OFFICE OF THE OFFICIAL SECRETARY
TO THE GOVERNOR-GENERAL
16 December 2024
Via email: xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx@xxxxxxxxxxx.xxx.xx
Dear Trav,
Re: Application under the Freedom of Information Act 1982
Ref: FOI2024122
I refer to your email of 18 November 2024 in which you make a request under
the Commonwealth
Freedom of Information Act 1982 (FOI Act):
“I seek documents related to the costs associated with producing and
distributing Humanitarian Overseas Service Medals (HOSM) to the
members of the Australian contingent to the humanitarian relief operation
of GE Infrastructure, Water & Process Technologies.
Specifically, I seek access to:
1. Invoices, receipts, purchase orders and documents of that nature,
related to the manufacture, engraving, or procurement of the HOSMs
awarded to Australian contingent to GE; 2. Records of administrative
costs incurred for processing, approving, or distributing these medals,
including correspondence with contractors or suppliers; 3. Any financial
summaries or records detailing the costs associated with the production
or distribution of these medals;
The request pertains exclusively to the administrative aspects of the
HOSM process, including logistical and financial records. The request
does not seek access to deliberations or decisions made by the
Governor-General regarding the awarding of these medals.”
With your email of 22 November 2024 providing the further information
regarding your request:
“I write to offer two key dates that may help orientate my request for
information.
On 3 July 2010, the official performing the duties of Assistant Secretary,
Honours, Symbols and Territories Branch, wrote to the Honours and
Awards Secretariat. Invoking powers under delegation, the official
recommended that the names listed on Schedule 07/2010 be presented
to the Governor-General for approval. The Office of the Governor-
General registered the correspondence on 4 August 2010.
GOVERNMENT HOUSE CANBERRA ACT 2600 AUSTRALIA
TELEPHONE (02) 6283 3533 FACSIMILE (02) 6281 3760 WEBSITE
WWW.GG.GOV.AU
On 22 June 2014, the official performing the duties of Assistant
Secretary, Honours, Symbols and Territories Branch, wrote to the
Honours and Awards Secretariat. Invoking powers under delegation, the
official recommended that the names listed on Schedule 06/2014 be
presented to the Governor-General for approval.”
I am the authorised decision maker under section 23 of the FOI Act and this
letter sets out my decision on your request for access.
Material taken into account
In making my decision, I have had regard to the following:
• the terms of your request;
• advice from Agency officers with responsibility for matters relating to the
documents to which you sought access;
• the relevant provisions of the FOI Act; and
• the Commonwealth’s guidelines on FOI.
Application of the FOI Act
The FOI Act has a limited application to the Official Secretary to the Governor-
General. Section 6A provides that the Act does not apply to any request for
access to a document of the Of icial Secretary unless the document relates to
matters of an administrative nature. In Kline v Official Secretary to the Governor
General [2013] HCA 52 the High Court said:
‘the exception of a class of document which relates to "matters of an
administrative nature" connotes documents which concern the
management and administration of office resources.’
Further, the High Court held the phrase does not apply to documents that relate
to the discharge of the Governor-General's 'substantive powers and functions'.
24A - Requests may be refused if documents cannot be found, do not exist or
have not been received
Document lost or non‑
existent
(1) An agency or Minister may refuse a request for access to a document if:
(a) all reasonable steps have been taken to find the document; and
(b) the agency or Minister is satisfied that the document:
(i) is in the agency’s or Minister’s possession but cannot be found; or
(i ) does not exist.
Decision
The Of ice has been unable to identify any documents within the scope of your
request.
Accordingly, I advise that I must reject your request under section 24A of the
FOI Act on the basis that the document(s) sought cannot be found, do not exist
or have not been received.
GOVERNMENT HOUSE CANBERRA ACT 2600 AUSTRALIA
TELEPHONE (02) 6283 3533 FACSIMILE (02) 6281 3760 WEBSITE
WWW.GG.GOV.AU
Information provided outside the Office’s FOI obligations
Your request sought to ascertain the costs associated with producing and
distributing Humanitarian Overseas Service Medals (HOSM) to the members of
the Australian contingent to the humanitarian relief operation of GE
Infrastructure, Water & Process Technologies. When these medals were
approved for distribution to members of this organisation an individual order was
not made for the purchase of the HOSM medal and clasp ‘Indian Ocean’. The
physical medals would have been taken from existing stock maintained by the
Office, which had been ordered several years prior; for the ‘Indian Ocean’ clasp,
this was approved and ordered approximately 15 years ago. Records relating
to these purchases are retained for a set period only in accordance with
standard record management practices for financial documents, however noting
that these purchase orders would have covered stock for many awards, it would
not have been possible to determine which was linked to the specific medals
granted to these particular recipients.
It is not the practice of the Office to separately track the administrative costs for
processing, approving or distributing medals.
To attempt to provide information that resolves your query, we provide the
following estimate of cost for purchase of the medal with a clasp, and
approximate cost for sending to an address within Australia. Please note that
these figures are based on a best estimate should they be purchased today.
Approximate cost for HOSM
$35
Approximate cost for HOSM clasp
$6
Postage
$20
TOTAL (estimate)
$61
Review rights
You are entitled to seek review of this decision. Your rights are set out at
Attachment A to this letter.
Yours sincerely
Jeff Barnes
Deputy Official Secretary to the Governor-General
GOVERNMENT HOUSE CANBERRA ACT 2600 AUSTRALIA
TELEPHONE (02) 6283 3533 FACSIMILE (02) 6281 3760 WEBSITE
WWW.GG.GOV.AU
ATTACHMENT A — INFORMATION ON RIGHTS OF REVIEW
1. APPLICATION FOR INTERNAL REVIEW OF DECISION
You can request internal review within 30 days of you receiving this decision. An
internal review wil be conducted by a different officer from the original decision-
maker.
No particular form is required but it would assist the decision-maker if you could
set out in the application the grounds on which you consider that the decision
should be reviewed. Applications for internal review can be made:
• via email to xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx@xx.xxx.xx
• by mail to The Official Secretary to the Governor-General, Government
House, CANBERRA ACT 2600
If you choose to seek an internal review, you wil afterward have a right to apply
for Information Commissioner review (IC review) of the internal review decision.
OR
2. INFORMATION COMMISSIONER REVIEW OR COMPLAINT
You also have the right to seek IC review of this decision. For FOI applicants, an
application for IC review must be made in writing within 60 days of the decision.
For third parties who object to disclosure of their information, an application for
IC review must be made in writing within 30 days of the decision.
If you are not satisfied with the way we have handled your FOI request, you
can lodge a complaint with the OAIC. However, the OAIC suggests that
complaints are made to the agency in the first instance.
The complaint should be in writing and set out the reasons for why you are
dissatisfied with the way your request was processed. It should also identify this
office as the agency about which you are complaining. The OAIC recommend
that complaints be made via the FOI Complaint Form available on the OAIC
website.
You can make an IC review application or make an FOI complaint in one of the
following ways:
• online at https://www.oaic.gov.au/freedom-of-information/reviews-and-
complaints/
• via email t
o xxxxx@xxxx.xxx.xx
• by mail to GPO Box 5218 Sydney NSW 2001, or
• by fax to 02 9284 9666.
More information about the Information Commissioner reviews and complaints is
available at its website:
www.oaic.gov.au/freedom-of-information/foi-review-
process.
