Good morning Bev D

Acknowledgement of receipt of Freedom of Information request

I refer to your request received by the Department of Health and Aged Care
(the department) for access to documents under the Freedom of Information
Act 1982 (FOI Act). You have requested access to:

Please provide any correspondence, including briefs, emails, contracts
(including AusTender number) and other documents:

•             Held by the Department of Health and Aged Care; or

•             Between the Department of Health and Aged Care and the
Office of the Minister for Health Aged Care; or

•             Between the Department of Health and Aged Care and the
Minister for Health and Aged Care;

regarding the use of third-party consultants, including the use of actuary
firms to review documents and provide advice pertaining to private health
insurance premium rounds between 1 July 2022 – 3 November 2023.

The reference number for your request is FOI-4806. Please ensure that you
quote this number in future correspondence with us concerning this
request.

Timeframes

Your request was received on 9 November 2023. The statutory timeframe for
processing your request is 30 calendar days and you should expect to be
notified of a decision from the department on or before 9 December 2023.
The period of 30 days may be extended if the department needs to consult
third parties or for other reasons. We will advise you if this happens.

Other information

The department may impose a charge for the work involved in providing
access to the documents. If this request attracts a charge you will be
notified in writing.

Unless you advise otherwise:

·         any draft and duplicate documents will be excluded from the
scope of your request, and

·         any public service employee names below Senior Executive Service
level and direct telephone numbers of all staff will be excluded from the
scope of your request under s22(1)(a)(ii) of the FOI Act.

Please note that information released under the FOI Act may later be
published online on our disclosure log
[1]www.health.gov.au/resources/foi-disclosure-log, subject to certain
exceptions. (For example, personal information will not be published where
this would be unreasonable.)

You can contact the FOI team via email at [2][email address] or by phone
on 02 6289 1666, should you have any questions.

Kind regards,

Case Officer – Freedom of Information Section

Legal Advice and Legislation

Legal and Assurance Division | Corporate Operations Group

Australian Government, Department of Health and Aged Care

T: 02 6289 1666 | E: [3][email address]

PO Box 9848, Canberra ACT 2601, Australia

The Department of Health and Aged Care 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 applicant,

The scope of your request represents an unreasonable diversion of the department's resources on the basis that a large number of documents have been captured: a preliminary search and retrieval of documents has produced 130+ documents consisting of multiple pages and/or attachments. Accordingly, your request in its current form will likely be met with practical refusal pursuant to s 24AA(a) of the FOI Act.

Please consider confining your scope. To assist you, we have liaised with the relevant business area to suggest that "any documents regarding the use of third party consultants and/or actuary firms to review and provide advice pertaining to private health insurance premium rounds from 1 July 2022 to 3 November 2023" may produce a more focused set of documents addressing the height of your request. Without foreshadowing a decision on access in relation to that set of documents, the option to make further FOI requests is available to you in circumstances where you are dissatisfied with what is provided under the terms of a revised scope.

Please inform me of how you would like to proceed by COB 24 November 2023. If you would like to discuss further, please do not hesitate to contact the FOI section, quoting FOI reference #4806 to be directed to relevant case officer.

Kind regards,

Freedom of Information Section
Legal Advice and Legislation

Legal and Assurance Division | Corporate Operations Group
Australian Government, Department of Health and Aged Care
T: 02 6289 1666 | E: [email address]

The Department of Health and Aged Care 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.

Do note that this email and attachments may contain confidential or legally privileged information. Please consult with Legal Division before disclosing any part of this email, or attachment, outside the Department. If you receive this email in error, please delete it and contact the sender immediately.

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Dear applicant,

Thank you for your revised scope. I confirm receipt and capacity to process it in those terms. Documents have been identified in the scope of your request which contain information relating to a third party. It has been determined that it would be appropriate to consult with the affected third party under sections 27 and 27A of the FOI Act prior to a decision on access to those documents being made.

Section 15(6) of the FOI Act allows the timeframe for processing your request to be extended by 30 days to facilitate this consultation. Accordingly, the statutory due date for your request is now 8 January 2023. The department will continue processing your request and provide you with a decision on access as soon we are able to do so.

The FOI Act, including the provisions referred to in this email, can be accessed from the Federal Register of Legislation website: www.legislation.gov.au/Series/C2004A02562.

If you require clarification of any of the matters discussed in this email, please contact the FOI team.

Kind regards,

Case Officer – Freedom of Information Section
Legal Advice and Legislation

Legal and Assurance Division | Corporate Operations Group
Australian Government, Department of Health and Aged Care
T: 02 6289 1666 | E: [email address]

The Department of Health and Aged Care 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.

Do note that this email and attachments may contain confidential or legally privileged information. Please consult with Legal Division before disclosing any part of this email, or attachment, outside the Department. If you receive this email in error, please delete it and contact the sender immediately.

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Dear applicant,

I refer to the above and attach correspondence in relation to your
request.

Documents to follow across 4 emails due to large file size.

Kind regards,

Case Officer – Freedom of Information Section

Legal Advice and Legislation

Legal and Assurance Division | Corporate Operations Group

Australian Government, Department of Health and Aged Care

T: 02 6289 1666 | E: [1][email address]

The Department of Health and Aged Care 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.

Do note that this email and attachments may contain confidential or
legally privileged information. Please consult with Legal Division before
disclosing any part of this email, or attachment, outside the Department.
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. mailto:[email address]

"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."

"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."

"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."

"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."