Risk Governance and Oversight of Centrelink Data Matching
Justin Warren 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.
Dear Department of Human Services,
If possible, please treat this as an informal or administrative request. Otherwise, please treat this as a formal request for documents under the Freedom of Information Act 1982.
I request the following information relating to the initiative to match Centrelink data with data from the Australian Tax Office (ATO) to detect potential overpayment and the recovery of those overpayments from citizens.
- Documents listing identified risks, categorisations (Likelihood, Impact, etc.), and treatments (e.g. Risk Registers) in the period 1 Jan 2016 to 31 Dec 2016.
This initiative has been extensively covered by the media using various names, including #robodebt and #notmydebt.
I further request that all charges in relation to this request be waived as this information is in the public interest. The initiative concerns all Australians who pay tax or who receive entitlements from Centrelink, and all citizens are concerned with the integrity of the entitlements system.
Yours faithfully,
Justin Warren
The Department of Human Services acknowledges receipt of your
correspondence.
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Dear Department of Human Services,
I wish to amend my request as follows:
- Meeting agendas, minutes, and other notes for any and all meetings held with the Minister for Human Services, or their Office, between 1 Jan 2016 and 31 Dec 2016, inclusive.
- Meeting agendas, minutes, and other notes for any and all meetings held with the Minister for Social Services, or their Office, between 1 Jan 2016 and 31 Dec 2016, inclusive.
Yours faithfully,
Justin Warren
Dear Mr Warren,
Please find attached correspondence relating to your Freedom of
Information request.
Regards,
FOI Practitioner
FOI and Litigation Branch | Legal Services Division
Department of Human Services
[1][email address]
[2]Description: Description: Description: Description: Description:
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Dear Mr Warren,
Please find attached correspondence relating to your recent Freedom of
Information request.
Kind regards,
FOI Practitioner
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
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Dear Mr Warren,
Please find attached correspondence regarding your request.
Kind regards,
FOI Practitioner
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
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Dear FOI.LEGAL.TEAM,
I am surprised and alarmed that you have this many risk registers or documents discussing the risks for this project.
You have provided no further information about these 250 documents that contain the information I am after, so perhaps you could provide some information about what the breakdown of these documents is? I need more information from you to be able to refine my request further.
As a suggestion, perhaps a rough estimate of the number of documents in each of a set of categories. e.g. risk register, meeting minute, email, and so on? If you can suggest an alternative method, or methods, for reducing the substantial amount of work you might need to do if you were to provide the information I've asked for, I will be in your debt.
I find it curious that only half of the estimated 2800 pages you've identified are likely to require redaction. How did you work this out? Because it doesn't seem to tally with the time estimate you've used to justify your refusal to fulfill my request.
Yours sincerely,
Justin Warren
Dear Mr Warren,
I refer to your correspondence dated 22 February 2017 in response to a
notice under section 24AB of the Freedom of Information Act 1982 (the FOI
Act) sent to you on the same day.
I am awaiting a response from the business area in order to respond to
your request for further information.
Section 24AB(5) of the FOI Act provides that with the agreement of the
applicant, the period of consultation under s24AB can be extended. Please
confirm by reply email that you consent to a 14 day extension to the
consultation period.
Kind regards,
FOI Practitioner
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
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Dear FOI.LEGAL.TEAM,
I do not consent.
Perhaps you can explain the statutory requirements of the Act to the business area to encourage a more timely response?
Yours sincerely,
Justin Warren
Dear Mr Warren,
I refer to your correspondence dated 22 February 2017 in response to a
notice under section 24AB of the Freedom of Information Act 1982 (the FOI
Act) sent to you on the same day.
The relevant business area has advised that the categories of documents
included for the purpose of estimating the time to process your request
are:
1. Risk Plans (35 documents)
2. Project Management Log Books (70 documents)
3. Project Status Reports (125 documents)
4. Weekly Reports (7 documents)
5. Issues and Escalated Issues Registers (21 documents)
The business area advises that the documents estimated include draft
versions.
Kind regards,
FOI Practitioner
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
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IMPORTANT: This email and any attachments may contain information subject
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Dear FOI.LEGAL.TEAM,
I am happy to amend my request to exclude draft versions of documents.
I also amend my request to limit the scope to documents you have categorised as:
1. Risk Plans
4. Weekly Reports
5. Issues and Escalated Issues Registers
Yours sincerely,
Justin Warren
Dear Mr Warren,
Please find attached correspondence regarding your Freedom of Information
Request.
Kind regards,
FOI Practitioner
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
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IMPORTANT: This e-mail is for the use of the intended recipient only and
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Dear Department of Human Services,
Please pass this on to the person who conducts Freedom of Information reviews.
I am writing to request an internal review of Department of Human Services's handling of my FOI request 'Risk Governance and Oversight of Centrelink Data Matching'.
This was my second attempt to obtain this information, as the FOI department well knows.
My first attempt was frustrated by a bad-faith interpretation of my request in order to deny that any documents exist: https://www.righttoknow.org.au/request/r...
This attempt has been frustrated by over-reading of the scope and providing no assistance to someone outside the department in being able to narrow the scope to something more tractable and yet still provide the information requested. The response was delayed until the final day of the consultation period and then when an extension was not granted by me, frustrated by the continual delays, further delaying tactics were employed.
There is nothing in the FOI Act that requires the Department to refuse my request. That it has chosen to do so indicates its lack of respect for citizens attempting to understand the Department's operations, and the principles of transparency in government.
Further, it is increasing the costs on the Department, and on me, by forcing me to lodge multiple FOI requests in my attempts to access information when a single request, and perhaps one or two phone calls, would have been sufficient.
A full history of my FOI request and all correspondence is available on the Internet at this address: https://www.righttoknow.org.au/request/r...
Yours faithfully,
Justin Warren
Dear Mr Warren,
Please find attached correspondence regarding your inquiry.
Kind regards,
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
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IMPORTANT: This email and any attachments may contain information subject
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are prohibited from using or disseminating this communication. If you have
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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
with any attachments. Please consider the environment before printing this
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