Medical advices
Dear Department of Health,
I am requesting copies of :
- medical advices/studies received by the department in relation to COVID19/severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), and
- internal documents relating to the efficacy of measures in place as at 19 March 2020
Between 1 December 2019 to 19 March 2020.
Given the significant public interest I consider fees should be waived.
Yours faithfully,
Applicant
Dear Applicant,
I am writing to notify you that the Department of Health (department) has
received your request for access to documents under the Freedom of
Information Act 1982 (FOI Act) as follows:
‘I am requesting copies of :
- medical advices/studies received by the department in relation to
COVID19/severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), and
- internal documents relating to the efficacy of measures in place as at
19 March 2020
Between 1 December 2019 to 19 March 2020. ’
Request for extension of time
The department is actively processing your request and is aiming to
finalise it as quickly as possible. However, the department is currently
experiencing an increased workload to manage and respond to the
coronavirus pandemic, with a large amount of resources being diverted to
do so. The content of your request means that any documents that exist
would sit with the line area who has responsibility for the department’s
continued response to the coronavirus.
On this basis, the department is seeking an extension of 30 calendar days,
with a decision to be provided to you no later than COB 18 May 2020.
Next Steps
Could you please advise the department by COB 23 March 2020 if you agree
to the request for extension of time?
Kind regards
Bria
FOI Unit – FOI and Legislation Section
[1]cid:image003.png@01D51610.1D98D220
Legal & Assurance Division | Corporate Operations Group
Legal Advice & Legislation Branch
Australian Government Department of Health
T: 02 6289 1666 | E: [2][email address]
GPO Box 9848, Canberra ACT 2601, Australia
The Department of Health acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of
Australia and their continued connection to land, sea and community. We
pay our respects to all Elders past and present.
If you receive this email in error, please delete it and contact the
sender immediately.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Important: This transmission is intended only for the use of the
addressee and may contain confidential or legally privileged information.
If you are not the intended recipient, you are notified that any use or
dissemination of this communication is strictly prohibited. If you receive
this transmission in error please notify the author immediately and delete
all copies of this transmission."
References
Visible links
2. mailto:[email address]
Our reference: RQ20/01306
Agency reference: FOI 1606
FOI Applicant
Sent by email: [1][FOI #6245 email]
Extension of time application by the Department of Health
Dear FOI Applicant
I write to advise that on 19 March 2020, the Office of the Australian
Information Commissioner (the OAIC) received an application from the
Department of Health (the Department) for an extension of time to process
your FOI request.
The Department has applied for an extension of time under s 15AB of the
Freedom of Information Act 1982 (Cth) because your request is considered
to be voluminous and/or complex.
The Department has advised the OAIC that:
· the department has received a number of FOI requests on the
COVID-19 pandemic
· searches for documents for this FOI request, need to be
conducted by the line area responsible for the COVID-19 response
· the department is currently experiencing extreme demands on its
resources due to the COVID-19
· the department is actively seeking a solution to process the
large volumes of requests that relate to COVID- 19, however, is seeking an
extension of time so that staff members with an adequate knowledge base
can be sourced, and
· the decision maker of this request is currently unavailable due
to their responsibilities regarding the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Department has requested an extension for 30 days to 18 May 2020. The
decision maker will take any comments you may have to make into account
when deciding the application.
Please respond to this email by close of business 3 April 2020. Please do
not hesitate to contact us before this date should you require further
time to provide your response. If I do not hear from you by this date, the
decision maker will proceed to make a decision on the basis of the
information provided to me by the Department.
You will be notified of the decision once the matter has been finalised.
Further information about extension of time requests may be found on our
website at [2]Extensions of time.
Contact
If you have any questions, please contact me via email
[3][email address]. In all correspondence please include
reference number RQ20/01306.
Yours sincerely
[4]O A I C logo Elise Funnell | Assistant
Advisor
Freedom of Information
Office of the Australian
Information Commissioner
GPO Box 5218 Sydney NSW 2001 |
[5]oaic.gov.au
+61 2 9284 9632 |
[6][email address]
[10]Subscribe [11]Subscribe to
[7]Facebook | [8]LinkedIn | [9]Twitter | icon Information
Matters
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WARNING: The information contained in this email may be confidential.
