Communications with E Ghezzi and A Lampit about 'Behaviourally based intervention for children on the autism spectrum: A systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis.'
Dear National Disability Insurance Agency,
I refer to document 7 in FOI 23.24-0029:
'National Disability Insurance Agency 2023. Behaviourally based intervention for children on the autism spectrum: A systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis.' (version 2 - May 2023).
Page iv of the document sates that it was prepared by E Ghezzi and A Lampit.
I seek all communications held by the NDIA with and between E. Ghezzi and A. Lampit concerning this document (including but not limited to any drafts of the document which might be attached to these communications).
The request includes any such communications made both up to and after the finalisation of the document in May 2023.
These communications would include (but not be limited to) all email correspondence with and between E. Ghezzi and A. Lampit about the document.
Yours faithfully,
David Wright
Thank you for your email to the National Disability Insurance Agency
(NDIA) Freedom of Information (FOI) team.
Please note: due to a high volume of requests, our ability to respond to
you in a timely manner may be affected. We will action your request as
soon as possible and will endeavour to process your matter within the
legislative deadlines. We may need to seek your agreement to an extension
of time. We appreciate your understanding if this is required.
Participant Information
Did you know the NDIA has other ways to access the documents and
information that we hold?
Participants, Guardians and Nominees can obtain copies of some participant
information through our National Contact Centre (NCC). For more
information about what’s available through the NCC, please contact 1800
800 110.
Please visit our [1]Access to Information webpage to find out more about
accessing information through:
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* The [3]Information Publication Scheme (IPS)
* The [4]myplace portal for participants
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You can also request data and statistics. Please visit our [6]Data and
insights webpage page for further information.
If you are able to obtain your information from a source listed above, you
can withdraw your FOI request by emailing [7][NDIA request email]
Further Information
Information about how to make an FOI request can be found on our website:
[8]Freedom of Information
Should you have a query unrelated to FOI, please contact the Agency by
email at [9][email address] or via webchat at [10]ndis.gov.au.
Alternatively, you can also contact us by phoning 1800 800 110.
Kind regards
Freedom of Information Team
Complaints Management & FOI Branch
General Counsel Division
National Disability Insurance Agency
E [11][NDIA request email]
The NDIA acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of Country throughout
Australia and their continuing connection to land, sea and community. We
pay our respects to them and their cultures and to Elders past, present
and emerging.
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7. mailto:[NDIA request email]
mailto:[NDIA request email]
8. https://www.ndis.gov.au/about-us/policie...
https://www.ndis.gov.au/about-us/policie...
9. mailto:[email address]
mailto:[email address]
10. https://www.ndis.gov.au/
https://www.ndis.gov.au/
11. mailto:[NDIA request email]
Dear David Wright
Freedom of Information Request: Acknowledgement
Thank you for your request of 4 November 2024, made under the Freedom of
Information Act 1982 (FOI Act), for copies of documents held by the
National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA).
We have interpreted your correspondence as an request for documents for
the purposes of the FOI Act (s 15(2)(aa)), noting this is a requirement
for it to be considered valid.
Scope of your Request
You have requested access to:
“I refer to document 7 in FOI 23/24-0029:
'National Disability Insurance Agency 2023. Behaviourally based
intervention for children on the autism spectrum: A systematic review and
dose-response meta-analysis.' (version 2 - May 2023).
Page iv of the document sates that it was prepared by E Ghezzi and A
Lampit.
I seek all communications held by the NDIA with and between E. Ghezzi and
A. Lampit concerning this document (including but not limited to any
drafts of the document which might be attached to these communications).
The request includes any such communications made both up to and after the
finalisation of the document in May 2023.
These communications would include (but not be limited to) all email
correspondence with and between E. Ghezzi and A. Lampit about the
document.”
Irrelevant Information
Section 22 of the FOI Act allows an Agency to redact information from
documents if that information would reasonably be regarded as irrelevant
to a request for access.
Given the nature of your request, it does not seem that NDIA staff
members’ surnames and contact details would be relevant to you. Can you
please send me a reply email confirming that such details are irrelevant
to your request for access?
Processing Timeframes
In accordance with section 15(5)(b) of the FOI Act, a 30-day statutory
period for processing your request commenced from 5 November 2024. This
30-day period expires on 4 December 2024.
