Thank you for contacting the Freedom of Information (FOI) team in Services
Australia (the Agency).

 
This email acknowledges your correspondence and provides some general
information in relation to FOI.
 
FOI – Extension of time request
Under the Freedom of Information Act 1982 (FOI Act) you have a right, with
limited exceptions, to access documents the Agency holds. The Agency has
30 days to process an FOI request. Please note this period may be extended
if we need to consult third parties or for other reasons. We will advise
you if this happens.
Administrative release of documents  
The Agency has administrative access arrangements ('the arrangements') for
the release of certain documents without the need for a formal FOI
request. If you agree to the release of documents under these
arrangements, we may provide you with documents under the arrangements,
where appropriate. 
                                                                 
Any parts of your FOI request that are addressed by documents being
released under the arrangements will be considered withdrawn. The
arrangements do not extend to information or materials of third parties.
You will be notified when documents are released to you under the
arrangements.
 
Personal information of Agency staff
We consider staff details to be personal information of those staff
members. As part of the FOI application process, we will seek your consent
to exclude the following information from documents that may be captured
by your request: 
•names of Services Australia staff below the Senior Executive level
(junior staff)
•direct staff telephone numbers, signatures, logon identifiers and email
addresses.
 
If you consent to exclude this information, we will treat it as outside
the scope of your request and therefore irrelevant under Section 22 of the
FOI Act.
 
Charges
No charge is payable for providing a person with their own personal
information.
If you are requesting non-personal information the Agency will advise you
as soon as practicable if a charge is payable to process your request, and
the amount of any such charge.
 
How we will send documents to you
We typically use this email address to send documents related to your FOI
request unless you have specifically requested to receive them via post.
However, we might seek your consent to deliver the documents
electronically if it is deemed more suitable.
 
How long do I have to wait?
We are required to answer your request within 30 days unless the time
frame is extended under the FOI Act. 

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Dear Samantha,

Please find attached an acknowledgement letter dated 14 January 2025 in
relation to your request for access to documents under the Freedom of
Information Act 1982.

Extension of time request

The Agency is unlikely to be in a position to notify you of a decision by
the current due date of 6 February 2025. If a decision is not notified to
you within time, your request will be deemed to be refused by operation of
the FOI Act. The Agency will still continue to process your request as a
Statement of Reasons, however you will unfortunately lose your internal
review rights. Our objective for this extension of time request is to
ensure the decision and documents relevant to your request are released on
time under the FOI Act, thus maintaining your internal review rights.

On this basis, I respectfully request an extension of time of 14 days to
process your request. The effect of the extension would mean the new
decision due date would be 20 February 2025. If we are able to process
your request and provide you with a decision before this date, we will do
so.

Administrative arrangements

The Agency has administrative access arrangements ('the arrangements') for
the release of certain documents without the need for a formal FOI
request. If you agree to the release of documents under these
arrangements, we may provide you with documents under the arrangements,
where appropriate. Any parts of your FOI request that are addressed by
documents released under the arrangements will be considered withdrawn.

Action

If you agree to the extension of time, it would be greatly appreciated if
you could please respond to this email stating ‘I agree to the extension
of time’.

Please confirm whether you agree to receive documents where appropriate
under the arrangements by responding to this email with “I agree to
receive documents under the administrative arrangements”.

A response by close of business 17 January 2025, so we may continue
processing your request, would be appreciated.

Yours sincerely,

Alyssa, Authorised FOI Decision Maker

Freedom of Information and Reviews Branch, Legal Services

[1]Visual brand element showing Services Australia progress symbol to left
with Services Australia wording to the right of the symbol. Underneath is
servicesaustralia.gov.au and icons representing our social media accounts.
To follow us on social media go to servicesaustralia.gov.au/socialmedia
Aligning the bottom of the signature block is the Services Australia
indigenous artwork strip consisting of cultural elements depicting our
agency’s progress story for First Nations people.

Services Australia acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of the lands we
live on. We pay our respects to all Elders, past and present, of all
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander nations.

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