Briefings on National Housing Accord
Dear Department of the Treasury,
I am seeking copies of briefing notes provided to the Minister for Housing between 1 March 2024 and 31 July 2024 that address the National Housing Accord and/or the 1.2 million homes target.
Yours faithfully,
Ash Roth
Dear Ms Roth
We write to acknowledge receipt of your request, under the Freedom of Information Act 1982 (FOI Act), seeking the following documents:
I am seeking copies of briefing notes provided to the Minister for Housing between 1 March 2024 and 31 July 2024 that address the National Housing Accord and/or the 1.2 million homes target.
The Treasury received your request on 31 July 2024. 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]
The Department of the Treasury (the Treasury) may collect your personal information where it is reasonably necessary for, or directly related to, our functions, including those under the Freedom of Information Act 1982 (FOI Act) and the Privacy Act 1988. We may collect your name, email address and telephone number in order to contact you about your request or privacy complaint. We hold personal information in accordance with the Privacy Act and our privacy policy. If you have an enquiry or complaint about your privacy, please contact the Privacy Officer on 02 6263 1384 or via e-mail [email address]. You can find further information about how the Treasury handles personal information in the Treasury's privacy policy.
Please Note: The information contained in this e-mail message and any attached files may be confidential information and may also be the subject of legal professional privilege. If you are not the intended recipient, any use, disclosure or copying of this e-mail is unauthorised. If you have received this e-mail by error please notify the sender immediately by reply e-mail and delete all copies of this transmission together with any attachments.
OFFICIAL
Dear Ms Roth
We have identified a third party that might reasonably wish to make an exemption contention under the FOI Act, namely section 26A (Commonwealth-State relations).
The statutory timeframe for processing this request will be extended by 30 days to allow for consultation to occur with this third party.
Kind regards,
Freedom of Information Officer
The Treasury
Ph: +61 2 6263 2800
e: [email address]
The Department of the Treasury (the Treasury) may collect your personal information where it is reasonably necessary for, or directly related to, our functions, including those under the Freedom of Information Act 1982 (FOI Act) and the Privacy Act 1988. We may collect your name, email address and telephone number in order to contact you about your request or privacy complaint. We hold personal information in accordance with the Privacy Act and our privacy policy. If you have an enquiry or complaint about your privacy, please contact the Privacy Officer on 02 6263 1384 or via e-mail [email address]. You can find further information about how the Treasury handles personal information in the Treasury's privacy policy.
If you have received this email in error, please notify us immediately by return email and delete all copies. If this email or any attachments have been sent to you in error, that error does not constitute waiver of any confidentiality, privilege or copyright in respect of information contained within the email or attachments.
Please Note: The information contained in this e-mail message and any attached files may be confidential information and may also be the subject of legal professional privilege. If you are not the intended recipient, any use, disclosure or copying of this e-mail is unauthorised. If you have received this e-mail by error please notify the sender immediately by reply e-mail and delete all copies of this transmission together with any attachments.
OFFICIAL
OFFICIAL
Dear Ms Roth
Please see the attached correspondence regarding FOI 3687.
Kind regards,
Freedom of Information Officer
The Treasury
Ph: +61 2 6263 2800
e: [email address]
The Department of the Treasury (the Treasury) may collect your personal information where it is reasonably necessary for, or directly related to, our functions, including those under the Freedom of Information Act 1982 (FOI Act) and the Privacy Act 1988. We may collect your name, email address and telephone number in order to contact you about your request or privacy complaint. We hold personal information in accordance with the Privacy Act and our privacy policy. If you have an enquiry or complaint about your privacy, please contact the Privacy Officer on 02 6263 1384 or via e-mail [email address]. You can find further information about how the Treasury handles personal information in the Treasury's privacy policy.
If you have received this email in error, please notify us immediately by return email and delete all copies. If this email or any attachments have been sent to you in error, that error does not constitute waiver of any confidentiality, privilege or copyright in respect of information contained within the email or attachments.
Please Note: The information contained in this e-mail message and any attached files may be confidential information and may also be the subject of legal professional privilege. If you are not the intended recipient, any use, disclosure or copying of this e-mail is unauthorised. If you have received this e-mail by error please notify the sender immediately by reply e-mail and delete all copies of this transmission together with any attachments.
