Advice on JobKeeper Review
Dear Department of the Treasury,
The Australian Financial Review has reported[1] that "Treasurer Josh Frydenberg has failed to act on “imperative” Treasury advice to set up an independent review of the $90 billion JobKeeper program, despite Parliament’s budget watchdog exposing an estimated $25 billion was paid to firms that did not record the forecast revenue falls.".
Accordingly, I request under the Freedom of Information Act:
(1) Any advice prepared by Treasury for the Treasurer relating to review(s) of the JobKeeper program; and
(2) Any response received by the Treasurer or the Treasurer's office to the documents in (1).
Yours faithfully,
Jeremy Cooper-Stout
OFFICIAL
Dear Mr Cooper-Stout
We write to acknowledge receipt of your request, under the Freedom of Information Act 1982 (FOI Act).
The Treasury received your request on 2 August 2021. The FOI Act provides that we have 30 days to process the request. This period may be extended if we need to consult third parties or for other reasons. We will advise you if this happens.
We will advise you if a charge is payable to process your request and the amount of any such charge as soon as possible.
We make the following assumptions that affect the scope of the request. These are set out below.
It is our usual practice:
• not to disclose the personal information of government employees or the personal contact details of senior government employees (including those of the Treasury). The names of senior officers will generally be released.
• not to release duplicates of any document captured within the scope of the request.
• only the final version of a document will be considered within scope.
Please inform us if you do not agree to the request being processed on the above assumptions. If we do not hear from you, your request will be processed on the basis that these documents are outside the scope of your request.
We will contact you using the email address you provided. Please advise if you would prefer us to use an alternative means of contact.
If you have any questions in relation to your application, please contact the FOI Team on 02 6263 2800.
Kind regards
Freedom of Information Officer
The Treasury
Ph: +61 2 6263 2800
e: [email address]
OFFICIAL
OFFICIAL
Dear Mr Cooper-Stout
We write to seek your agreement to an extension of time to process your freedom of information request to the Treasury Department (FOI 2981).
We have commenced document searches and identified a number of documents that will require consultation with the other government agencies. Processing the request has also been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic with staff resources being diverted to manage Treasury’s response, in addition to other work priorities.
The current statutory deadline for the request is 1 September 2021. We would appreciate your agreement to an extension of 15 days to allow us to complete the consultations and finalise your request.
We would be grateful for your response on the above by COB 26 August 2021.
Please contact the FOI team if you have any questions.
Kind regards
Freedom of Information Officer
The Treasury
Ph: +61 6263 2800
E: [email address]
OFFICIAL
OFFICIAL
Dear Mr Cooper-Stout
Please see the attached charges notification for FOI 2981.
Kind regards
Freedom of Information Officer
The Treasury, Langton Crescent, Parkes ACT 2600
Phone: +61 2 6263 2800
Email: [Treasury request email]
www.treasury.gov.au
OFFICIAL
Dear FOI,
On the basis of the information contained in the correspondence I withdraw my request.
Yours sincerely,
Jeremy Cooper-Stout