Information and documents regarding decision to reduce funding for Music Therapy
Dear National Disability Insurance Agency,
I am seeking the following documents related to the decision to reduce the funding for Music Therapy:
- Research and/or evidence used to inform the decision
- Internal correspondence related to this decision
- Documents and/or correspondence of consultation with peak bodies, including the Australian Music Therapy Association
Yours faithfully,
Jane Doe
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Kind regards
Freedom of Information Team
Complaints Management & FOI Branch
General Counsel Division
National Disability Insurance Agency
E [11][NDIA request email]
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Australia and their continuing connection to land, sea and community. We
pay our respects to them and their cultures and to Elders past, present
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Dear Jane Doe
Freedom of Information Request: Acknowledgement
Thank you for your request of 6 December 2024, made under the Freedom of
Information Act 1982 (FOI Act), for copies of documents held by the
National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA).
Scope of your Request
You have requested access to:
“…I am seeking the following documents related to the decision to reduce
the funding for Music Therapy:
- Research and/or evidence used to inform the decision
- Internal correspondence related to this decision
- Documents and/or correspondence of consultation with peak bodies,
including the Australian Music Therapy Association…”
Irrelevant Information
Section 22 of the FOI Act allows an Agency to redact information from
documents if that information would reasonably be regarded as irrelevant
to a request for access.
Given the nature of your request, it does not seem that NDIA staff
members’ surnames and contact details would be relevant to you. Can you
please send me a reply email confirming that such details are irrelevant
to your request for access?
Processing Timeframes
In accordance with section 15(5)(b) of the FOI Act, a 30-day statutory
period for processing your request commenced from 7 December 2024. This
30-day period expires on 6 January 2025.
The 30-day period can be extended in a number of ways, including with your
agreement.
Unfortunately, it is currently taking us a little longer than 30 days to
process FOI requests due to a very high volume. I am therefore seeking
your agreement to a 30-day extension of time under section 15AA of the FOI
Act. If you agree to this extension, the new due date for us to decide on
your request will be 5 February 2025.
If you do not agree and we are unable to process your request within the
30-day period, we will be deemed to have refused your request and you will
not have a right to seek internal review of that decision. You will,
however, retain your right to external review by the Australian
Information Commissioner.
Please let us know if you agree by Friday 20 December 2024.
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Regards
Cindy – CGN062
Senior Freedom of Information Officer
Complaints Management & FOI Branch
General Counsel Division
National Disability Insurance Agency
E [2][NDIA request email]
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Australia and their continuing connection to land, sea and community. We
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-----Original Message-----
From: Jane Doe [6][FOI #12497 email]
Sent: Friday, 6 December 2024 10:54 AM
To: foi [7][NDIA request email]
Subject: Freedom of Information request - Information and documents
regarding decision to reduce funding for Music Therapy
[You don't often get email from
[8][FOI #12497 email]. Learn why this is
important at [9]https://aka.ms/LearnAboutSenderIdentific... ]
Dear National Disability Insurance Agency,
I am seeking the following documents related to the decision to reduce the
funding for Music Therapy:
- Research and/or evidence used to inform the decision
- Internal correspondence related to this decision
- Documents and/or correspondence of consultation with peak bodies,
including the Australian Music Therapy Association
Yours faithfully,
Jane Doe
**********************************************************************
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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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Dear Jane Doe
I am writing regarding your request to the National Disability Insurance
Agency (NDIA) under the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act for access to
documents regarding music therapy.
You may be interested to know that on 13 December 2024, the NDIA announced
it is commissioning an independent review of appropriate NDIS pricing for
music and art supports, based on available evidence.
The NDIA has deferred releasing updated operational guidance regarding
decision making on therapy supports while the review is ongoing. This
means that the NDIA will continue to apply existing pricing arrangements
for art and music therapy. Any proposed changes will not come into force
until the review is completed and the relevant findings are considered.
If you wish to withdraw your request considering this announcement, please
let us know as soon as possible. If we do not hear from you, the NDIA will
continue to process your application.
More details about the review, including the Terms of Reference, are
available on our website at
[1]www.ndis.gov.au/news/10530-independent-review-ndis-funded-music-and-art-supports.
Yours sincerely
Cindy – CGN062
Senior Freedom of Information Officer
Complaints Management & FOI Branch
General Counsel Division
National Disability Insurance Agency
E [2][NDIA request email]
[3]NDIA logo
[4]LGBTIQA+ rainbow graphic
The NDIA acknowledges the Traditional Custodians 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 past, present
and emerging.
[5]Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags graphic
**********************************************************************
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.ndis.gov.au/news/10530-indep...
2. mailto:[NDIA request email]
Dear foi,
Thank you for the update. I have seen the recent announcement, however prior to this announcement the decision had been made to reduce funding.
As a result, I am still seeking the documentation requested above.
Yours sincerely,
Jane Doe