OFFICIAL
Dear FOI Officer,
I object to the charges proposed.
I have specifically requested briefing notes that were provided to the Minister for Housing - and only those notes, not other files, drafts, or other miscellaneous materials - during a set period of time, on a single specific topic.
To suggest that it requires over 32 hours - that is more than 4 days - of full time work is not credible or reasonable.
The Department is required under the Act to provide information at the "lowest reasonable cost". This is a topic of central interest to the public. I ask that the Treasury re-examine the reasonableness of the charge proposed, and instead provide the documents at nil cost.
Yours sincerely,
Ash Roth
OFFICIAL
Dear Ms Roth
The Treasury acknowledges receipt of your charges waiver request on Friday 27 September 2024.
We will provide you with a charges decision within the 30 days allowed under the FOI Act.
Kind regards,
Freedom of Information Officer
The Treasury
Ph: +61 2 6263 2800
e: [email address]
The Department of the Treasury (the Treasury) may collect your personal information where it is reasonably necessary for, or directly related to, our functions, including those under the Freedom of Information Act 1982 (FOI Act) and the Privacy Act 1988. We may collect your name, email address and telephone number in order to contact you about your request or privacy complaint. We hold personal information in accordance with the Privacy Act and our privacy policy. If you have an enquiry or complaint about your privacy, please contact the Privacy Officer on 02 6263 1384 or via e-mail [email address]. You can find further information about how the Treasury handles personal information in the Treasury's privacy policy.
If you have received this email in error, please notify us immediately by return email and delete all copies. If this email or any attachments have been sent to you in error, that error does not constitute waiver of any confidentiality, privilege or copyright in respect of information contained within the email or attachments.
Please Note: The information contained in this e-mail message and any attached files may be confidential information and may also be the subject of legal professional privilege. If you are not the intended recipient, any use, disclosure or copying of this e-mail is unauthorised. If you have received this e-mail by error please notify the sender immediately by reply e-mail and delete all copies of this transmission together with any attachments.
OFFICIAL
OFFICIAL
Dear Ash
Please see the attached FOI 3687 charges decision.
Kind regards,
Freedom of Information Officer
The Treasury
Ph: +61 2 6263 2800
e: [email address]
The Department of the Treasury (the Treasury) may collect your personal information where it is reasonably necessary for, or directly related to, our functions, including those under the Freedom of Information Act 1982 (FOI Act) and the Privacy Act 1988. We may collect your name, email address and telephone number in order to contact you about your request or privacy complaint. We hold personal information in accordance with the Privacy Act and our privacy policy. If you have an enquiry or complaint about your privacy, please contact the Privacy Officer on 02 6263 1384 or via e-mail [email address]. You can find further information about how the Treasury handles personal information in the Treasury's privacy policy.
If you have received this email in error, please notify us immediately by return email and delete all copies. If this email or any attachments have been sent to you in error, that error does not constitute waiver of any confidentiality, privilege or copyright in respect of information contained within the email or attachments.
Please Note: The information contained in this e-mail message and any attached files may be confidential information and may also be the subject of legal professional privilege. If you are not the intended recipient, any use, disclosure or copying of this e-mail is unauthorised. If you have received this e-mail by error please notify the sender immediately by reply e-mail and delete all copies of this transmission together with any attachments.
OFFICIAL
Dear Mr Dowie,
Thank you for your reply.
I have considered your reasons for applying a charge to this request.
In that context, to reduce the work required, I ask that the scope of the request is narrowed specifically to final version of formal briefing notes that address the 1.2 million homes target, that were provided to the Minister for Housing in the month of July 2024. This can exclude notes that have been prepared specifically for use in Parliament, or for meetings with external stakeholders (such as states or territories).
Yours sincerely,
Ash Roth
OFFICIAL
Dear Ash
We will contact you further once we have heard back from our business area regarding documents relevant to your revised scope, set out below.
