Documents Relating to the Sharing of DVA Client Information
Dear FOI Officer,
I am making this request for access to documents under the Freedom of Information Act 1982 (Cth).
I seek access to any and all documents, records, data, and supporting material held by [Name of Agency] concerning the sharing of personal information originating from the Department of Veterans’ Affairs (DVA) over the last ten years. This includes any data transfers from or to the DVA, whether they were one-off exchanges or ongoing, systematic transfers of DVA client information, including personal, medical, financial, or service-related details concerning veterans or their dependents.
I am interested in obtaining a comprehensive understanding of what DVA client information [Authority name] has received or accessed and for what purposes. Specifically, I request:
All records of data sharing arrangements between DVA and [Authority name], including but not limited to memoranda of understanding, service-level agreements, emails, letters, meeting minutes, file transfer logs, internal reports, and instructions that outline what data was shared, when it was shared, and the format or system used for the transfer.
Any policies, procedures, guidelines, or frameworks that govern how [Authority name] requests, obtains, stores, handles, or uses DVA client information. This includes documents that detail the criteria for approving access to such data, any consent or authorization processes, security controls, and retention or destruction policies.
Copies of any ethics committee approvals, privacy impact assessments, internal review board decisions, or other documents that reflect deliberations or authorizations for obtaining DVA client information. This includes records that show the agency considered the ethical, legal, or privacy implications of receiving or using DVA client data.
Documents that outline the intended uses or practical applications of the DVA client data, such as project proposals, business cases, internal strategy papers, or briefings that explain why [Authority name] sought access to this information, how it was intended to be integrated into the agency’s operations, and any expected outcomes or benefits.
A representative sample (in a suitably de-identified or redacted form) of the data or data fields received, so long as providing this sample does not breach any exemption under the FOI Act. The purpose is to understand the nature and granularity of the information shared, without disclosing identifiable personal details.
If the only data [Authority name] received pertains solely to data linked to the Centrelink Confirmation eServices (CCeS) arrangements as described at https://www.servicesaustralia.gov.au/cen..., and there were no other forms of DVA data shared, then no CCeS-related data needs to be provided under this request.
I emphasize that I am not authorizing the transfer of this FOI request to the Department of Veterans’ Affairs or any other agency. If [Authority name] holds the requested information, it should provide it directly. If there are parts of this request that [Name of Agency] does not understand or believes are not held, I invite you to contact me to clarify or refine the scope under section 24AB of the FOI Act, rather than initiating a transfer. However, I do not consent to the transfer of this request to another entity. The FOI Act places the onus on agencies to process requests for documents they hold, and I expect [Authority name] to meet its responsibilities in this regard.
I note that the statutory timeframe for processing FOI requests is 30 days from the date of receipt. I do not consent to any extension of time due to internal reduced activity periods, holiday stand-down periods, or other internal operational issues. If [Authority name] considers that it cannot meet the 30-day timeframe, it may seek an extension from the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner as provided under section 15AB of the FOI Act. I request to be notified if such an application is made.
If you consider any part of this request too broad or complex, please contact me promptly to discuss refining its scope. I remain willing to consider adjustments that will assist efficient processing, provided that they occur within the statutory timeframe and do not undermine the substance of what I am seeking.
I believe that disclosure of these documents is in the public interest, as it promotes transparency and accountability in how government agencies access and use sensitive personal information about veterans. Should you consider charges applicable, I request that you exercise your discretion to reduce or waive them, given the importance of the matter and its alignment with the principles of open government and public accountability.
I look forward to receiving your acknowledgment and decision within the statutory timeframe. Please contact me at the details below if you require further clarification.
Yours sincerely,
Nosey
OFFICIAL
Dear Ms Rosey,
Thank you for submitting a request through the FOI portal. As currently
worded, your request is not valid because it does not specify the agency
from which you are seeking documents. As Treasury administers FOI requests
on behalf of the Department of the Treasury as well as a number of its
portfolio agencies, we require the specific agency to be identified to
locate the documents you are seeking.
Accordingly, please specify the agency to which your request is directed.
Kind regards,
Freedom of Information Officer
The Treasury
Ph: +61 2 6263 2800
e: [1][email address]
The Department of the Treasury (the Treasury) 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 in order to contact you about your request or
privacy complaint. 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 6263 1384 or
via e-mail [2][email address]. You can find further information
about how the Treasury handles personal information in the Treasury’s
[3]privacy policy.
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
contained within the email or attachments.
OFFICIAL
Dear Freedom of Information Officer,
Thank you for your response. I note that the Department of the Treasury administers Freedom of Information (FOI) requests on behalf of several agencies. My request is intended to cover all agencies and departments for which the Treasury has administrative responsibilities in processing FOI requests. As I am seeking records held by any relevant agency under your portfolio that may have accessed or received data from the Department of Veterans’ Affairs (DVA), I request that you identify and consult with all such agencies to determine whether they hold the documents I seek.
