Dear Department of Human Services,

Due to recent events I am requesting information regarding the process and procedure used by Centrelink when determining the immunisation status of a child once they reach the age of 14 years old.

It appears the immunisaton records of children once they reach the age of 14 is no longer linked for the purposes of family tax benefits and the supplements payable after reconciliation at the end of a taxation year.

When this record is no longer linked it is necessary to again provide proof to centrelink of immunisation status.

If this record is proof enough for it to be determined a parent is eligible for full family tax payments for the years the child in question is aged 10 11 12 and 13, and considering there is no further immunisations required after the age of 13 then why is this record not kept within the centrelink file to determine continued eligibility?

I find it hard to understand why reaching the age of 14 suddenly unlinks these records and creates another barrier to eligibility that is not necessary in determining if a child is fully immunised when for several years records have been held by the same department determining full eligibility.

Is this process undertaken on an automatic computer system?
Have the full implications of adding this layer of red tape been fully assessed?
Why is it necessary for a 14 year old who is not an adult nor reached the age where a payment is claimed individually and not by a parent to create an online file that opens them to ""the system'' so young?

Is this technique being used to gather details of our youth separately when they are not of a adequate age to sign any legal documents or such?

Why is this necessary at all?

Yours faithfully,
Sandra Legro

Dear FOI.LEGAL.TEAM,

I would like to request a document that identifies the procedure or policy that

A) determines immunisation status for a child within the centrelink system for the purposes of family tax benefit eligibility when aged 13yrs and 11 months - ie the method of checking this status.

and
B) how this compares with how the same determination is made after a child turns 14yrs old.
ie the method of checking immunisation status.

and
C) if a valid immunisation status is achieved at the age of the last immunisation required, then why is this record not kept on file on a continuous basis while under care of the parent.

NOTE. if a child has a valid immunisation status at aged 13 then that valid immunisation status would continue on.. why is it necessary to supply this very same record again once reaching the age of 14, when it would be contained within an the parents file history and records already.

Last of all
D) Is this part of a automated system?

I hope this meets your requirements.

Kind Regards
Sandra

Yours sincerely,

Sandra Legro

Dear FOI.LEGAL.TEAM,

I refer to previous correspondence and wish to amend my request regarding

D) Is this a automated system and change it to read

Policy documents that outline the human involved steps taken in this determination process
Policy documents that outline the computer/software/automatic process involved in this determination process.

Yours sincerely,

Sandra Legro

Dear FOI.LEGAL.TEAM,

I am willing to pay the fee. Please advise where i make this payment

Yours sincerely,

Sandra Legro