Reference: 24-008
Mr Glen Hamiltonshire
By email:
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx@xxxxxxxxxxx.xxx.xx
Dear Mr Hamiltonshire
Your Freedom of Information request–decision
I refer to your request to Safe Work Australia (the Agency) on 1 December 2024 for
access to documents under the
Freedom of Information Act 1982 (FOI Act). You
requested access to: ‘
Style Guides/Brand Guides/Writing Guides currently used for Safe
Work Australia’.
My decision
I am authorised to make decisions under section 23(1) of the FOI Act.
The Agency holds 2 documents (totalling 24 pages) that fall within the scope of your
request. I have decided to grant you access in full to both documents.
By email dated 12 December 2024, the Agency advised you that it would treat the
names, signatures, identification numbers and direct contact details of Commonwealth
staff who are not Senior Executive Service (SES) as irrelevant in accordance with
section 22 of the FOI Act unless you advised otherwise. As you did not advise that you
wished to have this information included in the scope of your request, I have redacted
the names, signatures, position titles and contact details of non-SES Agency staff
members as irrelevant material under section 22 of the FOI Act.
What I took into account
In reaching my decision, I took into account the:
• the terms of your request
• the documents that fall within the scope of your request
• consultations with relevant Agency officers about
o eg. the nature of the documents
o eg. the Agency’s operating environment and functions
• whether the release of material is in the public interest
• the guidelines issued by the Australian Information Commissioner under section
93A of the FOI Act (the FOI Guidelines)
• the FOI Act.
2 Phillip Law Street, New Acton ACT 2601
GPO Box 641, Canberra ACT 2601
www.safeworkaustralia.gov.au
A schedule of the documents for release are set out at
Attachment A.
How we will send your documents
The documents for release will be sent to you by email.
Review rights
If you disagree with any part of this decision, you can ask for a review. There are two
ways you can do this. You can ask for an internal review by the Agency or an external
review by the Australian Information Commissioner.
You can find information about your rights of review under the FOI Act, as well as
information about how to make a complaint at
Attachment B.
Further assistance
If you have any questions, please email
xxx@xxx.xxx.xx.
Yours sincerely
Angela Wallbank
Group Manager, Policy and Consultation
Safe Work Australia
28 January 2025
2 Phillip Law Street, New Acton ACT 2601
GPO Box 641, Canberra ACT 2601
www.safeworkaustralia.gov.au
Attachment A
SCHEDULE OF DOCUMENTS
Reference: FOI 24-008
Document
Date
Pages
Description
Decision
FOI Act
Comments
document first
Exemption
created
1
23 April 2024
1-21
Safe Work
Grant access in full
s22(1)
Eg, Irrelevant material
Australia’s style
(non-SES staff name)
guide
removed under s22 (out
of scope)
2
1 October 2024 22-24
Safe Work
Grant access in full
N/A
Australia’s brand
guide
2 Phillip Law Street, New Acton ACT 2601
GPO Box 641, Canberra ACT 2601
www.safeworkaustralia.gov.au
Attachment B
Review rights and complaints
If you are dissatisfied with this decision, certain rights of review and avenues to lodge a
complaint are available to you.
Asking for an explanation of an FOI decision
Before you ask for a formal review of an FOI decision, you can contact us and we will
explain the decision to you.
Asking for a formal review of an FOI decision
If you still believe the decision is incorrect, the FOI Act gives you the right to apply for a
review of the decision. Under sections 54 and 54L of the FOI Act, you can apply for a review
of an FOI decision by:
• an internal review officer in the department and/or
• the Australian Information Commissioner.
There are no fees for applying for a formal review.
Internal Review
You may apply for an internal review of the decision. Your application must be made by
whichever date is the later of:
• 30 days of you receiving this notice, or
• 15 days of you receiving the documents to which you have been granted access.
An internal review will be conducted by a different officer from the original decision-maker.
No particular form is required to apply for review, although it will assist your case to set out in
the application the grounds on which you believe that the original decision should be
overturned. An application for a review of the decision should be addressed to:
FOI Officer
GPO Box 641
CANBERRA ACT 2601
or
xxx@xxx.xxx.xx
If an internal review is conducted, you may apply to the Australian Information Commissioner
for a review of the internal review decision.
External review by the Australian Information Commissioner
If you do not agree with the original decision or the internal review decision, you can ask the
Australian Information Commissioner to review the decision.
Your application must be made within 60 days of you receiving this notice.
The Australian Information Commissioner is an independent office holder who may review
decisions made under the FOI Act. More information is available on the Australian
Information Commissioner's website at
www.oaic.gov.au.
You can contact the Australian Information Commissioner to request a review of a decision
by writing to the Australian Information Commission at
Office of the Australian Information Commissioner
GPO Box 5218
Sydney NSW 2001
• You can also contact the Australian Information Commissioner by emailing
xxxxxxxxx@xxxx.xxx.xx.
Complaints to the Australian Information Commissioner
You may complain to either the Commonwealth Ombudsman or the Australian Information
Commissioner about action taken by Safe Work Australia in relation to your FOI request.
The Commonwealth Ombudsman will consult with the Australian Information Commissioner
before investigating a complaint about the handling of an FOI request.
Enquiries to the Commonwealth Ombudsman can be directed to:
Phone 1300 362 072 (local call charge)
Email
xxxxxxxxx@xxxxxxxxx.xxx.xx
Enquiries to the Australian Information Commissioner can be directed to:
Phone 1300 363 992 (local call charge)
Email
xxxxxxxxx@xxxx.xxx.xx
2 Phillip Law Street, New Acton ACT 2601
GPO Box 641, Canberra ACT 2601
www.safeworkaustralia.gov.au