If you are not the intended recipient, any use or copying of any part
of this information is unauthorised. If you have received this email in
error, we apologise for any inconvenience and request that you notify
the sender immediately and delete all copies of this email, together
with any attachments.
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References
Visible links
1. mailto:[FOI #6245 email]
2. https://www.oaic.gov.au/freedom-of-infor...
3. mailto:[email address]
4. https://www.oaic.gov.au/
5. http://www.oaic.gov.au/
6. mailto:[email address]
7. http://www.facebook.com/OAICgov
8. https://www.linkedin.com/company/office-...
9. https://twitter.com/OAICgov
11. https://www.oaic.gov.au/media-and-speech...
Our reference: RQ20/01306
Agency reference: 1606
Applicant
Sent by email: [FOI #6245 email]
Extension of time under s 15AB
Dear Applicant
Please find attached my decision of today’s date regarding the
Department’s extension of time application.
kind regards
[1][IMG] Shelley Napper | Assistant
Director (A/g)
Freedom of information
Office of the Australian
Information Commissioner
GPO Box 5218 Sydney NSW 2001 |
[2]oaic.gov.au
+61 2 9284 9721 |
[3][email address]
[7]Subscribe [8]Subscribe to
[4]Facebook | [5]LinkedIn | [6]Twitter | icon Information
Matters
[9][IMG]
***********************************************************************
WARNING: The information contained in this email may be confidential.
If you are not the intended recipient, any use or copying of any part
of this information is unauthorised. If you have received this email in
error, we apologise for any inconvenience and request that you notify
the sender immediately and delete all copies of this email, together
with any attachments.
***********************************************************************
References
Visible links
1. https://www.oaic.gov.au/
2. http://www.oaic.gov.au/
3. mailto:[email address]
4. http://www.facebook.com/OAICgov
5. https://www.linkedin.com/company/office-...
6. https://twitter.com/OAICgov
8. https://www.oaic.gov.au/media-and-speech...
9. https://www.oaic.gov.au/s/paw2020/
Dear Applicant,
I refer to your request of 19 March 2020 to the Department of Health
(department) where you are seeking access under the Freedom of
Information Act 1982 (Cth) (FOI Act) to the following documents:
‘I am requesting copies of :
- medical advices/studies received by the department in relation to
COVID19/severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), and
- internal documents relating to the efficacy of measures in place as at
19 March 2020
Between 1 December 2019 to 19 March 2020.’
The Department of Health’s COVID-19 Modelling papers have been made
publically available and can be found at the link below.
[1]https://www.health.gov.au/news/modelling...
On that basis, can please confirm if you would like to withdraw your
request, or if you would prefer the department to continue processing your
request to a formal decision.
If the department does not hear from you by COB 14 April indicating your
preferred way forward, we will consider your request withdrawn.
Please contact the FOI Unit on (02) 6298 1666 or [2][email address] if
you have any questions.
Kind regards,
FOI Officer
FOI Unit - FOI and Legislation Support Section
[3]cid:image003.png@01D51610.1D98D220
Legal & Assurance Division | Corporate Operations Group
Legal Advice & Legislation Branch
Australian Government Department of Health
T: 02 6289 1666 | E: [4][email address]
GPO Box 9848, Canberra ACT 2601, Australia
The Department of Health acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of
Australia and their continued connection to land, sea and community. We
pay our respects to all Elders past and present.
If you receive this email in error, please delete it and contact the
sender immediately
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Important: This transmission is intended only for the use of the
addressee and may contain confidential or legally privileged information.
If you are not the intended recipient, you are notified that any use or
dissemination of this communication is strictly prohibited. If you receive
this transmission in error please notify the author immediately and delete
all copies of this transmission."
References
Visible links
1. https://www.health.gov.au/news/modelling...
2. mailto:[email address]
4. mailto:[email address]