Thank you for contacting the Freedom of Information (FOI) inbox of the
Commonwealth Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and
Indigenous Affairs (FaHCSIA). Your email, should it be a request for
access to documents under the Freedom of Information Act 1982, will be
actioned by the appropriate team member. 　

If your email is for any other enquiry you should direct it to
[1][email address]. It will not be actioned from this inbox.

GENERAL INFORMATION

If you are seeking general information about FOI, you may find the
following websites useful:

[2]http://www.fahcsia.gov.au/contact/freedo...

[3]http://www.oaic.gov.au/freedom-of-inform...

PROCESS

An FOI officer has received your email and it will be actioned
accordingly. In the case of a valid FOI request, you can expect us to
provide an acknowledgment that the request has been received as soon as
practicable, but in any case no later than 14 days after today.

REQUESTS OUTSIDE OFFICE HOURS

Please note that if this message has been received outside our business
hours of 9am to 5pm (Eastern Standard Time), Monday to Friday or on
a public holiday, your request will be actioned on the next business day.

Kind regards,

FaHCSIA FOI Team
Email: [4][email address]　
Telephone: (02) 6146 3170
Fax: (02) 6204 9445

 

References

Visible links
1. mailto:[email address]
2. http://www.fahcsia.gov.au/contact/freedo...
3. http://www.oaic.gov.au/freedom-of-inform...
4. mailto:[email address]

Dear Mr Bennett

 

I refer to your application of 10 July 2013, in which you seek access
under the Freedom of Information Act 1982 (FOI Act) to documents regarding
the Home Energy Saver Scheme (HESS)/No Interest Loan Scheme (NILS), in
particular:

 

‘… documents or outline amounts of funding paid to Good Shepherd
Microfinance so far in 2013, relating to the administration of the
NILS/HESS subsidy scheme. This request refers to amounts paid for NILS
administration costs and not subsidy payments’.

 

Scope of request

You have indicated that you are interested in funding paid to Good
Shepherd Microfinance in 2013 to date. You have also indicated you are
interested in administration costs under NILS and not subsidy payments. 
However, the Department has undertaken preliminary searches to ascertain
whether it holds documents in relation to your request. Financial
acquittal reporting for 2013 has not yet been received, and as such, it
appears that no documents relevant to your request exist at this time.

 

I note that information relating to grants and funding awarded by the
Department is available [1]here.  In particular, refer to page 456 of the
Grants Funding – PDF.

 

Accordingly, I would be grateful if you could confirm whether you are
seeking access to documents regarding funding paid to Good Shepherd
Microfinance in 2013 (which as advised above, do not exist at this time),
or, documents relating to the administration of the HESS/NILS subsidy
scheme by Good Shepherd Microfinance.

 

Processing timeframe

We received your request on 10 July 2013 and the 30 day statutory period
for processing your request commenced from the day after that date. 
Accordingly, the due date for notification of a decision to you is 9
August 2013. The processing timeframe may also be extended if we need to
consult third parties or for other reasons and we will advise you if this
happens.

 

Other issues

You will be notified of any charges in relation to your request as soon as
possible, before we process any requested documents or impose a final
charge.

 

Please note that information released under the FOI Act may later be
published online on our [2]disclosure log, subject to certain exemptions.

 

If you have any questions regarding the above, please don’t hesitate to
contact me.

 

Kind regards

Lauren.

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

Lauren Haywood | Legal Officer

Information Law

FaHCSIA Legal

Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs
P: 02 6146 3593| F: 02 6133 8686 | E: [3][email address]

show quoted sections

9 August 2013

 

Mr Christopher Bennett

Via Right to Know website

 

By email: [1][FOI #292 email]

 

Dear Mr Bennett

 

Freedom of Information (FOI) Request No. 13/14-003

1.       The purpose of this letter is to notify you of our decision
regarding access to documents you requested, via the Right to Know
website, under the Freedom of Information Act 1982 (FOI Act).

BACKGROUND

2.       I am an officer authorised under section 23(1) of the FOI Act to
make decisions in relation to FOI requests.

3.       By email dated 10 July 2013, you sought access under the FOI Act
to:

‘…documents or outline amounts of funding paid to Good Shepherd
Microfinance so far in 2013, relating to the administration of the
NILS/HESS subsidy scheme. This request refers to amounts paid for NILS
Administration costs and not subsidy payments.’

DECISION AND REASONS FOR DECISION

4.       No documents have been identified as falling within the scope of
your request. Accordingly, I have decided to refuse your request.

Material taken into account

5.       I have taken the following material into account in making my
decision:

(a)          searches undertaken for any documents within the scope of
your request;

(b)          relevant provisions of the FOI Act (in particular section
24A); and

(c)           the Guidelines issued by the Australian Information
Commissioner under s93A of the FOI Act (FOI Guidelines).

Section 24A of the FOI Act

6.       Subsection 24A(1) of the FOI Act provides that a request for
documents may be refused if all reasonable steps have been taken to find
the documents and the agency or Minister is satisfied that the document is
either in the agency’s or Minister’s possession but cannot be found or the
agency or Minister is satisfied that the document does not exist.

7.       In order to locate any documents within the scope of your
request, the relevant line area within the Department undertook thorough
searches of relevant hard copy and electronic files.  The searches
undertaken reveal that the Department does not hold any documents that
fall within the scope of your request at this time. 

8.       I am satisfied that all reasonable steps have been taken to find
any relevant documents and that at this time, no documents within the
scope of your request exist.

9.       Accordingly, your request is refused under ss24A(1)(a) and
24A(1)(b)(ii) of the FOI Act.

YOUR REVIEW RIGHTS

10.   If you are dissatisfied with my decision, you may apply for internal
review or Information Commissioner review of the decision. The Information
Commissioner is of the view that it is usually better for a person to seek
internal review of an agency decision before applying for an Information
Commissioner review, as it may provide a more rapid resolution of your
concerns. 

Internal review

11.   Under section 54 of the FOI Act, you may apply in writing to the
Department for an internal review of my decision. The internal review
application must be made within 30 days of the date of this letter.

12.   Where possible please attach reasons why you believe review of the
decision is necessary. The internal review will be carried out by another
officer within 30 days.

Information Commissioner review

13.   Under section 54L of the FOI Act, you may apply to the Australian
Information Commissioner to review my decision. An application for review
by the Information Commissioner must be made in writing within 60 days of
the date of this letter, and be lodged in one of the following ways:

                Online:                
[2]https://forms.australia.gov.au/forms/oai...

                Email:                    [3][email address]

Post:                      GPO Box 2999, Canberra ACT 2601

                In person:           Level 3, 175 Pitt Street, Sydney NSW

 

14.   More information about Information Commissioner review is available
on the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner website. Go to:

[4]www.oaic.gov.au/foi-portal/review_complaints.html#foi_merit_reviews.

FURTHER INFORMATION

15.   I note that no amounts of funding have been paid to Good Shepherd
Microfinance in 2013. Further information relating to grants and funding
awarded by the Department is available via the following link:
[5]http://www.fahcsia.gov.au/grants-funding.... In particular,
refer to page 456 of the Grants Funding – PDF.

16.   Please do not hesitate to contact me if you would like to discuss
this decision.

Yours sincerely

Lauren Haywood

Legal Officer

Public Law Branch

 

 

References

Visible links
1. mailto:[FOI #292 email]
2. https://forms.australia.gov.au/forms/oai...
3. mailto:[email address]
4. http://www.oaic.gov.au/foi-portal/review...
5. http://www.fahcsia.gov.au/grants-funding...