Annual expenditure provided in grants
Dear Department of the Treasury,
If possible, please treat this as an informal or administrative request. Otherwise, please treat this as a formal request for documents under the Freedom of Information Act.
I am seeking the annual total expenditure provided in grants since 2006 by the Australian government.
GrantConnect has on its website:
The Australian Government provides grants to a wide number of stakeholders for the benefit of all Australians. Each year billions of dollars’ worth of grants benefit the public including through:
• increased social services;
• expanded opportunities for businesses;
• emergency relief; and
• research and innovation.
Thank you in anticipation.
Yours faithfully,
Julie Middleton
OFFICIAL
Dear Ms Middleton
We write to acknowledge receipt of your request, under the Freedom of Information Act 1982 (FOI Act), seeking the following documents:
I am seeking the annual total expenditure provided in grants since 2006 by the Australian government.
GrantConnect has on its website:
The Australian Government provides grants to a wide number of stakeholders for the benefit of all Australians. Each year billions of dollars’ worth of grants benefit the public including through:
• increased social services;
• expanded opportunities for businesses;
• emergency relief; and
• research and innovation.
The Treasury does not have responsibility for GrantConnect, and consequently, we do not hold documents containing the information you are seeking. As we do not hold the documents you are seeking we ask that you withdraw your request on the Treasury.
The Department of Finance manages the GrantConnect webpage. We sought to transfer your request to that department to process. The Grants Policy Branch within the Department of Finance advised they also do not hold the information relating to your request and declined the transfer request. However, as the Department of Finance is responsible for GrantConnect, they may be better equipped to assist you.
If you do not agree to withdraw your request on the Treasury, or respond to this email, we will provide you with a formal decision letter within the statutory timeframe. The Treasury received your request on 24 April 2023. The FOI Act provides that we have 14 days to acknowledge, and 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 Ms Middleton
Please see the attached decision regarding FOI 3348.
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