2016-17 Most Expensive Event
Dear Department of Communications and the Arts,
This is a request under the FOI Act.
Can you please provide the budgets, menus, expenses, invoices, receipts, credit card statements and reimbursements for the most expensive event attended by a Minister or Assistant Minister in your Department's portfolio area in 2016-17.
I request that any fees arising in relation to this request be waived as the information is in the public interest, as it helps inform the public about how the government is spending public revenue.
Yours sincerely,
Jackson Gothe-Snape
For Official Use Only
Dear Mr Gothe-Snape,
I refer to your email dated 8 August 2017 seeking access under the Freedom
of Information Act 1982 (FOI Act) to:
“…the budgets, menus, expenses, invoices, receipts, credit card statements
and reimbursements for the most expensive event attended by a Minister or
Assistant Minister in your Department's portfolio area in 2016-17...”
Please note that expenditure in relation to events attended by the
Minister for Communications and the Arts is the responsibility of the
Minister’s office rather than the Department and therefore it is very
unlikely that the Department holds any documents within the scope of your
request.
I also note that, in any event, your request does not satisfy the
requirements of section 15(2)(b) of the FOI Act, as you have not provided
such information as is reasonably necessary to enable a responsible
officer to identify the documents identified as those “for the most
expensive event attended by the Minister in 2016-17”.
For a request to be valid under section 15(2) of the FOI Act, it must:
(a) be in writing, and state it is an application for the purposes of
the FOI Act;
(b) provide such information concerning the document as is reasonably
necessary to enable the agency to identify it; and
(c) give details of how notices and documents may be sent to the
applicant.
I also note that under the FOI Act, the Minister and the Department are
treated as separate agencies and therefore should you wish to proceed with
a request for the documents, you should ensure that your request satisfies
the above-mentioned requirements of section 15(2) and send it to the email
address below: [1][email address]
It may also assist you to note that reports about Parliamentarians’
expenditure, including a Summary of Parliamentary Expenditure for the
Minister for Communications and the Arts during the period 1 July and 31
December 2016 are published on the Department of Finance website at:
[2]http://www.finance.gov.au/publications/p...
Yours sincerely
[3]cid:C4234CC5-D32A-44FF-A754-F96227B373F7
FOI Coordinator / Information Law Section / Office of the General
Counsel
Department of Communications and the Arts
P +61 2 6271 1277
E [4][Department of Communications and the Arts request email]
GPO Box 2154 Canberra ACT 2601
[5]communications.gov.au
[6]cid:17F0759F-5B67-41BB-B991-66700A2CA00A [7]@CommsAu
[8]arts.gov.au
[9]cid:17F0759F-5B67-41BB-B991-66700A2CA00A [10]@artsculturegov
This email and any attachments may contain confidential information or
legal advice over which legal professional privilege can be claimed. Such
privilege is not waived and you should ensure that, in the handling of the
advice, you avoid waiving privilege. Please consult the author of the
advice if unsure about appropriate handling.
-----Original Message-----
From: Jackson Gothe-Snape
[[11]mailto:[FOI #3796 email]]
Sent: Tuesday, 8 August 2017 5:01 PM
To: FOI <[12][email address]>
Subject: Freedom of Information request – 2016-17 Most Expensive Event
Dear Department of Communications and the Arts,
This is a request under the FOI Act.
Can you please provide the budgets, menus, expenses, invoices, receipts,
credit card statements and reimbursements for the most expensive event
attended by a Minister or Assistant Minister in your Department’s
portfolio area in 2016-17.
I request that any fees arising in relation to this request be waived as
the information is in the public interest, as it helps inform the public
about how the government is spending public revenue.
Yours sincerely,
Jackson Gothe-Snape
Please use this email address for all replies to this request:
[13][FOI #3796 email]
Is [14][Department of Communications and the Arts request email] the wrong address for Freedom of
Information requests to Department of Communications and the Arts? If so,
please contact us using this form:
[15]https://www.righttoknow.org.au/change_re...
This request has been made by an individual using Right to Know. This
message and any reply that you make will be published on the internet.
More information on how Right to Know works can be found at:
[16]https://www.righttoknow.org.au/help/offi...
