Good afternoon

Acknowledgement of receipt of Freedom of Information request

I refer to your request received by the Department of Health and Aged Care
(the department) for access to documents under the Freedom of Information
Act 1982 (FOI Act). You have requested access to:

I request the data collected from the COVIDSafe App

The reference number for your request is FOI-4202. Please ensure that you
quote this number in future correspondence with us concerning this
request.

Timeframes

Your request was received on 27 January 2023. The statutory timeframe
for processing your request is 30 calendar days and you should expect to
be notified of a decision from the department on or before 26 February
2023. The period of 30 days may be extended if the department needs to
consult third parties or for other reasons. We will advise you if this
happens.

Other information

The department may impose a charge for the work involved in providing
access to the documents.  If this request attracts a charge you will be
notified in writing.

Unless you advise otherwise:

·       any draft and duplicate documents will be excluded from the scope
of your request, and

·       any public service employee names below Senior Executive Service
level and direct telephone numbers of all staff will be excluded from the
scope of your request under s22(1)(a)(ii) of the FOI Act.

Please note that information released under the FOI Act may later be
published online on our disclosure log
[1]www.health.gov.au/resources/foi-disclosure-log, subject to certain
exceptions. (For example, personal information will not be published where
this would be unreasonable.)

You can contact the FOI team via email at [2][email address] or by phone
on 02 6289 1666, should you have any questions.

Kind regards,

Tegan

FOI Officer – Freedom of Information Section

Legal Advice and Legislation

Legal and Assurance Division | Corporate Operations Group

Australian Government, Department of Health and Aged Care

T: 02 6289 1666 | E: [3][email address]

PO Box 9848, Canberra ACT 2601, Australia

The Department of Health and Aged Care acknowledges the traditional owners
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 both past and present

From: Rex Banner <[FOI #9852 email]>
Sent: Friday, 27 January 2023 11:20 AM
To: FOI <[email address]>
Subject: Freedom of Information request - Data Collected from CovidSafe

REMINDER: Think before you click! This email originated from outside our
organisation. Only click links or open attachments if you recognise the
sender and know the content is safe.

Dear Department of Health,

I request the data collected from the COVIDSafe App.

Yours faithfully,

Rex Banner

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

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

[4][FOI #9852 email]

Is [5][Health request email] the wrong address for Freedom of Information
requests to Department of Health? If so, please contact us using this
form:

[6]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:

[7]https://www.righttoknow.org.au/help/offi...

Please note that in some cases publication of requests and responses will
be delayed.

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.

show quoted sections

Good afternoon,

I write in regards to your recent FOI request received by the Department
of Health and Aged Care (the department).

The department in reviewing your request notes its broad nature, for
example it includes all data including personal information data.

I confirm that we have liaised with our relevant business area and they
have advised that some of the COVIDSafe data you are seeking has been
deleted per the Privacy Act. This was following the Minister’s declaration
on the end of the COVID data period in August 2022. More information on
this topic and the declaration can be found [1]here.

Seeking Withdrawal of Request

Taking the above into consideration, we are seeking your agreement to
withdraw this current FOI request.

In accordance with subsection 15(3) of the FOI Act, should you wish to
submit a new request, we advise you to include a more specific scope.

You may wish to outline what specific information you are seeking from the
COVIDSafe App rather than “all data”, for example:

                Any statistics, that are not publicly available, held by
the department regarding the COVIDSafe application that does not include
personal information data

Alternatively, should you wish to proceed with your current request, the
department will provide you with a Notice of Decision, outlining that the
documents you are seeking are not held within the department.

If you require assistance to submit a new request, please contact the FOI
team on (02) 6289 1666 or by email at [2][Health request email].

Please advise your response to the withdrawal request as soon as
practicable, by COB Tuesday 14 February 2023.

Kind regards

Joanne

FOI Case Officer

Legal Advice and Legislation

Legal and Assurance Division | Corporate Operations Group

Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care

T: 02 6289 1666 | E: [3][Health request email]

PO Box 9848, Canberra ACT 2601, Australia

The Department of Health and Aged Care acknowledges First Nations peoples
as the Traditional Owners of Country throughout Australia, and their
continuing connection to land, sea and community. We pay our respects to
them and their cultures, and to all Elders both past and present.

From: Rex Banner <[FOI #9852 email]>
Sent: Friday, 27 January 2023 11:20 AM
To: FOI <[email address]>
Subject: TRIM: Freedom of Information request - Data Collected from
CovidSafe

REMINDER: Think before you click! This email originated from outside our
organisation. Only click links or open attachments if you recognise the
sender and know the content is safe.

Dear Department of Health,

I request the data collected from the COVIDSafe App.

Yours faithfully,

Rex Banner

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

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

[4][FOI #9852 email]

Is [5][Health request email] the wrong address for Freedom of Information
requests to Department of Health? If so, please contact us using this
form:

[6]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:

[7]https://www.righttoknow.org.au/help/offi...

Please note that in some cases publication of requests and responses will
be delayed.

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.

show quoted sections

Dear Mr Banner,

Thank you for your prompt reply. Your request has been withdrawn.

Please be in touch if we can be of further assistance.

Kind regards

Joanne

FOI Case Officer
Legal Advice and Legislation

Legal and Assurance Division | Corporate Operations Group
Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care
T: 02 6289 1666 | E: [Health request email]
PO Box 9848, Canberra ACT 2601, Australia
The Department of Health and Aged Care acknowledges First Nations peoples as the Traditional Owners of Country throughout Australia, and their continuing connection to land, sea and community. We pay our respects to them and their cultures, and to all Elders both past and present.

show quoted sections