Our reference: FOI 24/25-0002
GPO Box 700
Canberra ACT 2601
1800 800 110
1 August 2024
ndis.gov.au
Emily Lacey
Right To Know
By email: xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx@xxxxxxxxxxx.xxx.xx
Dear Emily Lacey
Freedom of Information request
Notification of Decision
Thank you for your correspondence of 1 July 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 provide you with a decision on your request.
Scope of your request
You have requested access to the following documents:
A list of Technical Advisory Branch "Research Request" document titles was released under
FOI 23/24-1189. I am requesting a copy of the following documents from that list:
1. "Unilateral Hearing Loss"
2. "Speech discrimination, signal-to-noise-ratio outcomes for those with hearing loss
compared to normal hearing"
3. "Auslan as a communication method for adults with acquired hearing loss"
4. "Hearing impairment"
5. "Experience of anxiety and depression in people who are deaf"
6. "Auslan and other interpreting services"
Extension of time
On 12 July 2024, you agreed to a 15-day extension of time under section 15AA of the FOI
Act, making 16 August 2024 the new date to provide you with a decision on access.
Search efforts
A search for documents has been conducted by Technical Advisory Branch, and I have been
provided with copies of 6 documents which fall within the scope of your request.
Decision on access to documents
After examining the documents, I have decided to grant access to the 6 documents in part.
I made this decision as an authorised FOI decision maker under section 23(1) of the FOI Act.
Access to edited copies with exempt or irrelevant material deleted
I have identified that Documents 1-6 contain information that is irrelevant to your request.
The irrelevant material relates to names of NDIA staff which, as per your email of 31 July
2024, you have agreed to out of scope from your request.
1
link to page 2
Although I have decided to provide full access to the information requested, the removal of
the irrelevant information makes the documents a partial release.
Accordingly, I have prepared an edited copy of the documents with the irrelevant material
removed
1.
Release of documents
The documents for release, as referred to in the Schedule of Documents at
Attachment B,
are enclosed.
Rights of review
Your rights to seek a review of my decision, or lodge a complaint, are set out at
Attachment C.
Should you have any enquiries concerning this matter, please do not hesitate to contact me
by email at
xxx@xxxx.xxx.xx.
Yours sincerely
Jennifer(JFD472)
Senior Freedom of Information Officer
Government, Risk & Legal – Complaints Management and FOI
General Counsel Division
1 Section 22 of the FOI Act.
2
Attachment B
Schedule of Documents for FOI 24/25-0002
Document
Page
Description
Access Decision
number
number
1
1-17
Research Document –
PARTIAL ACCESS
Unilateral Hearing Loss
Irrelevant material removed under
section 22 of the FOI Act
Date: 17/09/2019
2
18-44
Research Document –
PARTIAL ACCESS
Speech discrimination, signal-to-noise-ratio outcomes for those with
Irrelevant material removed under
hearing loss compared to normal hearing
(Guidance for prescribing
section 22 of the FOI Act
premium versus basic level hearing aids)
Date: 30/10/2020
3
45-69
Research Document –
PARTIAL ACCESS
Auslan as a communication method for adults with acquired hearing
Irrelevant material removed under
loss
(Sign language as a communication option for non-hearing
section 22 of the FOI Act
impaired children and adults)
Date: 03/03/2021
4
70-98
Research Document –
PARTIAL ACCESS
Hearing impairment
(Are Heading Aids Everyday Equipment?)
Irrelevant material removed under
section 22 of the FOI Act
Date: 29/10/2021 – 22/11/2021
5
99-104
Research Document –
PARTIAL ACCESS
Experience of anxiety and depression in people who are deaf
(Mental
Irrelevant material removed under
Health within the deaf population)
section 22 of the FOI Act
Date: 11/10/2022
6
105-113
Research Document –
PARTIAL ACCESS
Auslan and other interpreting services
(Auslan and Mandarin
Irrelevant material removed under
interpreting services in New South Wales)
section 22 of the FOI Act
Date: 22/03/2024
3
Attachment C
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 call 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 call 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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