If you find this service useful as an FOI officer, please ask your web
manager to link to us from your organisation's FOI page.
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Hello,
Please amend my request to:
Can you please provide the budgets, menus, expenses, invoices, receipts, credit card statements and reimbursements for the most expensive event attended by a Minister or Assistant Minister in your Department's portfolio area in 2016-17. 'Most expensive event' shall be determined only by expenses paid - directly or through reimbursement - by the Department.
Yours sincerely,
Jackson Gothe-Snape
For Official Use Only
FOI 18-1718
Dear Mr Smith
I refer to your email dated 22 August 2017 outlining a request for access
under the Freedom of Information Act 1982 (FOI Act) to:
“…the budgets, menus, expenses, invoices, receipts, credit card statements
and reimbursements for the most expensive event attended by a Minister or
Assistant Minister in your Department's portfolio area in 2016-17. 'Most
expensive event' shall be determined only by expenses paid - directly or
through reimbursement - by the Department …”
Timeframe for receiving your decision:
Please note that we will process your request in accordance with the
Department’s [1]FOI Policy and that the 30 day statutory period for
processing the request commenced on 23 August. You should therefore
expect a decision from us by 21 September 2017. The period of 30 days may
be extended in certain circumstances. We will advise you if there is any
extension of time.
Scope of request:
If it emerges that the scope of the request is unclear or is too large for
processing, the Department will contact you to discuss re-scoping the
request.
Charges:
Please note that it is the Department’s policy to issue charges for
processing FOI requests and that we will advise you of the estimated
charges when we are in a position to estimate the resources required to
process the request.
Timing of release:
As the subject matter of the request will require the Department to upload
any documents released to you to the Department’s FOI Disclosure Log, I
take this opportunity to advise you that the Department’s policy is to
upload documents to the disclosure log on the same day as or as soon as
practicable after the documents are released. More information on the
Department’s disclosure log is available in the FOI Policy.
Personal Information:
Your personal information has been collected by the Department as a result
of your correspondence, and will be used in order to process the FOI
request. Personal information is protected by law, including the Privacy
Act 1988. The Department’s [2]Privacy Policy is available on the website
and contains information about access to or correction of your personal
information, and how you may complain about a breach of your privacy.
Please note that if we need to consult with other people regarding release
of the requested documents, we may need to disclose your personal
information. When we consult with other people about the request, it may
be apparent to those people that you have made a request, even if we do
not disclose your identity. If you have concerns about the Department
consulting with other people about the request, please let us know about
these concerns.
Yours sincerely,
[3]cid:C4234CC5-D32A-44FF-A754-F96227B373F7
FOI Coordinator / Information Law Section / Office of the General
Counsel
Department of Communications and the Arts
P +61 2 6271 1277
E [Department of Communications and the Arts request email]
GPO Box 2154 Canberra ACT 2601
[4]communications.gov.au
[5]cid:17F0759F-5B67-41BB-B991-66700A2CA00A [6]@CommsAu
[7]arts.gov.au
[8]cid:17F0759F-5B67-41BB-B991-66700A2CA00A [9]@artsculturegov
This email and any attachments may contain confidential information or
legal advice over which legal professional privilege can be claimed. Such
privilege is not waived and you should ensure that, in the handling of the
advice, you avoid waiving privilege. Please consult the author of the
advice if unsure about appropriate handling.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----Original Message-----
From: Jackson Gothe-Snape
[mailto:[FOI #3796 email]]
Sent: Tuesday, 22 August 2017 11:12 AM
To: FOI <[email address]>
Subject: Re: Freedom of Information request - 2016-17 Most Expensive Event
[DLM=For-Official-Use-Only]
Hello,
Please amend my request to:
Can you please provide the budgets, menus, expenses, invoices, receipts,
credit card statements and reimbursements for the most expensive event
attended by a Minister or Assistant Minister in your Department's
portfolio area in 2016-17. 'Most expensive event' shall be determined only
by expenses paid - directly or through reimbursement - by the Department.