If it assists in processing my request efficiently, please consider distributing the request to any and all Treasury-managed agencies that may possess relevant data. I understand that you may need to consult with these entities to identify and locate the records. I do not, however, consent to a formal transfer of the request to the DVA or any other agency outside the Treasury’s FOI remit. Instead, I ask that the Treasury coordinate the search across all agencies it manages and provide the results directly to me, in accordance with the statutory provisions of the FOI Act.
If any clarification is required or if you believe there is any way in which I can further refine this request, please contact me promptly so that we can resolve any issues within the statutory timeframe. Thank you for your consideration, and I look forward to your assistance in obtaining these documents.
Yours sincerely,
Nosey
OFFICIAL
Dear Ms Rosey,
While the Treasury FOI team administers requests on behalf of a number of its portfolio agencies, those agencies are separate agencies for the purposes of the FOI Act.
Accordingly, you are required to submit separate requests for each agency you would like to seek documents from, clearly identifying the agency each request is directed to.
Further, while we note you do not consent to transfer of a request to a different agency, the FOI Act does not require such consent to transfer a request under section 16 of the FOI Act. Accordingly, where you submit a valid FOI request and that request is considered to sit more appropriately with another agency, Treasury may seek transfer of that request.
Kind regards,
Freedom of Information Officer
The Treasury
Ph: +-61 2 6263 2800
e: foi+AEA-treasury.gov.au
The Department of the Treasury (the Treasury) 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 in order to contact you about your request or privacy complaint. 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 6263 1384 or via e-mail privacy+AEA-treasury.gov.au. You can find further information about how the Treasury handles personal information in the Treasury+IBk-s privacy policy.
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 contained within the email or attachments.
OFFICIAL
Dear Freedom of Information Officer,
Thank you for your response dated 17 December 2024. I acknowledge your clarification that the Treasury’s portfolio agencies are considered separate entities under the Freedom of Information Act 1982 (Cth).
In accordance with section 15(3) of the FOI Act, which places an obligation on agencies to assist applicants in making a valid request, I respectfully request that you provide a list of the agencies or departments within the Treasury’s remit. This information will assist me in refining my request and ensuring that it is directed to the appropriate entities.
By providing the names of the relevant portfolio agencies, the Treasury can fulfil its statutory obligation to assist me in lodging valid requests, as required by the Act. This approach will facilitate efficient processing and reduce unnecessary administrative back-and-forth.
I look forward to your prompt assistance in this matter. Should you require further clarification, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Yours sincerely,
Nosey
OFFICIAL
Dear Ms Rosey,
Thank you for your reply. As Treasury manages FOI matters on an ad hoc basis for a number of its portfolio agencies, we are unable to provide a definitive list of the agencies within Treasury's portfolio to which the Treasury FOI team provides secretarial support in managing their FOI matters.
We recommend you consider which agency you are most interested in and clearly address your request to that agency. For further information about Treasury's portfolio agencies, please visit our website at the following link:
https://treasury.gov.au/the-department/a...
As some agencies listed at the link above manage their own FOI requests, we recommend you visit the agency website to determine the correct email address to direct your request to. For example, if you are interested in documents held by the Australian Taxation Office, you will need to submit your request to FOI+AEA-ato.gov.au. However, if you are seeking documents from the Australian Office of Financial Management, you can submit your request to FOI+AEA-treasury.gov.au.
Kind regards,
Freedom of Information Officer
The Treasury
Ph: +-61 2 6263 2800
e: foi+AEA-treasury.gov.au
The Department of the Treasury (the Treasury) 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 in order to contact you about your request or privacy complaint. 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 6263 1384 or via e-mail privacy+AEA-treasury.gov.au. You can find further information about how the Treasury handles personal information in the Treasury+IBk-s privacy policy.
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 contained within the email or attachments.
OFFICIAL
Dear Freedom of Information Officer,
Thank you for your response dated 23 December 2024, and for providing the link to Treasury’s portfolio agencies. While I appreciate your guidance, I respectfully note that section 15(3) of the Freedom of Information Act 1982 (Cth) obligates agencies to assist applicants in refining requests to ensure they are directed appropriately.
Reaffirmation of Request
I maintain that my FOI request is directed to the Department of the Treasury and any portfolio agencies for which Treasury manages FOI matters, particularly agencies that may have received or accessed data from the Department of Veterans’ Affairs (DVA) over the past ten years. If Treasury believes this approach is not feasible, I request the department:
Internal Coordination
Direct my request to the appropriate portfolio agencies under its management where relevant documents are most likely to exist.
Clarification Assistance
Provide detailed examples of portfolio agencies under Treasury’s FOI remit that are most relevant to the scope of this request, including those related to financial governance, economic planning, or inter-agency data sharing.
Processing Expectation
I trust Treasury will coordinate internally with any relevant portfolio agencies where necessary, in accordance with its responsibilities under the FOI Act. I kindly request confirmation on how the department intends to proceed with processing my request.
