National Redress Scheme
Karren Hazledine made this Freedom of Information request to Minister for Social Services
This request has been closed to new correspondence from the public body. Contact us if you think it ought be re-opened.
Dear Minister for Social Services,
Please provide documentation which was used to establish the above scheme.
In particular the recommendations and reports from consultants who recommend the payment amounts of $10k to $150k as being sufficient to provide an individual who was sexually assaulted whilst in care as a child.
I would like to know why their families are not included in the compensation.
The scheme appears to be designed to protect the perpetrators balance sheet.
Karren Hazledine
Thank you for contacting the Freedom of Information (FOI) inbox of the
Australian Department of Social Services (the Department). Your email,
should it be a request for access to documents under the
Freedom of Information Act 1982, will be actioned by the DSS FOI Team.
If your email is for any other type of 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.dss.gov.au/contact/freedom-of...
[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 you with an acknowledgment that the request has been received
within 14 days. We may contact you earlier if we need to discuss
particular aspects of your request.
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
DSS FOI Team
Email: [4][Minister for Social Services request email]
References
Visible links
1. mailto:[email address]
2. http://www.dss.gov.au/contact/freedom-of...
3. http://www.oaic.gov.au/freedom-of-inform...
4. mailto:[Minister for Social Services request email]
Dear Ms Hazledine
I refer to your below correspondence received by the Minister for Families
and Social Services on 23 September 2019, in which you requested access
under the Freedom of Information Act 1982 (FOI Act) to certain documents.
The subject matter of your request closely relates to the functions of the
Department of Social Services (DSS).
I am writing to inform you that your request has been transferred to DSS
under the provisions of section 16 of the FOI Act on the basis that your
request more closely relates to the responsibilities and functions of the
Department.
Unless you advise otherwise, drafts, duplicate documents and the names,
contact details and signatures of non-Senior Executive Service (SES)
staff, as well as mobile phone numbers and signatures of SES staff, will
be excluded from the scope of your request under s22(1)(b)(ii) of the FOI
Act. If you do require these details, please inform us within five days of
this email so that the decision maker can consider your request.
The statutory period for processing your request is 30-days commencing
from the day after your request was received. Accordingly, the deadline
for notifying you of the Department’s decision on access is 23 October
2019.
You will be notified as soon as possible if a charge is associated with
processing your request.
The Department will correspond with you by email in relation to your FOI
request. Should you have any queries about this matter, please do not
hesitate to make contact by email to [1][Minister for Social Services request email]
Kind regards
Strategic Coordination Section
Government and Executive Services Branch
Department of Social Services
E: [email address]
DSS acknowledges the traditional owners 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 both past and
present.
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Hi Karren,
We have started document searches for your FOI request below.
I wanted to let you know that we have interpreted the scope of your
request as:
Any reports from consultants who recommended the payment amounts for the
National Redress Scheme
If this does not capture the documents you are seeking, please let me know
as soon as possible so we can amend it. Otherwise, we will be in touch by
23 October 2019 with a decision on your request.
Kind regards,
Melanie
Dr Melanie Beacroft
Assistant Director, Freedom of Information and Portfolio Appointments
Strategic Coordination Section
Government and Executive Services Branch
Department of Social Services
P: 02 6146 0348 | E: [1][email address]
[2][Minister for Social Services request email]
[3][email address]
The Department of Social Services acknowledges the traditional owners of
country throughout Australia, and their continuing connection to land,
water and community. We pay our respects to them and their cultures, and
to Elders both past and present.
From: FOI <[Minister for Social Services request email]>
Sent: Monday, 23 September 2019 11:30 AM
To: Karren Hazledine <[FOI #5647 email]>
Cc: FOI <[Minister for Social Services request email]>
Subject: FOI Request 19/20-039 [SEC=OFFICIAL]
Dear Ms Hazledine
I refer to your below correspondence received by the Minister for Families
and Social Services on 23 September 2019, in which you requested access
under the Freedom of Information Act 1982 (FOI Act) to certain documents.
The subject matter of your request closely relates to the functions of the
Department of Social Services (DSS).
I am writing to inform you that your request has been transferred to DSS
under the provisions of section 16 of the FOI Act on the basis that your
request more closely relates to the responsibilities and functions of the
Department.
Unless you advise otherwise, drafts, duplicate documents and the names,
contact details and signatures of non-Senior Executive Service (SES)
staff, as well as mobile phone numbers and signatures of SES staff, will
be excluded from the scope of your request under s22(1)(b)(ii) of the FOI
Act. If you do require these details, please inform us within five days of
this email so that the decision maker can consider your request.
The statutory period for processing your request is 30-days commencing
from the day after your request was received. Accordingly, the deadline
for notifying you of the Department’s decision on access is 23 October
2019.
You will be notified as soon as possible if a charge is associated with
processing your request.
The Department will correspond with you by email in relation to your FOI
request. Should you have any queries about this matter, please do not
hesitate to make contact by email to [4][Minister for Social Services request email]
Kind regards
Strategic Coordination Section
Government and Executive Services Branch
Department of Social Services
E: [5][email address]
DSS acknowledges the traditional owners 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 both past and present.
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Dear FOI,
Thank you to everyone for responding so quickly.
I am trying to understand why the compensation amounts are so low. Sexual abuse of a child has long lasting consequences. I was only 5 years old, and I have only just discovered why I was so vulnerable. I think when these decisions are made, those making them are removed and don’t understand the psychological effects of being abused by persons trusted to protect them. For me personally it meant I was not only raped 4 times, I was also heavily victimised at work. Had I not been sexually abused during a school photograph which led to further abuse then I would have achieved much more then I achieved.
$135k is less then what I was earning when I had a stress breakdown and we now understand why I had that stress breakdown.
Any information that you can provide including if the scheme can be reviewed and amended to reflect the real needs of the victims is appreciated
Yours sincerely,
Karren Hazledine
Thank you for contacting the Freedom of Information (FOI) inbox of the
Australian Department of Social Services (the Department). Your email,
should it be a request for access to documents under the
Freedom of Information Act 1982, will be actioned by the DSS FOI Team.
If your email is for any other type of 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.dss.gov.au/contact/freedom-of...
[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 you with an acknowledgment that the request has been received
within 14 days. We may contact you earlier if we need to discuss
particular aspects of your request.
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
DSS FOI Team
Email: [4][Minister for Social Services request email]
References
Visible links
1. mailto:[email address]
2. http://www.dss.gov.au/contact/freedom-of...
3. http://www.oaic.gov.au/freedom-of-inform...
4. mailto:[Minister for Social Services request email]
Good afternoon Ms Hazledine,
Please find attached the department’s decision in relation to your recent
FOI request.
Kind regards
Strategic Coordination Section
Government and Executive Services Branch
Department of Social Services
E: [email address]
DSS acknowledges the traditional owners 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 both past and
present.
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