Composition of FOI area
Verity Pane made this Freedom of Information request to Department of Veterans' Affairs
This request has been closed to new correspondence from the public body. Contact us if you think it ought be re-opened.
Dear Department of Veterans' Affairs,
Under s 17 of the FOI Act I seek a one page document to be complied from information held in your HR information system and any other applicable data systems or holdings, detailing the APS level and DVA office location of all current department FOI delegates (and seperately, reconsideration delegates, if there are any who have no original decision duties).
If a delegate also has duties other than FOI duties, can you also provide a estimated percentage proportion of their time spent on FOI activities.
Details such as names re not required, just APS employment level, office location, and proportion of FOI duties if employee performs other roles as well.
Yours faithfully,
Verity Pane
Dear Verity Pane
I refer to your request for access to documents set out in your email below.
We received your request on 18 April 2018 and the 30 day statutory period for processing your request commenced from the day after that date. You should therefore expect a decision by 18 May 2018.
If you have any questions, please contact us using the following details:
Post: GPO Box 9998 CANBERRA ACT 2601
Facsimile: (02) 6289 6337
Email: [email address]
Kind regards
Information Law Team
-----Original Message-----
From: Verity Pane [mailto:[FOI #4512 email]]
Sent: Wednesday, 18 April 2018 3:48 PM
To: FOI <[email address]>
Subject: Freedom of Information request - Composition of FOI area [TO BE CLASSIFIED]
Dear Department of Veterans' Affairs,
Under s 17 of the FOI Act I seek a one page document to be complied from information held in your HR information system and any other applicable data systems or holdings, detailing the APS level and DVA office location of all current department FOI delegates (and seperately, reconsideration delegates, if there are any who have no original decision duties).
If a delegate also has duties other than FOI duties, can you also provide a estimated percentage proportion of their time spent on FOI activities.
Details such as names re not required, just APS employment level, office location, and proportion of FOI duties if employee performs other roles as well.
Yours faithfully,
Verity Pane
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[FOI #4512 email]
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Dear Unnamed FOI delegate of DVA (but typically Alexander Gent),
Thank you for your acknowledgement. I will await your FOI decision.
Yours sincerely,
Verity Pane
Dear Verity Pane
I refer to your freedom of information request dated 18 April 2018. Please find attached a decision in response to your request.
Regards
Information Law Team
______________________________________________________________________
IMPORTANT
1. Before opening any attachments, please check for viruses.
2. This e-mail (including any attachments) may contain confidential information
for the intended recipient. If you are not the intended recipient,
please contact the sender and delete all copies of this email.
3. Any views expressed in this e-mail are those of the sender and are not
a statement of Australian Government Policy unless otherwise stated.
4. Electronic addresses published in this email are not conspicuous publications and DVA does not consent to the receipt of commercial electronic messages.
5. To unsubscribe from emails from the Department of Veterans' Affairs (DVA) please go to
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Dear Position Number No Names No Pack Drill,
I apply for internal review, before IC Review if required, for your decision, which is contrary to the FOI Act.
You admit the information sought is available in your HR information system, and therefore is an obligation under s 17 to compile, but refuse on invalid grounds that there is no predefined report to produce that information sought at a push of a button.
The key part of s 17 is *produce* (or compile) - it obliges the agency whether or not an existing report query template exists. While an agency can argue that to manually compile would be an excessive burden (and would have to provide evidence to that effect), you have not done so, you simply refuse on the basis you can’t press one button and spit out something that mets some or all of the information sought (and I find it ridiculous that that a claim that a position report in your HRIS system of the Information Law area where all your FOI staff reside couldn’t meet at least some of the scope, for partial satisfaction). That is unlawful.
Yours sincerely,
Verity Pane
Dear Verity Pane,
We acknowledge receipt of your request for internal review of the 18 May 2018 FOI decision (FOI 22031). In accordance with section 54C of the Freedom of Information Act 1982, the Department has 30 days in which to review the decision. A decision will be provided to you on or before Wednesday, 20 June 2018.
Regards,
Information Law team.
-----Original Message-----
From: Verity Pane [mailto:[FOI #4512 email]]
Sent: Monday, 21 May 2018 1:28 PM
To: INFORMATION.ACCESS <[email address]>
Subject: RE: Freedom of Information request - Composition of FOI area [TO BE CLASSIFIED] [SEC=UNCLASSIFIED]
Dear Position Number No Names No Pack Drill,
I apply for internal review, before IC Review if required, for your decision, which is contrary to the FOI Act.