Yours sincerely,
Jackson Gothe-Snape
-----Original Message-----
For Official Use Only
Dear Mr Gothe-Snape,
I refer to your email dated 8 August 2017 seeking access under the
Freedom of Information Act 1982 (FOI Act) to:
“…the budgets, menus, expenses, invoices, receipts, credit card
statements and reimbursements for the most expensive event attended by a
Minister or Assistant Minister in your Department's portfolio area in
2016-17...”
Please note that expenditure in relation to events attended by the
Minister for Communications and the Arts is the responsibility of the
Minister’s office rather than the Department and therefore it is very
unlikely that the Department holds any documents within the scope of your
request.
I also note that, in any event, your request does not satisfy the
requirements of section 15(2)(b) of the FOI Act, as you have not provided
such information as is reasonably necessary to enable a responsible
officer to identify the documents identified as those “for the most
expensive event attended by the Minister in 2016-17”.
For a request to be valid under section 15(2) of the FOI Act, it must:
(a) be in writing, and state it is an application for the purposes of
the FOI Act;
(b) provide such information concerning the document as is reasonably
necessary to enable the agency to identify it; and
(c) give details of how notices and documents may be sent to the
applicant.
I also note that under the FOI Act, the Minister and the Department are
treated as separate agencies and therefore should you wish to proceed
with a request for the documents, you should ensure that your request
satisfies the above-mentioned requirements of section 15(2) and send it
to the email address below: [1][email address]
It may also assist you to note that reports about Parliamentarians’
expenditure, including a Summary of Parliamentary Expenditure for the
Minister for Communications and the Arts during the period 1 July and 31
December 2016 are published on the Department of Finance website at:
[2][10]http://www.finance.gov.au/publications/p...
Yours sincerely
[3][11]cid:C4234CC5-D32A-44FF-A754-F96227B373F7
FOI Coordinator / Information Law Section / Office of the General
Counsel
Department of Communications and the Arts
P +61 2 6271 1277
E [4][Department of Communications and the Arts request email]
GPO Box 2154 Canberra ACT 2601
[5]communications.gov.au
[6][12]cid:17F0759F-5B67-41BB-B991-66700A2CA00A [7]@CommsAu
[8]arts.gov.au
[9][13]cid:17F0759F-5B67-41BB-B991-66700A2CA00A [10]@artsculturegov
This email and any attachments may contain confidential information or
legal advice over which legal professional privilege can be claimed.
Such privilege is not waived and you should ensure that, in the handling
of the advice, you avoid waiving privilege. Please consult the author of
the advice if unsure about appropriate handling.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Please use this email address for all replies to this request:
[14][FOI #3796 email]
This request has been made by an individual using Right to Know. This
message and any reply that you make will be published on the internet.
More information on how Right to Know works can be found at:
[15]https://www.righttoknow.org.au/help/offi...
If you find this service useful as an FOI officer, please ask your web
manager to link to us from your organisation's FOI page.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
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and may contain confidential and privileged information. Any unauthorized
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UNCLASSIFIED
Mr Gothe-Snape
Please see attached correspondence in relation to your FOI Request
(reference 18-1718).
[1]cid:C4234CC5-D32A-44FF-A754-F96227B373F7
FOI Coordinator / Information Law Section / Office of the General
Counsel
Department of Communications and the Arts
E [Department of Communications and the Arts request email]
GPO Box 2154 Canberra ACT 2601
[2]communications.gov.au
[3]cid:17F0759F-5B67-41BB-B991-66700A2CA00A [4]@CommsAu
[5]arts.gov.au
[6]cid:17F0759F-5B67-41BB-B991-66700A2CA00A [7]@artsculturegov
This email and any attachments may contain confidential information or
legal advice over which legal professional privilege can be claimed. Such
privilege is not waived and you should ensure that, in the handling of the
advice, you avoid waiving privilege. Please consult the author of the
advice if unsure about appropriate handling.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
NOTICE: This email message is for the sole use of the intended
recipient(s)
and may contain confidential and privileged information. Any unauthorized
review, use, disclosure or distribution is prohibited. If you are not the
intended recipient, please contact the sender by reply email and destroy
all
copies of the original message.
This message has been content scanned by the Axway MailGate.
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References
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4. https://twitter.com/CommsAu?lang=en
5. http://arts.gov.au/
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