Briefs and Talking Points provided for a Presser involving the Attorney general
Dear Attorney-General's Department,
This is a Freedom of Information request under the Freedom of Information Act 1982.
I seek access to the briefs and talking points provided to the Attorney General for a press conference on Monday 13 November 2023.
Yours faithfully,
Alex Pentland
Your email has been received by the Freedom of Information and Privacy
Section of the Attorney-General's Department. Please note that we will
only action and respond to FOI requests and other matters relating to the
Freedom of Information Act 1982 (the FOI Act). For information on how to
make an FOI request please refer to the FOI page on the department's
website at:
[1]https://www.ag.gov.au/rights-and-protect....
If your email relates to the FOI Act, we will contact you shortly to
acknowledge and/or respond to your request. Please do not send duplicate
emails as this may cause delays in response time-frames.
For matters not relating to the Freedom of Information Act 1982, please
refer to the ‘Contact us' page on the department's website at:
[2]https://www.ag.gov.au/about-us/connect-u....
If you have received this transmission in error please notify us
immediately by return e-mail and delete all copies. If this e-mail 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 in the e-mail or attachments.
References
Visible links
1. https://www.ag.gov.au/rights-and-protect...
2. https://www.ag.gov.au/about-us/connect-u...
Dear Alex
Thank you for your email to the Attorney-General’s Department (the
department) Freedom of Information (FOI) section.
Your FOI request was received by the department on 26 November 2023 and
the 30 day statutory period for processing your request commenced on the
following day. Due to an increase in the number of information access
applications currently being received by the department, a case officer is
yet to be allocated and we seek your agreement to an extension of time to
process this request under section 15AA of the Freedom of Information Act
1982 (FOI Act).
This would mean that a decision about your request is due on 25 January
2024.
If we are in a position to make a decision earlier than this date, we will
endeavour to do so. The statutory period may also be extended if we need
to consult third parties or for other reasons permitted under the FOI Act.
We will advise you if this happens.
Please reply by return email if you agree to this extension of time. If
you do agree we will notify the Office of the Australian Information
Commissioner (OAIC) of your agreement under section 15AA of the FOI Act.
Kind regards
Rebekah
Freedom of Information & Privacy
Attorney-General’s Department
Phone: (02) 6141 6666 | Email: [1][AGD request email]
Dear FOI Requests,
I agree to the proposed extension of time given the circumstances provided, and wish you the best in your searches.
Yours sincerely,
Alex Pentland
OFFICIAL
Good morning Mr Pentland
Can you please confirm the press conference you refer to is in relation to the Government's response to the Robodebt Royal Commission?
https://parlinfo.aph.gov.au/parlInfo/dow...
Please advise.
With thanks.
Kellie
Freedom of Information & Privacy
Attorney-General’s Department
A Phone: (02) 6141 6666 | | Email: [AGD request email]
OFFICIAL
Dear FOI Requests,
Yes, I can confirm this is in response o the Robodebt Royal Commission and any responce.
Yours sincerely,
Alex Pentland
OFFICIAL
Dear Mr Pentland
Freedom of Information Request FOI23/625
I refer to your request to the Attorney-General's Department (the
department) under the Freedom of Information Act 1982 (FOI Act) for access
to documents:
I seek access to the briefs and talking points provided to the Attorney
General for a press conference on Monday 13 November 2023.
The purpose of this email is to advise you that your request has been
transferred to another agency.
Under s 16(1) of the FOI Act, the department, with the agreement of the
other agency, may transfer the request to the other agency if the
requested document is not in the possession of the department but is in
the possession of the other agency or if the subject matter of the
document is more closely connected with the functions of the other agency.
Any materials provided to Ministers to support the press conference in
response to Government’s response to the Robodebt Royal Commission were
handled by the Taskforce in PM&C.
We received your request on 26 November 2023 and the 30 day statutory
period for processing your request commenced from the day after that date.
On 29 November 2023, the department acknowledged your request and sought
an extension of time under s 15AA of the FOI Act. The same day, you
responded and agreed to the extension of time.
