Number of Suicides and Homicides recorded by the Child Support Arm of the Department of Human Services

Keith Owen made this Freedom of Information request to Services Australia

This request has been closed to new correspondence from the public body. Contact us if you think it ought be re-opened.

The request was refused by Services Australia.

Dear Department of Human Services,

I respectfully request data on the number of suicides and homicides recorded by the Child Support arm of the Department of Human Services for the preceding 12 months.

I respectfully request data on the number of "Termination Events" involving the death of either a payee or a payer recorded by the Child Support arm of the Department of Human Services.

We are aware these statistics are recorded, with particular reference to Suicides and Homicides because the Child Support Arm of the Department of Human Services makes reference to this data being recorded as a result of a "Critical Incident" and treated as separate cases to generally recording the deaths of clients as "Termination Events".

It is in the public interest to know this information so that various social service organisations supporting the children of these cases, or other people involved, and of course in relation to suicide prevention strategies that our current Prime Minister seems to think is an important issue facing Australian Society in general.

Since these statistics can be extrapolated from existing Department of Human Services in a relatively short period of time, I submit that the cost involved should be waived due to the low cost involved and the obvious public interest aspect of this data.

Yours faithfully

Keith Owen
on behalf of "Child Support Australia - Time for Reform and Fairness"

FOI.LEGAL.TEAM,

2 Attachments

Dear Mr Owen,

 

Please find attached correspondence relating to your recent Freedom of
Information request.

 

Kind regards,

 

 

Charlotte

FOI Legal Team

FOI and Litigation Branch | Legal Services Division
Department of Human Services

[1][email address]

[2]Description: Description: Description: Description: Description:
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FOI.LEGAL.TEAM,

2 Attachments

Dear Mr Owen,

 

Please find attached correspondence relating to your recent Freedom of
Information request.

 

Kind regards,

 

Charlotte

FOI Legal Team

FOI and Litigation Branch | Legal Services Division
Department of Human Services

[1][email address]

[2]Description: Description: Description: Description: Description:
Description: Description: Description: Description: Description:
Description: Description: Description: cid:image001.png@01CE26E6.4AB93B70

**********************************************************************

IMPORTANT: This email and any attachments may contain information subject
to legal professional privilege or information that is otherwise sensitive
or confidential. If you are not the intended recipient of this email, you
are prohibited from using or disseminating this communication. If you have
received this communication in error please notify the sender immediately
and permanently delete this email.

**********************************************************************

 

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IMPORTANT: This e-mail is for the use of the intended recipient only and
may contain information that is confidential, commercially valuable and/or
subject to legal or parliamentary privilege. If you are not the intended
recipient you are notified that any review, re-transmission, disclosure,
dissemination or other use of, or taking of any action in reliance upon,
this information is prohibited and may result in severe penalties. If you
have received this e-mail in error please notify the sender immediately
and delete all electronic and hard copies of this transmission together
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Anatoly Kern left an annotation ()

If you are still interested in these stats, you can find relevant information presented during the budget hearing 2017 under written question reference number: HS 39 (SQ17-000120)

It is not directly linked to homicides or suicides, but it is safe to assume that the number is 1000-2000 people per year based on the difference of deaths between categories presented by DHS.

You can download a copy from https://www.dropbox.com/s/sfgcrfl19gmi8q...

Denial of this information under FOI is another example of how DHS legal department twists the processes internally.