Thank you for your email.

 

You have contacted the Freedom of Information (FOI) team of the Department
of Social Services (the Department).

 

If your email relates to an FOI application made under the
Commonwealth Freedom of Information Act 1982 (FOI Act), the Department
will respond to you as soon as practicable.

 

Please note the Department is subject to a shutdown period from 12:30pm on
Friday, 23 December 2022 to Monday, 2 January 2023 (inclusive).  During
this time, this mailbox will not be monitored. We appreciate your patience
as we attend to your email on our return. 

 

As the FOI team will not be able to process your FOI request during the
shutdown period, we anticipate seeking a short 15-day extension of time
from you under section 15AA of the FOI Act. We would be grateful if you
could respond to this email, indicating whether you agree to this
extension of time (if we have not already asked you). 

 

Further information about FOI is available on our website
at: [1]https://www.dss.gov.au/about-the-departm...

 

This email address is for applications under the FOI Act only. The
Department is unable to respond to non-FOI related enquiries sent to this
email address and accordingly, any correspondence received that is not FOI
related will not be responded to or forwarded. Should you have a query
unrelated to FOI, please complete our [2]online feedback, enquiry or
compliment form on our website or call 1800 634 035.

 

With regards

References

Visible links
1. https://www.dss.gov.au/about-the-departm...
2. https://www.dss.gov.au/contact/feedback-...

Dear Ms Reynolds,

We refer to your correspondence below received by the Department of Social
Services (the Department) on 17 December 2022. 

 

The Department is unable to determine the precise scope of your request
under the Freedom of Information Act 1982 (Cth) (FOI Act).

 

Paragraph 15(2)(b) of the FOI Act requires a FOI request to “provide such
information concerning the document as is reasonably necessary to enable a
responsible officer of the agency, or the Minister, to identify it.”

 

The right of access under the FOI Act is to documents, or to information
contained in documents (as defined in section 4 of the FOI Act) in the
possession of the Department at the time of the request. It appears from
your request that you seek information that is not available in discrete
form in written documents in the possession of the Department. Section 17
of the FOI Act provides for limited circumstances in which the Department
may be able to produce a written document containing the information in
discrete form.

 

Further, the definition of “document” in section 4 of the FOI Act excludes
“material maintained for reference purposes that is otherwise publicly
available”.  It also appears to us that you may be seeking information
that may be publically available.

 

On the basis stated above, we consider that your request is not a valid
FOI request. As it is not a valid FOI request, the time for processing
your request has not yet commenced.

 

Next steps

 

In accordance with paragraph 15(3)(b) of the FOI Act, we are required to
take reasonable steps to assist you to make a valid FOI request that,
amongst other things, allows us to identify the nature of the documents 
you are seeking, and we are happy to do so.

 

Accordingly, we would be grateful if you could provide further information
about what documents you are seeking from the Department.

 

You state you are seeking (we have added numbers for our reference):

 1. “the number of people who have died of COVID from the start of 2020 to
the present.”

 

 2. “how many people have died who were on the:

 

- Disability Support Pension

- Carers Payment

- Carers Allowance

- Jobseeker”

 

 3. “general mortality rates (number of people who have died overall) in
both numbers and percentages for those cohorts for the following years
- 2018-2022”.

 

To assist us in identifying the documents containing the information you
are seeking, we would be grateful if you could respond to the following:

 

1.       Is item 1 contextual information to item 2 or a standalone
request? That is, are you seeking:

(i)                  the total number of people who have died of COVID
from the start of 2020 to the date of your request,  irrespective of
whether they were receiving the payments set out in item 2 or

(ii)                only the total number of people who have died of COVID
from the start of 2020 to the date of your request who were receiving the
payments set out in item 2?

 

2.       As to item 3 – is the reference to “cohorts” a reference to each
of the categories set out in item 2?

 

In relation to the information you have requested, please note that the
Department is not able to provide data on cause of death as it is not
collected for Social Security purposes. Therefore, the Department is
unable to address the aspect of your request regarding mortality due to
COVID 19 of persons receiving payments set out in item 2.

 

Subject to clarification requested above in relation to item 3, the
Department may be able to provide you with the information you require.
This can be done outside of the FOI process through the Department’s Data
Requests Team by visiting the Department’s website and completing the
Online Data Request form at [1]www.dss.gov.au/contact/data-request-form or
emailing the Department’s Data Team directly at [2][email address]. If you
prefer, the FOI Team can assist you contacting the Department’s Data
Request Team out side of the FOI process. Just let us know.

 

For your information and assistance, the Department uploads various
datasets onto [3]data.gov.au. These are available to the public. You may
also find data on the following link useful [4]nationalmap.gov.au.

 

If you wish to pursue making a FOI request, to assist you with make a
valid FOI request in a timely manner, it may be easier to discuss your
requirements over the telephone. If you provide a contact number and a
convenient time to call, a member of the Department’s FOI team will call
you to discuss.

 

If we do not hear from you, we will not make a decision or provide
documents in relation to your request as the request you have submitted is
not valid for the reasons outlined above.

 

Please do not hesitate to contact us if you would like to discuss the
matter further.

 

Kind regards,

DSS FOI Team

 

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Freedom of Information section

Legal Services Branch

Department of Social Services
E: [5][Department of Social Services request email]

 

Please be advised the Department is subject to a shutdown period from
12:30pm on Friday, 23 December 2022 to Tuesday, 2 January 2023
(inclusive). The FOI team will endeavour to finalise requests prior to
this period where possible and anticipates seeking an FOI applicant’s
agreement to an extension of time. During the shutdown period, FOI
requests will not be processed.

 

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. 

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