Bob Buckley
Via em
ail: xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx@xxxxxxxxxxx.xxx.xx
Dear Mr Buckley
Freedom of Information Request 51699 – Notice of intention to refuse
I refer to the
Freedom of Information Act 1982 (
FOI Act) request made to the Department of Social
Services (
the Department) on 16 September 2024. The request seeks access to:
all briefs and communications with SES officers sent or received since 1 January 2020 (including
attachments) that relate to the implementation and delivery of the Carer Allowance program.
Post acknowledgement of the request you advised that the scope as written above was intended to be
wider, and that is should also capture all communication related to
policy development, review and
outcomes.
I am authorised to make decisions in respect of FOI requests under subsection 23(1) of the FOI Act.
Practical refusal reason
This request seeks all communication with SES officers over the past 4 years that has a passing reference
to the implementation, delivery, policy development, review and outcomes of the Carer Allowance
program. This would include every email sent or received over this timeframe.
We have confirmed with the relevant SES that there is likely to be in excess of a thousand documents
within the scope of the request. This is not a surprising result, given the broad scope.
I consider that the Department has limited capacity to process a request of this size. For this reason the
work involved in processing the request would substantial y and unreasonably divert the resources of
the Department from its other operations.
In accordance with s 24(1) of the FOI Act, I consider that a practical refusal reason exists in relation to
the request for access to documents.
Request consultation process
Under section 24(1)(b) of the FOI Act, the Department is required to provide you with the opportunity
to revise the scope of your request so that a ‘practical refusal reason’ no longer exists. One way you
could achieve this is to refine the scope of your request, for example by limiting it to the specific
information you are interested in, the types of documents that you would like to access and providing
a smaller timeframe in which it was generated. We also recommend not using terms like “
relate to” in
the request as it can increase its size significantly.
Please note that refining the scope of the request may remove the practical refusal reason, but does not
necessarily mean that that any documents subject to the request will be released in part or in full.
GPO Box 9820 Canberra ACT 2601
Email Facsimile Telephone 1300 653 227
National Relay Service: TTY: 133 677, Speak and listen: 1300 555 727, Internet relay: www.relayservice.com.au
www.dss.gov.au
Next steps
Should you wish to revise the request, you must do so
within 14 days after the day you are sent this
notice. The 14 day deadline ends at
11:59pm on 7 October 2024 by which time
you are required to
take one of the below actions
. If you are unable to meet this deadline and require an extension of time
to discuss ways to revise the scope of your request, please contact the FOI Section by email at
xxx@xxx.xxx.xx.
In accordance with subsection 24AB(6) of the FOI Act, you must, before the end of the 14-day
consultation period, do one of the fol owing by written notice to the department:
a) withdraw the request;
b) make a revised request; or
c) indicate that you do not wish to revise the request.
Please note that under subsection 24AB(7), the request is taken to have been withdrawn at the end of
the 14 day consultation period if:
a) the applicant does not consult the contact person during the consultation period in
accordance with this notice; or
b) the applicant does not do one of the things mentioned in subsection(6) before the end of the
consultation period.
In accordance with subsection 24AB(8) of the FOI Act, the 14-day consultation period is to be
disregarded in calculating the processing period for the request.
Yours sincerely
Sarah B
Authorised FOI Decision Maker
23 September 2024