The transfer of your request does not affect the due date for completion
of your request. You should therefore expect a decision from the
department of Prime Minister and Cabinet by 25 January 2024. However, the
statutory period of 30 days may be extended if PM&C needs to consult third
parties or for other reasons. PM&C will advise you if this happens.
The contact for the receiving agency is [email address]
If you have any questions, please contact me on (02) 6141 6666 or email to
[1][AGD request email]
Regards.
Kellie
Freedom of Information & Privacy
Attorney-General’s Department
( Phone: (02) 6141 6666 | 8 Email: [AGD request email]
OFFICIAL
The Attorney-General’s Department 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 so that we can contact you about your request or privacy
complaint. If your request concerns accessing or correcting your personal
information, we will collect the minimum amount of evidence necessary to
verify your identity. 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 6141 6666 or
via e-mail [email address].
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 in the
email or attachments.
References
Visible links
1. mailto:[AGD request email]
OFFICIAL
Reference: FOI/2023/366
Dear Mr Pentland
We refer to your email to the Attorney-General’s Department (AGD) dated 26
November 2023, in which you made a request under the Freedom of
Information Act 1982 (the FOI Act). You set out the terms of the request
as follows:
I seek access to the briefs and talking points provided to the Attorney
General for a press conference on Monday 13 November 2023.
As you will have been advised by AGD, the FOI Act provides a mechanism to
transfer a request to another agency where the subject-matter of the
request is more closely connected with the functions of that agency than
with those of the agency to which the request is made (section 16(1)(b) of
the FOI Act). This ensures that a decision on the request is made by the
most appropriate agency. As the subject-matter of the documents you have
requested is more closely connected with the functions of the Department
of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (PM&C) than with the functions of AGD,
your request has been transferred in full to PM&C under section 16(1)(b)
of the FOI Act.
Timeframe for receiving your decision
The 30 day statutory period for processing your request commenced from the
day after the Attorney’s Department received your request. A decision is
therefore due from us by 26 December 2023. However, AGD have confirmed
you kindly granted a 30 day extension of time, which now results in a
revised due date of 25 January 2024.
Charges
Agencies may decide that an applicant is liable to pay a charge in respect
of a request for access to documents. If the Department decides that you
are liable to pay a charge, we will send you a preliminary assessment of
the charge as soon as possible.
Publication of documents
Please note that information released under the FOI Act may later be
published online on our disclosure log at
[1]https://www.pmc.gov.au/government/depart...,
subject to certain exceptions. If you think you might wish to raise any
objections to the publication of any of the information which may be
released to you please contact us by email at [2][email address]. If you
do wish to object to the publication of information, you would need to
provide supporting reasons.
Exclusion of officers’ names and contact details
For documents that fall within scope of the request, it is the
Department’s policy to withhold:
· any person’s signature;
· the names and contact details of Australian Public Service
officers not in the Senior Executive Service (SES);
· the mobile or direct numbers of SES officers;
· the names and contact details of Ministerial staff at a level
below Chief of Staff.
If you consider that the information categorised above is relevant to the
terms of your request please let us know at [3][email address], otherwise
we will take it that you agree to that information being excluded from the
scope of your request (that is, the information will be treated as
irrelevant and deleted from any documents for release). The names and
other details of SES officers will not be withheld unless there is some
reason for that information to be exempt from release.
Further information on FOI processing can be found at the website of the
Office of the Australian Information Commissioner
[4]https://www.oaic.gov.au/freedom-of-infor....
Kind regards
Coordinator | FOI Section
[ ]
Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet
p. (02) 6271 5849
Ngunnawal Country | One National Circuit Barton ACT 2600 | PO Box
6500 CANBERRA ACT 2600
e. [5][email address] w. [6]pmc.gov.au
[7]cid:image003.jpg@01D78E24.FF2DAFB0 The
Department
acknowledges
and pays
respect to
the past,
present and
emerging
Elders and
Traditional
Custodians
of Country,
and the
continuation
of cultural,
spiritual
and
educational
practices of
Aboriginal
and Torres
Strait
Islander
peoples.
