UNCLASSIFIED

FOI Ref: 11-1617

 

Dear Mr Gothe-Snape

 

Re: Freedom of Information (FOI) Request

 

I refer to your email dated Tuesday, 15 November 2016 and sent to the
Department at 8:40 pm seeking access under the Freedom of Information Act
1982 (FOI Act) to:

 

“… the topics list for briefs created in preparation for hearings of
Senate 2016-2017 Supplementary Budget Estimates.”

 

Timeframe for receiving your decision:

Please note that we will process your application in accordance with the
Department’s [1]FOI Policy and that the 30 day statutory period for
processing the request commenced the day after the date that your request
was received by the Department, i.e. 16 November.  You should therefore
expect a decision from us by 15 December 2016.  The period of 30 days may
be extended in certain circumstances.  We will advise you if there is any
extension of time.

 

Scope of request:

If it emerges that the scope of the request is unclear or is too large for
processing, the Department will contact you to discuss re-scoping the
request.

 

Exclusion of officials’ names and contact details:

It is the Department’s policy to withhold the mobile numbers of all
government officials, and the names and contact details of government
officials not in the Senior Executive Service (SES).  If you require the
mobile numbers of all government officials, or the names and contact
details of non-SES officials, please let us know at
[2][Department of Communications and the Arts request email] so the decision-maker may consider; otherwise
we will take it that you agree to that information being excluded from the
scope of the request.

 

Charges:

Please note that it is the Department’s policy to issue charges for
processing FOI requests and that we will advise you of the estimated
charges and the outcome of your request for waiver of charges when we are
in a position to estimate the resources required to process the request. 

 

Timing of release:

As the subject matter of the request will require the Department to upload
any documents released to you to the Department’s FOI Disclosure Log, I
take this opportunity to advise you that the Department’s policy is to
upload documents to the disclosure log on the same day as the documents
are released.  More information on the Department’s disclosure log is
available in the FOI Policy.

 

Personal Information:

Your personal information has been collected by the Department as a result
of your correspondence, and will be used in order to process the FOI
request.  Personal information is protected by law, including the Privacy
Act 1988.  The Department’s [3]Privacy Policy is available on the website
and contains information about access to or correction of your personal
information, and how you may complain about a breach of your privacy.

 

Please note that if we need to consult with other people regarding release
of the requested documents, we may need to disclose your personal
information. When we consult with other people about the request, it may
be apparent to those people that you have made a request, even if we do
not disclose your identity. If you have concerns about the Department
consulting with other people about the request, please let us know about
these concerns.

 

Should you require any further information, please do not hesitate to
contact me by return email.

 

Yours sincerely

 

[4]cid:C4234CC5-D32A-44FF-A754-F96227B373F7

 

FOI Coordinator  /  Office of the General Counsel  

Department of Communications and the Arts

E [Department of Communications and the Arts request email]

 

38 Sydney Avenue, Forrest ACT 2603

GPO Box 2154 Canberra ACT 2601

  

[5]communications.gov.au

[6]cid:17F0759F-5B67-41BB-B991-66700A2CA00A [7]@CommsAu

 

[8]arts.gov.au

[9]cid:17F0759F-5B67-41BB-B991-66700A2CA00A [10]@artsculturegov

 

This email and any attachments may contain confidential information or
legal advice over which legal professional privilege can be claimed.  Such
privilege is not waived and you should ensure that, in the handling of the
advice, you avoid waiving privilege.  Please consult the author of the
advice if unsure about appropriate handling.

 

show quoted sections

UNCLASSIFIED

FOI 11-1617

 

Dear Mr Gothe-Snape

 

We would be grateful if you could please clarify your request.   Is it
correct that you are seeking access to a copy of the Index of Topics
provided to the Secretary of the Department of Communications and the Arts
for the Supplementary Budget Estimates in October 2016?

 

We would appreciate your prompt response to this email to enable us to
continue processing of your request.