The 30-day period can be extended in a number of ways, including with your
agreement.
Unfortunately, it is currently taking us a little longer than 30 days to
process FOI requests. I am therefore seeking your agreement to a 30-day
extension of time under section 15AA of the FOI Act. If you agree to this
extension, the new due date for us to decide on your request will be 3
January 2025.
If you do not agree and we are unable to process your request within the
30-day period expiring o4 December 2024, we will be deemed to have refused
your request and you will not have a right to seek internal review of that
decision. You will, however, retain your right to external review by the
Australian Information Commissioner.
Please let us know if you agree by 18 November 2024.
Disclosure Log
Subject to certain exceptions, documents released under the FOI Act will
be published on the NDIA’s disclosure log located on our website.
If you have any concerns about the publication of the documents you have
requested, please contact me.
Next steps
Your request will be allocated to an authorised FOI decision-maker. The
decision-maker may need to contact you to discuss a range of matters,
including refining the scope of your request.
We will contact you using the email address you have provided. Please
advise if you would prefer us to use an alternative means of contact.
In the meantime, if you have any questions or need help, please contact us
at [1][NDIA request email].
Regards
Mykal
Freedom of Information Officer
Complaints Management & FOI Branch
General Counsel Division
National Disability Insurance Agency
E [2][NDIA request email]
[3]NDIA logo
[4]LGBTIQA+ rainbow graphic
The NDIA acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of Country throughout
Australia and their continuing connection to land, sea and community. We
pay our respects to them and their cultures and to Elders past, present
and emerging.
[5]Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags graphic
Dear Mykal
I confirm that NDIA staff members’ surnames and contact details are not relevant to my request, and I agree to a 30 day extension, making the new due date for you to decide on my request 3 January 2025.
Yours sincerely,
David Wright
Dear foi,
This request is overdue. Can you please provide me with an update?
Yours sincerely,
David Wright
Thank you for your email to the National Disability Insurance Agency
(NDIA) Freedom of Information (FOI) team.
Please note: due to a high volume of requests, our ability to respond to
you in a timely manner may be affected. We will action your request as
soon as possible and will endeavour to process your matter within the
legislative deadlines. We may need to seek your agreement to an extension
of time. We appreciate your understanding if this is required.
Participant Information
Did you know the NDIA has other ways to access the documents and
information that we hold?
Participants, Guardians and Nominees can obtain copies of some participant
information through our National Contact Centre (NCC). For more
information about what’s available through the NCC, please contact 1800
800 110.
Please visit our [1]Access to Information webpage to find out more about
accessing information through:
* The [2]Participant Information Access (PIA) scheme
* The [3]Information Publication Scheme (IPS)
* The [4]myplace portal for participants
* The [5]myplace portal for providers
Access to Data
You can also request data and statistics. Please visit our [6]Data and
insights webpage page for further information.
If you are able to obtain your information from a source listed above, you
can withdraw your FOI request by emailing [7][NDIA request email]
Further Information
Information about how to make an FOI request can be found on our website:
[8]Freedom of Information
Should you have a query unrelated to FOI, please contact the Agency by
email at [9][email address] or via webchat at [10]ndis.gov.au.
Alternatively, you can also contact us by phoning 1800 800 110.
Kind regards
Freedom of Information Team
Complaints Management & FOI Branch
General Counsel Division
National Disability Insurance Agency
E [11][NDIA request email]
The NDIA acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of Country throughout
Australia and their continuing connection to land, sea and community. We
pay our respects to them and their cultures and to Elders past, present
and emerging.
References
Visible links
1. https://www.ndis.gov.au/about-us/policie...
2. https://www.ndis.gov.au/about-us/policie...
3. https://www.ndis.gov.au/about-us/policie...
4. https://www.ndis.gov.au/participants/usi...
5. https://www.ndis.gov.au/providers/workin...
6. https://data.ndis.gov.au/
7. mailto:[NDIA request email]
8. https://www.ndis.gov.au/about-us/policie...
9. mailto:[email address]
10. https://www.ndis.gov.au/
11. mailto:[NDIA request email]
Hi David
Please find attached correspondence in relation to your request. If you
require the attachment in a different format, please let us know.
Please contact us at [1][NDIA request email] if you have any questions or
require help.