______________________________________________________________________
IMPORTANT: This message, and any attachments to it, contains information
that is confidential and may also be the subject of legal professional or
other privilege. If you are not the intended recipient of this message,
you
must not review, copy, disseminate or disclose its contents to any other
party or take action in reliance of any material contained within it. If
you
have received this message in error, please notify the sender immediately
by
return email informing them of the mistake and delete all copies of the
message from your computer system.
______________________________________________________________________
References
Visible links
1. https://www.pmc.gov.au/government/depart...
2. mailto:[email address]
3. mailto:[email address]
4. https://www.oaic.gov.au/freedom-of-infor...
5. mailto:[email address]
6. https://www.pmc.gov.au/
OFFICIAL
Reference: FOI/2023/366
Dear Mr Pentland
We refer to your email to the Attorney-General’s Department (AGD) dated 26
November 2023, in which you made a request under the Freedom of
Information Act 1982 (the FOI Act). We understand that you set out the
terms of the request as follows:
I seek access to the briefs and talking points provided to the Attorney
General for a press conference on Monday 13 November 2023.
Further, we understand that you clarified your request to AGD on 11
December 2023, in the following manner:
Yes, I can confirm this is in response o the Robodebt Royal
Commission and any responce.
As advised by AGD, your request has been transferred in full to PM&C under
section 16(1)(b) of the FOI Act.
Processing time under the FOI Act
On 29 November 2023, on request from AGD, you agreed to a 30-day extension
of time under section 15AA of the FOI Act, extending the due date for a
decision on your request to Thursday 25 January 2024. Regrettably, due to
the timing of the transfer of your FOI request to the Department, and
sustained staffing pressures over January period, the Department considers
it is not currently in a position to finalise the decision by this date.
As such, we will shortly seek a two week extension from the Office of the
Australian Information Commissioner under section 15AB of the FOI Act. At
this time, we anticipate that a decision will be provided to you no later
than Thursday 8 February 2023.
Please contact the Department if we can assist in the interim.
Kind regards
Adviser | FOI Section
Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet
p. (02) 6271 5849
Ngunnawal Country, One National Circuit Barton ACT 2600 | PO Box
6500 CANBERRA ACT 2600
e. [1][email address] w. [2]pmc.gov.au
From: FOI <[email address]>
Sent: Thursday, 14 December 2023 1:33 PM
To: 'Alex Pentland' <[FOI #10910 email]>
Cc: FOI <[email address]>
Subject: Freedom of Information Acknowledgement - FOI/2023/366
[SEC=OFFICIAL]
OFFICIAL
Reference: FOI/2023/366
Dear Mr Pentland
We refer to your email to the Attorney-General’s Department (AGD) dated 26
November 2023, in which you made a request under the Freedom of
Information Act 1982 (the FOI Act). You set out the terms of the request
as follows:
I seek access to the briefs and talking points provided to the Attorney
General for a press conference on Monday 13 November 2023.
As you will have been advised by AGD, the FOI Act provides a mechanism to
transfer a request to another agency where the subject-matter of the
request is more closely connected with the functions of that agency than
with those of the agency to which the request is made (section 16(1)(b) of
the FOI Act). This ensures that a decision on the request is made by the
most appropriate agency. As the subject-matter of the documents you have
requested is more closely connected with the functions of the Department
of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (PM&C) than with the functions of AGD,
your request has been transferred in full to PM&C under section 16(1)(b)
of the FOI Act.
Timeframe for receiving your decision
The 30 day statutory period for processing your request commenced from the
day after the Attorney’s Department received your request. A decision is
therefore due from us by 26 December 2023. However, AGD have confirmed
you kindly granted a 30 day extension of time, which now results in a
revised due date of 25 January 2024.
Charges
Agencies may decide that an applicant is liable to pay a charge in respect
of a request for access to documents. If the Department decides that you
are liable to pay a charge, we will send you a preliminary assessment of
the charge as soon as possible.
