Dear Mr Kern

Thank you for your email to Services Australia dated 21 February 2020. You
have requested the following:

‘…I am interested in obtaining statistics on the number of critical
incidents per service officer in the form of first name, employee id,
total number of critical incidents recorded on cases assigned to this
service officer during all service time.

In a form like: Jane, UB55Y, 666’.

I have considered your request, and have determined it to be invalid for
the purposes of the FOI Act. This is because you have requested
information, rather than documents.

I note you have requested statistical information. For advice and
assistance in relation to statistics, I recommend reviewing the
information provided on the Services Australia website here:
https://www.servicesaustralia.gov.au/org....
This website provides relevant contact points within Services Australia to
email your data request. 

Making a valid request

Should you wish to make a request under the Freedom of Information Act
1982 (FOI Act), your request should:

·         be in writing and state that it is for the purposes of the FOI
Act;

·         have a return address; and

·         relevantly, be a request for documents with enough information
to enable Services Australia to identify it.

If you have any freedom of information related questions please email
[1][email address].  

Kind regards

Freedom of Information Team

Employment Law and Freedom of Information Branch | Legal Services Division

Services Australia

Please note:  This email and any attachments may contain information
subject to legal professional privilege or information that is otherwise
sensitive or confidential. If you are not the intended recipient of this
email, you are prohibited from using or disseminating this communication.
If you have received this communication in error please notify the sender
immediately and permanently delete this email.

-----Original Message-----
From: Anatoly Kern <[FOI #6176 email]>
Sent: Friday, 21 February 2020 12:37 PM
To: FOI.LEGAL.TEAM <[email address]>
Subject: Freedom of Information request - Critical incidents per service
officer

Dear Department of Human Services/Services Australia,

I am aware that the Child Support agency of Services Australia keeps a
separate record of critical incidents.

I am interested in obtaining statistics on the number of critical
incidents per service officer in the form of first name, employee id,
total number of critical incidents recorded on cases assigned to this
service officer during all service time.

In a form like: Jane, UB55Y, 666.

Yours faithfully,

Anatoly Kern

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Please use this email address for all replies to this request:

[2][FOI #6176 email]

Is [3][DHS request email] the wrong address for Freedom of
Information requests to Department of Human Services? If so, please
contact us using this form:

[4]https://www.righttoknow.org.au/change_re...

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:

[5]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.

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References

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hide quoted sections

Dear Mr Kern

Please find attached correspondence in relation to your request, made
under the Freedom of Information Act 1982 (FOI Act).

Kind regards

Freedom of Information Team

Employment Law and Freedom of Information Branch | Legal Services Division

Services Australia

Email: [email address]

Please note:  This email and any attachments may contain information
subject to legal professional privilege or information that is otherwise
sensitive or confidential. If you are not the intended recipient of this
email, you are prohibited from using or disseminating this communication.
If you have received this communication in error please notify the sender
immediately and permanently delete this email.

-----Original Message-----
From: Anatoly Kern <[FOI #6176 email]>
Sent: Thursday, 5 March 2020 7:13 AM
To: FOI.LEGAL.TEAM <[email address]>
Subject: Re: LEX 52706 - Your Enquiry - Request for Statistics
[SEC=OFFICIAL]

Dear FOI.LEGAL.TEAM,

Rhetorics, rhetorics...

Let me rephrase the request in the following form:

"I am aware that Child Support department records separately critical
incidents. I am looking for the documents related to these records"

Yours sincerely,

Anatoly Kern

-----Original Message-----

Dear Mr Kern

Thank you for your email to Services Australia dated 21 February 2020.
You  have requested the following:

‘…I am interested in obtaining statistics on the number of critical 
incidents per service officer in the form of first name, employee id, 
total number of critical incidents recorded on cases assigned to this 
service officer during all service time.

In a form like: Jane, UB55Y, 666’.

I have considered your request, and have determined it to be invalid for 
the purposes of the FOI Act. This is because you have requested 
information, rather than documents.

I note you have requested statistical information. For advice and 
assistance in relation to statistics, I recommend reviewing the 
information provided on the Services Australia website here:

[1]https://www.servicesaustralia.gov.au/org....

This website provides relevant contact points within Services Australia
to  email your data request.