 

Yours sincerely,

 

 

[1]cid:C4234CC5-D32A-44FF-A754-F96227B373F7

 

Felicia Nevins

Senior Legal Officer and FOI Coordinator  /  Office of the General
Counsel  

Department of Communications and the Arts

E [Department of Communications and the Arts request email]

 

38 Sydney Avenue, Forrest ACT 2603

GPO Box 2154 Canberra ACT 2601

  

[2]communications.gov.au

[3]cid:17F0759F-5B67-41BB-B991-66700A2CA00A [4]@CommsAu

 

[5]arts.gov.au

[6]cid:17F0759F-5B67-41BB-B991-66700A2CA00A [7]@artsculturegov

 

This email and any attachments may contain confidential information or
legal advice over which legal professional privilege can be claimed.  Such
privilege is not waived and you should ensure that, in the handling of the
advice, you avoid waiving privilege.  Please consult the author of the
advice if unsure about appropriate handling.

 

show quoted sections

UNCLASSIFIED

Dear Mr Gothe-Snape,

 

Re: Freedom of Information Request No. 11-1617

 

Thank you for your email dated 10 December, 2016 confirming that you are
seeking access to the Index of Topics provided to the Secretary of the
Department of Communications and the Arts for the Supplementary Budget
Estimates in October 2016.

 

We consider that it would be appropriate for your request to be processed
on an administrative basis.  If we are able to provide access on an
administrative basis, FOI charges would not be payable. 

 

Could you please advise whether you consent to the withdrawal of your FOI
request so that we may continue to process your request on an
administrative basis?  Alternatively, please advise whether you would
prefer that we continue to process your request under the FOI Act?

 

We would appreciate it if you could please contact us asap and no later
than COB Tuesday 13 December, 2016.

 

Yours sincerely,

 

 

[1]cid:C4234CC5-D32A-44FF-A754-F96227B373F7

 

Felicia Nevins

Senior Legal Officer and FOI Coordinator  /  Office of the General
Counsel  

Department of Communications and the Arts

E [2][Department of Communications and the Arts request email]

 

38 Sydney Avenue, Forrest ACT 2603

GPO Box 2154 Canberra ACT 2601

  

[3]communications.gov.au

[4]cid:17F0759F-5B67-41BB-B991-66700A2CA00A [5]@CommsAu

 

[6]arts.gov.au

[7]cid:17F0759F-5B67-41BB-B991-66700A2CA00A [8]@artsculturegov

 

This email and any attachments may contain confidential information or
legal advice over which legal professional privilege can be claimed.  Such
privilege is not waived and you should ensure that, in the handling of the
advice, you avoid waiving privilege.  Please consult the author of the
advice if unsure about appropriate handling.

 

show quoted sections

UNCLASSIFIED

FOI Request 11-1617

 

Dear Mr Gothe-Snape,

 

Please see attached correspondence in relation to your FOI request dated
15 November 2016.

 

Yours sincerely,

 

[1]cid:C4234CC5-D32A-44FF-A754-F96227B373F7

 

FOI Coordinator  /  Office of the General Counsel  

Department of Communications and the Arts

E [Department of Communications and the Arts request email]

 

38 Sydney Avenue, Forrest ACT 2603

GPO Box 2154 Canberra ACT 2601

  

[2]communications.gov.au

[3]cid:17F0759F-5B67-41BB-B991-66700A2CA00A [4]@CommsAu

 

[5]arts.gov.au

[6]cid:17F0759F-5B67-41BB-B991-66700A2CA00A [7]@artsculturegov

 

This email and any attachments may contain confidential information or
legal advice over which legal professional privilege can be claimed.  Such
privilege is not waived and you should ensure that, in the handling of the
advice, you avoid waiving privilege.  Please consult the author of the
advice if unsure about appropriate handling.

show quoted sections

References

Visible links
2. https://www.communications.gov.au/
4. https://twitter.com/CommsAu?lang=en
5. http://arts.gov.au/
7. https://twitter.com/artsculturegov?lang=en