Publication of documents
Please note that information released under the FOI Act may later be
published online on our disclosure log at
[3]https://www.pmc.gov.au/government/depart...,
subject to certain exceptions. If you think you might wish to raise any
objections to the publication of any of the information which may be
released to you please contact us by email at [4][email address]. If you
do wish to object to the publication of information, you would need to
provide supporting reasons.
Exclusion of officers’ names and contact details
For documents that fall within scope of the request, it is the
Department’s policy to withhold:
· any person’s signature;
· the names and contact details of Australian Public Service
officers not in the Senior Executive Service (SES);
· the mobile or direct numbers of SES officers;
· the names and contact details of Ministerial staff at a level
below Chief of Staff.
If you consider that the information categorised above is relevant to the
terms of your request please let us know at [5][email address], otherwise
we will take it that you agree to that information being excluded from the
scope of your request (that is, the information will be treated as
irrelevant and deleted from any documents for release). The names and
other details of SES officers will not be withheld unless there is some
reason for that information to be exempt from release.
Further information on FOI processing can be found at the website of the
Office of the Australian Information Commissioner
[6]https://www.oaic.gov.au/freedom-of-infor....
Kind regards
Coordinator | FOI Section
[ ]
Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet
p. (02) 6271 5849
Ngunnawal Country | One National Circuit Barton ACT 2600 | PO Box
6500 CANBERRA ACT 2600
e. [7][email address] w. [8]pmc.gov.au
[9]cid:image003.jpg@01D78E24.FF2DAFB0 The
Department
acknowledges
and pays
respect to
the past,
present and
emerging
Elders and
Traditional
Custodians
of Country,
and the
continuation
of cultural,
spiritual
and
educational
practices of
Aboriginal
and Torres
Strait
Islander
peoples.
______________________________________________________________________
IMPORTANT: This message, and any attachments to it, contains information
that is confidential and may also be the subject of legal professional or
other privilege. If you are not the intended recipient of this message,
you
must not review, copy, disseminate or disclose its contents to any other
party or take action in reliance of any material contained within it. If
you
have received this message in error, please notify the sender immediately
by
return email informing them of the mistake and delete all copies of the
message from your computer system.
______________________________________________________________________
References
Visible links
1. mailto:[email address]
2. https://aus01.safelinks.protection.outlo...
3. https://www.pmc.gov.au/government/depart...
4. mailto:[email address]
5. mailto:[email address]
6. https://www.oaic.gov.au/freedom-of-infor...
7. mailto:[email address]
8. https://www.pmc.gov.au/
Dear FOI Coordinator
I suspect you might have missed this request, given it is now April. Given the transfer however, I can understand this.
Consider this email after the Easter break a reminder of the request. I hope this reaches you well and we are able to proceed with the request. If additional extensions are needed, I’m happy to provide them too.
Yours sincerely,
Alex Pentland
OFFICIAL
Dear Mr Pentland,
Thank you for your email.
I apologise for the delay in processing, the Department is continuing with your request and hope to issue you a decision within the next two weeks.
If you have any questions please let me know.
Yours sincerely
Janelle
Adviser | FOI Section
Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet
p. (02) 6271 5849
Ngunnawal Country, One National Circuit Barton ACT 2600 | PO Box 6500 CANBERRA ACT 2600
e. [email address] w. pmc.gov.au
The Department acknowledges and pays respect to the past, present and emerging Elders and Traditional Custodians of Country, and the continuation of cultural, spiritual and educational practices of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
OFFICIAL
FOI/2023/366
Dear Mr Pentland
Please see attached correspondence regarding your Freedom of Information request.
Kind regards
Adviser
FOI Section | Legal Policy Branch
Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet
p. (02) 6271 5849
Ngunnawal Country, One National Circuit, Barton ACT 2600 | PO Box 6500 CANBERRA ACT 2600
e. [email address]<mailto:[email address]> w. pmc.gov.au<https://www.pmc.gov.au/>
[cid:image003.jpg@01D78E24.FF2DAFB0]
The Department acknowledges and pays respect to the past, present and emerging Elders and Traditional Custodians of Country, and the continuation of cultural, spiritual and educational practices of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.