Dear Mr Smith

The Department of the Environment and Energy (the Department) considers
your FOI request to be substantially the same as your earlier request (FOI
170402) received on 4 April 2017.

The terms of both requests are compared below.

Before processing this request, the Department asks that you confirm how
you wish to proceed, by either:

 1. Advising that you wish to withdraw your request made on 20 May 2017
and will await a decision on your request of 4 April 2017; or
 2. Explaining how this request differs from your 4 April 2017 request. If
you choose this path, the Department will assist you with revising the
scope of your request.

If you do not take one of the above actions by COB 26 May 2017, the
Department will continue to process your request on its current wording,
and this may result in substantially similar decision to that which will
be made on your request of 4 April 2017.

Please don’t hesitate to contact the Department’s FOI team to discuss
further.

20 May 2017 FOI request 4 April 2017 FOI request (ref:
FOI 170402)
1. Justify to the relevant decision 2. Any documents sent to the
maker the use of all, or particular, relevant decision maker(s) who
characteristics of the voting employees, approved the use of the data that
including, but not limited to employee was used in the ballots.
location, APS level, business area,
gender, full-time/part-time, casual,
etc.
2. Explain any benefits to you, as 4. Any documents which mention
employer, in obtaining breakdowns of any benefits to the department or to
of the characteristics. the bargaining process in
obtaining a breakdown of votes.
3. Justify the reasons for using the 3. Any documents which explain
particular voter characteristics used in the rational for obtaining
ballots. breakdowns of votes
4. Are put to, or created by, the 5. Any documents between the
departmental Executive, or the SES departmental bargaining team and
responsible for bargaining, and make any the departmental Executive which
reference to any breakdowns of discuss breakdowns of votes and
particular voter characteristics, for suggest how that information
any purpose. should be used or otherwise taken
into consideration by the
department.
5. Give notice to employees prior to the 1. All documents sent to all
ballots to explain what information was employees which explain what
to be used in the ballot process. information about them was passed
onto the ballot provider for each
ballot.
  6. Any documents from the APSC
that mention what information
about employees can or should be
used in ballots.

Kind regards

FOI Contact Officer | Climate Change, Science and Corporate Legal
Section |General Counsel Branch
Department of the Environment and Energy
a: GPO Box 787 CANBERRA ACT 2600
t: (02) 6274 2603 
e: [1][Department of the Environment and Energy request email]

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