Making a valid request

Should you wish to make a request under the Freedom of Information Act

1982 (FOI Act), your request should:

·         be in writing and state that it is for the purposes of the FOI

Act;

·         have a return address; and

·         relevantly, be a request for documents with enough information

to enable Services Australia to identify it.

If you have any freedom of information related questions please email 
[1][email address]. 

Kind regards

Freedom of Information Team

Employment Law and Freedom of Information Branch | Legal Services Division

Services Australia

Please note:  This email and any attachments may contain information 
subject to legal professional privilege or information that is otherwise 
sensitive or confidential. If you are not the intended recipient of this
 email, you are prohibited from using or disseminating this communication.

If you have received this communication in error please notify the sender 
immediately and permanently delete this email.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Please use this email address for all replies to this request:

[2][FOI #6176 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:

[3]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: This e-mail is for the use of the intended recipient only and
may contain information that is confidential, commercially valuable and/or
subject to legal or parliamentary privilege. If you are not the intended
recipient you are notified that any review, re-transmission, disclosure,
dissemination or other use of, or taking of any action in reliance upon,
this information is prohibited and may result in severe penalties. If you
have received this e-mail in error please notify the sender immediately
and delete all electronic and hard copies of this transmission together
with any attachments. Please consider the environment before printing this
e-mail
**********************************************************************

References

Visible links
1. https://www.servicesaustralia.gov.au/org...
2. mailto:[FOI #6176 email]
3. https://www.righttoknow.org.au/help/offi...

hide quoted sections

Dear Mr Kern

Thank you for your prompt response.

So that we can assist you with your request, please clarify what you mean
by the term 'critical incident'?

We cannot supply you with a list of documents, as we do not know what you
mean by 'critical incident'.

As we mentioned in our formal consultation with you on 18 March 2020,
'critical incident' is not a term used by Services Australia. This term
could

could be understood to mean:

•         serious customer aggression incidents;

•         armed hold up or hostage situations;

•         the death of any person in or closely connected to the
workplace;

•         major fires or emergency events; or

•         reported incidents of threats of self-harm by a person.

Please confirm whether you are seeking access to documents relating to one
or more of the above ‘critical incidents’?

Alternatively, please advise whether you are seeking access to documents
relating to some other type of ‘critical incident’, and specify the nature
of the incident?

I note that as you have not revised your request. We are still consulting
with you within the ‘consultation period’ outside of the 30 day processing
period.

Kind regards

Freedom of Information Team

Employment Law and Freedom of Information Branch | Legal Services Division

Services Australia

Email: [email address]

-----Original Message-----

From: Anatoly Kern <[FOI #6176 email]>

Sent: Thursday, 19 March 2020 6:52 PM

To: FOI.LEGAL.TEAM <[email address]>

Subject: Re: LEX 53336 - Your FOI request - s24AB notice [SEC=OFFICIAL]

Dear FOI.LEGAL.TEAM,

What is so secretive about critical incidents that you keep coming with
excuses?

I can't clarify the specific documents because I am not aware what they
are.

If the department can provide a list of the documents related to the
recordings of the critical incidents I can narrow the scope of the
request.

Yours sincerely,

Anatoly Kern

-----Original Message-----

Dear Mr Kern

Please find attached correspondence in relation to your request, made 
under the Freedom of Information Act 1982 (FOI Act).

Kind regards

Freedom of Information Team

Employment Law and Freedom of Information Branch | Legal Services Division

Services Australia

Email: [email address]

Please note:  This email and any attachments may contain information 
subject to legal professional privilege or information that is otherwise 
sensitive or confidential. If you are not the intended recipient of this 
email, you are prohibited from using or disseminating this communication.

If you have received this communication in error please notify the sender 
immediately and permanently delete this email.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Please use this email address for all replies to this request:

[FOI #6176 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: This e-mail is for the use of the intended recipient only and
may contain information that is confidential, commercially valuable and/or
subject to legal or parliamentary privilege. If you are not the intended
recipient you are notified that any review, re-transmission, disclosure,
dissemination or other use of, or taking of any action in reliance upon,
this information is prohibited and may result in severe penalties. If you
have received this e-mail in error please notify the sender immediately
and delete all electronic and hard copies of this transmission together
with any attachments. Please consider the environment before printing this
e-mail
**********************************************************************

hide quoted sections

Dear Mr Kern

Thank you for clarifying the meaning of the term “critical incidents” in
your request. The processing timeframe for this request has recommenced.