You admit the information sought is available in your HR information system, and therefore is an obligation under s 17 to compile, but refuse on invalid grounds that there is no predefined report to produce that information sought at a push of a button.
The key part of s 17 is *produce* (or compile) - it obliges the agency whether or not an existing report query template exists. While an agency can argue that to manually compile would be an excessive burden (and would have to provide evidence to that effect), you have not done so, you simply refuse on the basis you can’t press one button and spit out something that mets some or all of the information sought (and I find it ridiculous that that a claim that a position report in your HRIS system of the Information Law area where all your FOI staff reside couldn’t meet at least some of the scope, for partial satisfaction). That is unlawful.
Yours sincerely,
Verity Pane
-----Original Message-----
Dear Verity Pane
I refer to your freedom of information request dated 18 April 2018. Please find attached a decision in response to your request.
Regards
Information Law Team
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Please use this email address for all replies to this request:
[FOI #4512 email]
This request has been made by an individual using Right to Know. This message and any reply that you make will be published on the internet. More information on how Right to Know works can be found at:
https://www.righttoknow.org.au/help/offi...
If you find this service useful as an FOI officer, please ask your web manager to link to us from your organisation's FOI page.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
______________________________________________________________________
IMPORTANT
1. Before opening any attachments, please check for viruses.
2. This e-mail (including any attachments) may contain confidential information
for the intended recipient. If you are not the intended recipient,
please contact the sender and delete all copies of this email.
3. Any views expressed in this e-mail are those of the sender and are not
a statement of Australian Government Policy unless otherwise stated.
4. Electronic addresses published in this email are not conspicuous publications and DVA does not consent to the receipt of commercial electronic messages.
5. To unsubscribe from emails from the Department of Veterans' Affairs (DVA) please go to
http://www.dva.gov.au/contact_us/Pages/f...
, and advise which mailing list you would like to unsubscribe from.
6. Finally, please do not remove this notice.
Dear Verity Pane,
I refer to your request for internal review outlined below and attach a decision in relation to this matter.
Regards,
Information Law team.
-----Original Message-----
From: Verity Pane [mailto:[FOI #4512 email]]
Sent: Monday, 21 May 2018 1:28 PM
To: INFORMATION.ACCESS <[email address]>
Subject: RE: Freedom of Information request - Composition of FOI area [TO BE CLASSIFIED] [SEC=UNCLASSIFIED]
Dear Position Number No Names No Pack Drill,
I apply for internal review, before IC Review if required, for your decision, which is contrary to the FOI Act.
You admit the information sought is available in your HR information system, and therefore is an obligation under s 17 to compile, but refuse on invalid grounds that there is no predefined report to produce that information sought at a push of a button.
The key part of s 17 is *produce* (or compile) - it obliges the agency whether or not an existing report query template exists. While an agency can argue that to manually compile would be an excessive burden (and would have to provide evidence to that effect), you have not done so, you simply refuse on the basis you can’t press one button and spit out something that mets some or all of the information sought (and I find it ridiculous that that a claim that a position report in your HRIS system of the Information Law area where all your FOI staff reside couldn’t meet at least some of the scope, for partial satisfaction). That is unlawful.
Yours sincerely,
Verity Pane
-----Original Message-----
Dear Verity Pane
I refer to your freedom of information request dated 18 April 2018. Please find attached a decision in response to your request.
Regards
Information Law Team
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Please use this email address for all replies to this request:
[FOI #4512 email]
This request has been made by an individual using Right to Know. This message and any reply that you make will be published on the internet. More information on how Right to Know works can be found at:
https://www.righttoknow.org.au/help/offi...
If you find this service useful as an FOI officer, please ask your web manager to link to us from your organisation's FOI page.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
______________________________________________________________________
IMPORTANT
1. Before opening any attachments, please check for viruses.
2. This e-mail (including any attachments) may contain confidential information
for the intended recipient. If you are not the intended recipient,
please contact the sender and delete all copies of this email.
3. Any views expressed in this e-mail are those of the sender and are not
a statement of Australian Government Policy unless otherwise stated.
4. Electronic addresses published in this email are not conspicuous publications and DVA does not consent to the receipt of commercial electronic messages.
5. To unsubscribe from emails from the Department of Veterans' Affairs (DVA) please go to
http://www.dva.gov.au/contact_us/Pages/f...
, and advise which mailing list you would like to unsubscribe from.
6. Finally, please do not remove this notice.