' data that have a common 
'identifier', 'unstructured' data, on the other hand, means we do not have summarisable data. 
For example, the items listed in your scope are not listed in the support category and so we 
are not able to summarise these supports using the support line-item code.    
I was further advised that NDIA systems are unable to systematically capture or identify the 
number of individual participants who claimed the items referenced in your scope. While this 
information may appear in the receipts uploaded by participants, (noting not all receipts are 
required to be provided); or by bank account transaction descriptions, to be able to identify 
these would require an officer or officers to go through each transaction record manually with 
a key word search. It is important to note that as the agency receives in excess of 400,000 
claims a day, this would not be feasible. 
Conclusion 
Based on the information I have received from the subject matter experts, I consider there are 
reasonable grounds to be satisfied that the documents are unlocatable or do not exist. 
 
I therefore refuse access to the information under section a 24A of the FOI Act on the basis 
that the information does not exist.  
 
 
 
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Attachment B 
Your review rights  
 
Internal Review 
The FOI Act gives you the right to apply for an internal review of this decision. The review 
wil  be conducted by a different person to the person who made the original decision. 
 
If you wish to seek an internal review of the decision, you must apply for the review, in 
writing, within 30 days of receipt of this letter. 
 
No particular form is required for an application for internal review, but to assist the review 
process, you should clearly outline your grounds for review (that is, the reasons why you 
disagree with the decision). Applications for internal review can be lodged by email to 
xxx@xxxx.xxx.xx or sent by post to: 
  Freedom of Information Section  
Parliamentary, Ministerial & FOI Branch  
Government Division 
National Disability Insurance Agency 
GPO Box 700 
CANBERRA   ACT   2601 
 
Review by the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner 
The FOI Act also gives you the right to apply to the Office of the Australian Information 
Commissioner (OAIC) to seek a review of this decision. 
 
If you wish to have the decision reviewed by the OAIC, you may apply for the review, in 
writing, or by using the online merits review form available on the OAIC’s website at 
www.oaic.gov.au, within 60 days of receipt of this letter.  
 
Applications for review can be lodged with the OAIC in the following ways: 
  Online:  www.oaic.gov.au  
Post:  
GPO Box 5218, Sydney NSW 2001 
Email: 
xxxxxxxxx@xxxx.xxx.xx 
Phone: 
1300 363 992 (local cal  charge) 
 
Complaints to the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner or the 
Commonwealth Ombudsman 
You may complain to either the Commonwealth Ombudsman or the OAIC about actions 
taken by the NDIA in relation to your request. The Ombudsman wil  consult with the OAIC 
before investigating a complaint about the handling of an FOI request. 
 
Your complaint to the OAIC can be directed to the contact details identified above. Your 
complaint to the Ombudsman can be directed to: 
  Phone:  1300 362 072 (local cal charge) 
Email:  
xxxxxxxxx@xxxxxxxxx.xxx.xx  
 
Your complaint should be in writing and should set out the grounds on which it is considered 
that the actions taken in relation to the request should be investigated 
 
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