FOI charges letters

CR made this Freedom of Information request to Department of Home Affairs as part of a batch sent to 10 authorities

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Currently waiting for a response from Department of Home Affairs, they should respond promptly and normally no later than October 31, 2024 (details).

Dear Department of Home Affairs,

I request access to the following documents under the Freedom of Information Act 1982:

1. The most recent 30 notices of charges issued to FOI applicants.

For each of these 30 requests, if applicable, please also provide:

2. Any subsequent decisions regarding charges following applicant contention.

3. Any subsequent decisions regarding charges following internal or external review.

Please exclude the following information:

i) Personal information of FOI applicants.

Yours faithfully,

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References

OFFICIAL: Sensitive
Personal-Privacy

In reply please quote:

FOI Request: FA 24/10/00102

File Number: FA24/10/00102

Dear CR

Acknowledgement of Freedom of Information Access request

This letter acknowledges that on 1 October 2024 the Department of Home
Affairs (the Department) received your request to access documents held
by the Department under the Freedom of Information Act 1982 (the FOI
Act). This letter also provides important information about your request.

Scope of request

You have requested access to the following:

I request access to the following documents under the Freedom of
Information Act 1982:

1. The most recent 30 notices of charges issued to FOI applicants.

For each of these 30 requests, if applicable, please also provide:
2. Any subsequent decisions regarding charges following applicant
contention
3. Any subsequent decisions regarding charges following internal or
external review.

Please exclude the following information:
i) Personal information of FOI applicants.
.

Your request has been allocated FOI request number FA 24/10/00102. Please
include your FOI request number in all correspondence with the Freedom of
Information Section.

Timeframe

The timeframe for processing a request is 30 days from the day we receive
your request, as set out in the FOI Act.

Your review rights in relation to your request are available on [1]Freedom
of information reviews | OAIC.

Fees and Charges

Charges do not apply to requests from individuals seeking access to
documents about themselves. However, a charge may apply to all other
requests for access to documents.

Charges are based on the amount of time the Department spends on your
request. Charges can range from $10 to over $1,000 depending on the
complexity and scope of your request. The Office of the Australian
Information Commissioner reported that across the public service, the
average charge notified was $335.50 in 2020-21.

If a charge applies, you will be issued with a Notice of Charge that
explains the charge and your options.

Detailed information about FOI charges that may apply to your FOI request
is available on [2]the Department’s website.

We do not provide personal details of staff or non-public facing
operational email addresses

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Released documents you request may be published to our website.

Where documents are released to you in response to your request, the
Department may be required to publish these documents on its website
within 10 working days in accordance with section 11C of the FOI Act.
Publication will not be required where the documents contain personal or
business affairs information.

How to reduce or withdraw your request

Reducing the scope of your request can reduce the time and charges
associated with processing your FOI request.

To reduce or withdraw your request, contact the FOI section at
[3][Department of Home Affairs request email] and include your FOI request number.

Contacting the FOI Section

Should you wish to discuss your request you may contact the FOI Section at
[Department of Home Affairs request email].

Kind Regards

David
Team Leader – Authorised FOI Officer, Freedom of Information
Position Number 60157647

Privacy, FOI and Records Management Branch

Legal Group

Department of Home Affairs

E: [4][Department of Home Affairs request email]

Personal-Privacy
OFFICIAL: Sensitive

-----Original Message-----
From: CR <[FOI #12119 email]>
Sent: Tuesday, 1 October 2024 5:56 PM
To: FOI <[Department of Home Affairs request email]>
Subject: Freedom of Information request - FOI charges letters

Dear Department of Home Affairs,

I request access to the following documents under the Freedom of
Information Act 1982:

1. The most recent 30 notices of charges issued to FOI applicants.

For each of these 30 requests, if applicable, please also provide:

2. Any subsequent decisions regarding charges following applicant
contention.

3. Any subsequent decisions regarding charges following internal or
external review.

Please exclude the following information:

i) Personal information of FOI applicants.

Yours faithfully,

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

[5][FOI #12119 email]

Is [6][Department of Home Affairs request email] the wrong address for Freedom of Information
requests to Department of Home Affairs? If so, please contact us using
this form:

[7]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:

[8]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.

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References

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1. https://www.oaic.gov.au/freedom-of-infor...
2. https://www.homeaffairs.gov.au/access-an...
3. mailto:[Department of Home Affairs request email]
4. mailto:[Department of Home Affairs request email]
5. mailto:[FOI #12119 email]
6. mailto:[Department of Home Affairs request email]
7. https://www.righttoknow.org.au/change_re...
8. https://www.righttoknow.org.au/help/offi...

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Dear FOI Officer,

I am writing to amend the scope of my FOI request to assist with its processing.

As I wish to access only recent charge decisions, I have introduced a time frame and clarified the exclusions. I confirm the revised scope of my request as follows:

1. The most recent 30 notices of charges issued to FOI applicants.

For each of these 30 requests, if applicable, please also provide:

2. Any subsequent decisions regarding charges following applicant contention.

3. Any subsequent decisions regarding charges following internal or external review.

The time period for my request is from 1 July 2022 to 1 October 2024.

Please exclude the following information:

i) Personal information of FOI applicants, including supporting evidence or details of personal circumstances in a financial hardship contention.

ii) Emails that attached the charges notices/decision letters.

Please feel free to contact me if you require any clarification or have further questions regarding this request.

Yours sincerely,

Dear FOI Team,

I wish to provide clarification as to the scope of my request.

If a preliminary charge notice or decision of a charge is sent via the body of an email (as opposed to an email attachment) I wish to access a copy of that email, as well as the applicant's contention reasons.

Yours sincerely,

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Right to Know

FOI charges letters

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