Kind regards,
Freedom of Information Officer
The Treasury
Ph: +-61 2 6263 2800
e: +AFs-email address+AF0-
The Department of the Treasury (the Treasury) may collect your personal information where it is reasonably necessary for, or directly related to, our functions, including those under the Freedom of Information Act 1982 (FOI Act) and the Privacy Act 1988. We may collect your name, email address and telephone number in order to contact you about your request or privacy complaint. We hold personal information in accordance with the Privacy Act and our privacy policy. If you have an enquiry or complaint about your privacy, please contact the Privacy Officer on 02 6263 1384 or via e-mail +AFs-email address+AF0-. You can find further information about how the Treasury handles personal information in the Treasury's privacy policy.
If you have received this email in error, please notify us immediately by return email and delete all copies. If this email or any attachments have been sent to you in error, that error does not constitute waiver of any confidentiality, privilege or copyright in respect of information contained within the email or attachments.
Please Note: The information contained in this e-mail message and any attached files may be confidential information and may also be the subject of legal professional privilege. If you are not the intended recipient, any use, disclosure or copying of this e-mail is unauthorised. If you have received this e-mail by error please notify the sender immediately by reply e-mail and delete all copies of this transmission together with any attachments.
OFFICIAL
-----Original Message-----
From: Ash Roth +ADw-foi+-request-11806-d7e8354d+AEA-righttoknow.org.au+AD4-
Sent: Wednesday, October 30, 2024 10:38 AM
To: FOI +ADw-FOI+AEA-TREASURY.GOV.AU+AD4-
Subject: Re: FOI 3687 charges decision +AFs-SEC+AD0-OFFICIAL+AF0-
OFFICIAL
Dear Mr Dowie,
Thank you for your reply.
I have considered your reasons for applying a charge to this request.
In that context, to reduce the work required, I ask that the scope of the request is narrowed specifically to final version of formal briefing notes that address the 1.2 million homes target, that were provided to the Minister for Housing in the month of July 2024. This can exclude notes that have been prepared specifically for use in Parliament, or for meetings with external stakeholders (such as states or territories).
Yours sincerely,
Ash Roth
-----Original Message-----
OFFICIAL
Dear Ash
Please see the attached FOI 3687 charges decision.
Kind regards,
Freedom of Information Officer
The Treasury
Ph: +-61 2 6263 2800
e: +AFs-email address+AF0-
The Department of the Treasury (the Treasury) may collect your personal information where it is reasonably necessary for, or directly related to, our functions, including those under the Freedom of Information Act 1982 (FOI Act) and the Privacy Act 1988. We may collect your name, email address and telephone number in order to contact you about your request or privacy complaint. We hold personal information in accordance with the Privacy Act and our privacy policy. If you have an enquiry or complaint about your privacy, please contact the Privacy Officer on 02 6263 1384 or via e-mail +AFs-email address+AF0-. You can find further information about how the Treasury handles personal information in the Treasury's privacy policy.
If you have received this email in error, please notify us immediately by return email and delete all copies. If this email or any attachments have been sent to you in error, that error does not constitute waiver of any confidentiality, privilege or copyright in respect of information contained within the email or attachments.
Please Note: The information contained in this e-mail message and any attached files may be confidential information and may also be the subject of legal professional privilege. If you are not the intended recipient, any use, disclosure or copying of this e-mail is unauthorised. If you have received this e-mail by error please notify the sender immediately by reply e-mail and delete all copies of this transmission together with any attachments.
OFFICIAL
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OFFICIAL
Please Note: The information contained in this e-mail message and any attached files may be confidential information and may also be the subject of legal professional privilege. If you are not the intended recipient, any use, disclosure or copying of this e-mail is unauthorised. If you have received this e-mail by error please notify the sender immediately by reply e-mail and delete all copies of this transmission together with any attachments.
CR left an annotation ()
Wow, this is absolutely crap.
You may wish to draw attention to the following fact.
In CropLife Australia and Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (Freedom of information) [2024] AICmr 159, the Department determined that the applicant is liable to pay a charge of $710 for processing the request.
The Assistant Commissioner, Freedom of Information, stated at [25]:
“I also note that in this case, there is a real possibility that the cost of calculating and collecting a charge might exceed the cost to the agency of processing the request, which would militate in favour of the waiver of the charge. As noted in ABX, in such circumstances, proceeding with a charge would likely only serve to delay access at a net financial cost to the Commonwealth.”
Given that your estimate of charges is at about $200 cheaper than the above, you may find it beneficial to bring this to the department's attention.