Kind regards
Cooper (CHH674)
Team Leader - Senior FOI Officer
Complaints Management & FOI Branch
General Counsel Division
National Disability Insurance Agency
E [2][NDIA request email]
[3]NDIA logo
Dear Cooper
You have advised me that your preliminary search for documents which are likely to be relevant to my request revealed that the NDIA is in possession of more than 2,600 individual documents matching the scope of my request, not including any attachments which may be contained within those documents. Your estimate is that this contains more than 5,200 pages of material.
I cannot understand how you arrived at such a large number of documents. The scope of my request was limited to communications with just two NDIA employees - E Ghezzi and A Lampit - only in relation to a single report that they prepared.
I anticipated that the majority of such communications would comprise email correspondence between and with these employees about this specific report. I cannot possibly see how the number of such communications reached a figure of 2,600 documents containing more than 5,200 pages, excluding attachments. Surely the number of emails reached the hundreds, at most. I imagine this could be confirmed through searches of your agency email software, which should be able to sift through E Ghezzi's and A Lampit's emails to produce a list of emails that relate only to this report.
Please provide further information about the breakdown of your estimate, as this might provide me with some indication upon which I might consider revising the scope of my request, if necessary.
Yours sincerely,
David Wright
Hi David,
Thank you for your response to my correspondence of 21 January 2025,
advising you of a ‘practical refusal reason’ under section 24AA of the FOI
Act.
To continue consultation under section 24AB you sought further information
about the breakdown of the estimate of documents which would likely be
relevant to your request following a preliminary search and consultation
with the relevant business areas.
The scope of your request seeks access (but not limited to) all email
correspondence with and between E. Ghezzi and A. Lampit about the National
Disability Insurance Agency 2023. Behaviourally based intervention for
children on the autism spectrum: A systematic review and dose-response
meta-analysis.' (version 2 - May 2023).
Based on this a request, to determine a preliminary estimate of the number
of documents that may be in scope, a request was submitted to the agencies
Data Team who conduct searches of electronic systems used by staff of the
agency, along the following parameters:
1^st Initial Data Search
Systems: Emails, Microsoft Teams chats, and OneDrive sites
Key stakeholders: Erica Ghezzi and Amit Lampit
Key terms: "behaviourally based intervention", "BBI", "autism",
"systematic review"
Date Range: 1 January 2022 - 4 November 2024
Number of documents located: 2,600
2^nd Initial Data Search
I have conducted a 2nd search with a condensed timeframe, along the
following parameters:
Systems: Emails, Microsoft Teams chats, and OneDrive sites
Key stakeholders: Erica Ghezzi and Amit Lampit
Key terms: "behaviourally based intervention", "BBI", "autism",
"systematic review"
Date Range: 1 April 2023 - 31 May 2023
Number of documents located resulting in just over 600
Noting the above results, I have since conducted a 3^rd Initial Data
Search
Systems: Emails
Key stakeholders: Erica Ghezzi and Amit Lampit
Key terms: "National Disability Insurance Agency 2023. Behaviourally based
intervention for children on the autism spectrum: A systematic review and
dose-response meta-analysis"
Date Range: 1 April 2023 - 31 May 2023
Number of documents : 0 documents located
The results of the 2^nd and 3^rd search still fall within the practical
refusal space.
Based on these results and additional advice from key line areas, I have
provided two processible scopes that fall within reasonable processing
grounds for an FOI request:
o All previous drafts of the report - "Behaviourally based intervention
for children on the autism spectrum: A systematic review and
dose-response meta-analysis" (version 2 - May 2023).
o A condensed timeframe for requested documentation – 1 month timeframe.
Please respond within the next 7 days, advising how you would like to
proceed with this request:
a. Withdraw your request
b. Make a revised request
c. Indicate that you do not wish to revise the request
During this period, you are welcome to seek assistance to revise your
request. If you revise your request in a way that adequately addresses the
practical refusal reason outlined above, we will recommence processing it.
Warm regards,
Cooper (CHH674)
Team Leader - Senior FOI Officer
Complaints Management & FOI Branch
General Counsel Division
National Disability Insurance Agency
E [1][NDIA request email]
[2]NDIA logo
Dear Cooper
Please provide documents in the one month timeframe leading up to when the report was finalised.
Yours sincerely,
David Wright