Thank you for your assistance, and I look forward to receiving further clarification or confirmation of the next steps.
Yours sincerely,
Nosey
Link: [1]File-List
Link: [2]themeData
Link: [3]colorSchemeMapping
OFFICIAL
Dear Ms Rosey,
Thank you for your email below. As previously advised to you, requests for
documents under the Freedom of Information Act must clearly identify the
agency to which you are directing your request. If you would like to seek
documents held by more than one agency, you must submit each request
separately, clearly identifying the agency the request is directed to.
Accordingly, we are unable to process your request as it relates to
portfolio agencies.
In order to commence processing your request as it relates to Treasury,
please confirm the below scope is correct:
I seek access to any and all documents, records, data, and supporting
material held by [Treasury] concerning the sharing of personal information
originating from the Department of Veterans’ Affairs (DVA) over the last
ten years. This includes any data transfers from or to the DVA, whether
they were one-off exchanges or ongoing, systematic transfers of DVA client
information, including personal, medical, financial, or service-related
details concerning veterans or their dependents.
... Specifically, I request:
All records of data sharing arrangements between DVA and [Treasury],
including but not limited to memoranda of understanding, service-level
agreements, emails, letters, meeting minutes, file transfer logs, internal
reports, and instructions that outline what data was shared, when it was
shared, and the format or system used for the transfer.
Any policies, procedures, guidelines, or frameworks that govern how
[Treasury] requests, obtains, stores, handles, or uses DVA client
information. This includes documents that detail the criteria for
approving access to such data, any consent or authorization processes,
security controls, and retention or destruction policies.
Copies of any ethics committee approvals, privacy impact assessments,
internal review board decisions, or other documents that reflect
deliberations or authorizations for obtaining DVA client information. This
includes records that show the agency considered the ethical, legal, or
privacy implications of receiving or using DVA client data.
Documents that outline the intended uses or practical applications of the
DVA client data, such as project proposals, business cases, internal
strategy papers, or briefings that explain why [Treasury] sought access to
this information, how it was intended to be integrated into the agency’s
operations, and any expected outcomes or benefits.
A representative sample (in a suitably de-identified or redacted form) of
the data or data fields received, so long as providing this sample does
not breach any exemption under the FOI Act. The purpose is to understand
the nature and granularity of the information shared, without disclosing
identifiable personal details.
If the only data [Authority name] received pertains solely to data linked
to the Centrelink Confirmation eServices (CCeS) arrangements as described
at
[4]https://aus01.safelinks.protection.outlo...,
and there were no other forms of DVA data shared, then no CCeS-related
data needs to be provided under this request.
Your request will be taken to have been received upon receipt of your
confirmation of the above scope.
Kind regards,
Freedom of Information Officer
The Treasury
Ph: +61 2 6263 2800
e: [5][email address]
The Department of the Treasury (the Treasury) 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 in order to contact you about your request or
privacy complaint. 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 6263 1384 or
via e-mail [6][email address]. You can find further information
about how the Treasury handles personal information in the Treasury’s
[7]privacy policy.
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
contained within the email or attachments.
OFFICIAL
Dear FOI Officer,
Thank you for your most recent response, which I received on 7 January 2025. I note that you are requesting confirmation of the proposed scope to proceed with the processing of my Freedom of Information (FOI) request.
While I acknowledge your clarification, I believe the request is being unduly delayed, particularly as it relates to the scope of your internal responsibilities. It appears this approach may be an attempt to circumvent the statutory processing timeframe, especially given the holiday period. I must reiterate that the FOI Act stipulates clear obligations for agencies to process requests within 30 days from the date they are deemed valid and to assist applicants in refining their requests if necessary.
As I initially submitted my FOI request on 14 December 2024, and confirmation was provided by your department that the matter relates to your agency's responsibilities, I will consider this request deemed valid from the date your team confirmed the applicability of the request to your department's remit. If a decision is not reached within 30 days from that point, I will view the matter as a deemed refusal and proceed to refer it to the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) for review.
I trust this matter will be prioritised appropriately to avoid further delay. Should you require any further clarification, I remain available to assist within the statutory guidelines.
Yours sincerely,
Nosey
OFFICIAL
Dear Ms Rosey,
Treasury has made its position clear and will not engage further on the matter. Further, we have taken reasonable steps to assist you to submit a valid request, including with regards to how to submit requests to Treasury portfolio agencies and providing a valid scope to you for confirmation.
To date, we do not consider a valid request has been submitted. Accordingly, no further action will be taken in relation to your matter.
Kind regards,
Freedom of Information Officer
The Treasury
Ph: +-61 2 6263 2800
e: foi+AEA-treasury.gov.au
The Department of the Treasury (the Treasury) 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 in order to contact you about your request or privacy complaint. 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 6263 1384 or via e-mail privacy+AEA-treasury.gov.au. You can find further information about how the Treasury handles personal information in the Treasury+IBk-s privacy policy.
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 contained within the email or attachments.
OFFICIAL