At this stage, you can expect a decision by 9 April 2020.

Kind regards

Freedom of Information Team

Employment Law and Freedom of Information Branch | Legal Services Division

Services Australia

Email: [1][email address]

This email and any attachments may contain information subject to legal
professional privilege or information that is otherwise sensitive or
confidential. If you are not the intended recipient of this email, you are
prohibited from using or disseminating this communication. If you have
received this communication in error please notify the sender immediately
and permanently delete this email.

-----Original Message-----
From: Anatoly Kern <[FOI #6176 email]>
Sent: Monday, 23 March 2020 7:21 PM
To: FOI.LEGAL.TEAM <[email address]>
Subject: RE: LEX 53336 - Your FOI request - s24AB notice [SEC=OFFICIAL]

Dear FOI.LEGAL.TEAM,

"'critical incident' is not a term used by Services Australia."

To the best of my limited knowledge, it is used by Child Support
department for referring to the death of the child support payers, which
was clarified during 2017 BUDGET ESTIMATES questioning time (as HS 39
(SQ17-000120)) per below:

a) Does the child support keep records of the deaths of child support
payers?

a) Yes. The Department currently records the date of death for active
cases (parents with an ongoing liability) and ended cases with outstanding
child support payable (paying parent has no ongoing assessment but still
has an outstanding child support debt).

The Department does not record reasons of death.

Yours sincerely,

Anatoly Kern

-----Original Message-----

Dear Mr Kern

Thank you for your prompt response.

So that we can assist you with your request, please clarify what you mean 
by the term 'critical incident'?

We cannot supply you with a list of documents, as we do not know what you 
mean by 'critical incident'.

As we mentioned in our formal consultation with you on 18 March 2020, 
'critical incident' is not a term used by Services Australia. This term 
could

could be understood to mean:

•         serious customer aggression incidents;

•         armed hold up or hostage situations;

•         the death of any person in or closely connected to the 
workplace;

•         major fires or emergency events; or

•         reported incidents of threats of self-harm by a person.

Please confirm whether you are seeking access to documents relating to
one  or more of the above ‘critical incidents’?

Alternatively, please advise whether you are seeking access to documents 
relating to some other type of ‘critical incident’, and specify the
nature  of the incident?

I note that as you have not revised your request. We are still consulting 
with you within the ‘consultation period’ outside of the 30 day
processing  period.

Kind regards

Freedom of Information Team

Employment Law and Freedom of Information Branch | Legal Services Division

Services Australia

Email: [email address]

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Please use this email address for all replies to this request:

[2][FOI #6176 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:

[3]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: This e-mail is for the use of the intended recipient only and
may contain information that is confidential, commercially valuable and/or
subject to legal or parliamentary privilege. If you are not the intended
recipient you are notified that any review, re-transmission, disclosure,
dissemination or other use of, or taking of any action in reliance upon,
this information is prohibited and may result in severe penalties. If you
have received this e-mail in error please notify the sender immediately
and delete all electronic and hard copies of this transmission together
with any attachments. Please consider the environment before printing this
e-mail
**********************************************************************

References

Visible links
1. mailto:[email address]
2. mailto:[FOI #6176 email]
3. https://www.righttoknow.org.au/help/offi...

hide quoted sections

Dear Mr Kern,

Please find attached the decision letter for your recent FOI Request LEX
53336.

Many thanks,

Freedom of Information Legal Team

Employment Law and Freedom of Information Branch

Legal Services Division I Services Australia

*: [1][email address]

This email and any attachments may contain information subject to legal
professional privilege or information that is otherwise sensitive or
confidential. If you are not the intended recipient of this email, you are
prohibited from using or disseminating this communication. If you have
received this communication in error please notify the sender immediately
and permanently delete this email.

**********************************************************************
IMPORTANT: This e-mail is for the use of the intended recipient only and
may contain information that is confidential, commercially valuable and/or
subject to legal or parliamentary privilege. If you are not the intended
recipient you are notified that any review, re-transmission, disclosure,
dissemination or other use of, or taking of any action in reliance upon,
this information is prohibited and may result in severe penalties. If you
have received this e-mail in error please notify the sender immediately
and delete all electronic and hard copies of this transmission together
with any attachments. Please consider the environment before printing this
e-mail
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References

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hide quoted sections