Dear Mrs Gale

I refer to your email below requesting documents under the FOI Act regarding projects funded through the HEPPP National Priorities Pool.

Information regarding the National Priorities Pool 2014 projects can be found on the department's website at http://www.education.gov.au/national-pri.... To date there have been no projects for 2015.

As the information you have requested is publicly available and noting your comments below, I have assumed that you are withdrawing your FOI request. However, if you would prefer that we proceed with a formal decision under the FOI Act, please let me know by 9 April 2015.

Regards,

Kirsten

Kirsten Burns
Senior Government Lawyer
Corporate Legal Team | Schools, Skills and Corporate Legal Branch People, Communication and Legal Group Australian Government Department of Education and Training

Opportunity through learning
www.education.gov.au

-----Original Message-----
From: P. Gale [mailto:[FOI #1027 email]]
Sent: Sunday, 22 March 2015 11:01 PM
To: Education - FOI
Subject: Freedom of Information request - Project funding

Dear FOI Contact Officer,

This is a request under the FOI Act for documents.

The budget's website http://www.budget.gov.au/2014-15 site has a bit in Budget Paper 2 about education (your department I guess) that says "Following the savings, the Access and Participation Fund will retain funding of $582.7 million over the four years from 2014‑15 to continue to support eligible higher education providers to improve access for people from low socio‑economic backgrounds and improve their retention and completion rates. The National Priorities Pool will also be retained with funding of $9.5 million per annum to fund projects that support access and success in higher education by people from low socio‑economic backgrounds."

There's also a question on notice in the Senate (http://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Busi...) quite a ways before the budget (ED0272_14) where someone asked "Please provide a list of projects funded through the HEPPP National Priorities Pool to date, including the amount of funding they received, the purpose of each project/grant and what they achieved". The answer got given "To date no projects have been funded through the National Priorities Pool"

My request is about whether anything has ever gotten funded with the $9.5 million. I request any documents or a summary document if there's one, to answer the question that got asked back then, "What projects have ever gotten funded through the HEPPP National Priorities Pool to date, who's gotten the money and what amount, and the purpose of each project/grant." Since nothing was funded when the question was asked, there's no need to look before then.

When I wrote you October last with a request it turned out easier not to do it under FOI. If you think it's going to be the same again, please let me know.

Thank you.

P. Gale (Mrs)

March 22nd, 2015.

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