Dear Department of Industry,

In April 2016, your Secretary was reported making comments to the following effect:

'Department of Industry, Innovation and Science secretary Glenys
Beauchamp said the majority of FOI requests were from journalists
"looking for stories" and her job would be easier if she did not
have to manage that risk.'

(Henry Belot, 'Australia's top public servants call for FOI reform
to hide advice from public', Canberra Times:
http://www.canberratimes.com.au/national...)

Please provide the analysis or other documents held by the Department providing the basis for this comment, showing that a majority of FOI requests are from journalists.

Please treat this as a request for administrative access or, if
that is refused, a request under the Freedom of Information Act. I
preemptively submit that any FOI charges should be waived on the
basis that this is an issue of public importance, as demonstrated
by your Secretary's public comments and the public comments over
other department heads. I also note that, given that multiple
department heads have in recent months thought it necessary to make
the FOI system a matter of public comment, the public interest
would weigh heavily against the application of any conditional
exemption that might otherwise apply.

Yours faithfully,

Patrick Conheady