2016-17 Most Expensive Trip
Dear Department of Human Services,
This is a request under the FOI Act.
Can you please provide the travel expenses, invoices, receipts, credit card statements and reimbursements for the most expensive trip taken 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 faithfully,
Jackson Gothe-Snape
Dear Mr Gothe-Snape
Please see the attached correspondence acknowledging your freedom of
information request.
Kind regards
Freedom of Information Team
FOI and Litigation Branch | Legal Services Division
Department of Human Services
Email: [1][email address]
[2]cid:image002.png@01CE578F.EEB98AC0
References
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1. mailto:[email address]
Dear Mr Gothe-Snape
Please see the attached correspondence in relation to your freedom of
information request.
Kind regards
Freedom of Information Team
FOI and Litigation Branch | Legal Services Division
Department of Human Services
Email: [1][email address]
[2]cid:image002.png@01CE578F.EEB98AC0
References
Visible links
1. mailto:[email address]
Hello,
I note your response.
The ordinary meaning of "trip" can be used, as the ordinary meaning has been used previously in Commonwealth legislation, see for example s4 of MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT (LIFE GOLD PASS) ACT 2002.
The meaning for expense is for expenses accrued in relation to the trip, excluding distance travelled, man-hours, wages, supplies or office fees.
You suggest this request would still be voluminous if "expense" and "trip" were defined. To help narrow the scope to an acceptable level, how does the Department attribute costs to trips? By sharing this information, I can then express my request in specific terms relating to your records.
Yours sincerely,
Jackson Gothe-Snape
Dear Mr Gothe-Snape
I apologise for the delay in responding to your email.
The department is consulting with you in order to clarify aspects of your
request to allow the department to continue processing your request.
There are some aspects of your request still which require clarification
to allow the department to search for and retrieve relevant documents:
· It is still not clear what you mean by trip. For example, if a
person were to travel from point A to D, but also stopped at points B and
C on the way, ‘trip’ could refer to the overall journey (i.e. from points
A to D) or could refer to a single leg of the journey (i.e. from points A
to B, B to C and C to D). In addition, it is not clear whether you are
referring to trips undertaken in the Minister’s personal capacity, in his
capacity as the Federal Member for Aston, or in his capacity as the
Minister for Human Services. I note that you have referred to section 4
of the Members of Parliament (Life Gold Pass) Act 2002 (Cth), however
‘trip’ is not defined in any versions of that piece of legislation.
· The term ‘expenses accrued’ captures both direct and indirect
costs associated with any ‘trip’. For example, indirect costs include the
salaries of staff members and would require apportionment in order to
attribute the costs to a particular trip. You may wish to refine the scope
of this part of your request to ‘direct costs’.
In regards to the potential that a revised request would be voluminous,
this is because the department would be required to review each ‘trip’
taken by the Minister during the 2016-17 financial year in order to
determine which one of those trips was the most expensive. It may assist
the department by limiting the scope of your request to a reduced
timeframe.
Kind regards
Freedom of Information Team
FOI and Litigation Branch | Legal Services Division
Department of Human Services
Email: [1][email address]
[2]cid:image002.png@01CE578F.EEB98AC0
Hello,
Are you able to process the request as follows:
A spreadsheet or database extract of all travel by Department staff in 2016/17, including cost, segment and date for each record.
Yours sincerely,
Jackson Gothe-Snape
Dear Mr Gothe-Snape
Thank you for your email.
Unfortunately, your revision was made outside the 14 day consultation
period and therefore your matter was taken to be withdrawn under section
24AB(7) of the FOI Act.
You are welcome to make a new request for the following documents:
'A spreadsheet or database extract of all travel by Department staff in
2016/17, including cost, segment and date for each record.'
If you would like to make a new request, please respond to this email and
the department will register your request and send you an acknowledgment
of receipt.
Please note that if you do make a new request in those terms, you may wish
to clarify what you mean by ‘segment’,
Kind regards
Freedom of Information Team
FOI and Litigation Branch | Legal Services Division
Department of Human Services
Email: [1][email address]
[2]cid:image002.png@01CE578F.EEB98AC0