UNCLASSIFIED

16/9300

26 August 2016

Mr Simon Elvery

By email only: [1][FOI #2162 email]

Dear Mr Elvery

Transfer of freedom of information requests to the Department of
Communication

I refer to the request you have made to the Attorney‑General’s
Department under the Freedom of Information Act 1982 (FOI Act):

‘An up to date copy of the Classification Database, and 2. The record
layout or information schema describing the data in each column of the
database.’

I am writing to tell you that I have transferred your request to the
Department of Communications. Under subsection 16(1) of the FOI Act, I am
able to transfer a request if either:

·         the requested document is not in the possession of my agency
but may be in the possession of another agency, or

·         if the subject matter of the document is more closely connected
with the functions of another agency.

Accordingly, on 26 August 2016 I have transferred the entirety of your
request to the Department of Communications whose functions are more
closely connected to the subject area, and who are in a better position
than the Attorney‑General’s Department to consider these
requests. Responsibility for the Classification Board moved from the
Attorney-General’s portfolio to the Communications portfolio in
September 2015.

We received your first request set out above on 24 August 2016.  The 30
day statutory period for processing your requests commenced from the day
after that date.  The Department of Communications will treat your
requests as though it received them the same day that we did.  You should
therefore expect a decision on your requests from the Department of
Communications by 24 September 2016.  The period of 30 days may be
extended if the Department of Communications needs to consult third
parties or for other reasons.  They will advise you if this happens.

If you wish to contact the Department of Communications regarding your
request please email [2][email address].

Kind Regards

FOI Contact Officer

Freedom of Information and Privacy Section | Strategy and Delivery
Division

Attorney-General's Department | 3 - 5 National Circuit, Barton ACT 2600
*: [3][email address]

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UNCLASSIFIED

FOI Ref: 04-1617

Dear Mr Elvery

Re: Freedom of Information (FOI) Request

I refer to your email dated 24 August 2016 addressed to the
Classifications Board but sent to the FOI and Privacy Section of the
Attorney-General’s Department in which you seek access under the Freedom
of Information Act 1982 to:

“1. An up to date copy of the Classification Database, and 2. The record
layout or information schema describing the data in each column of the
database.  The database could be provided in any appropriate machine
readable format such as XML, CSV, TSV or SQL”.

Please note that the Classifications Database is maintained by this
Department and therefore, in accordance with section 15 of the FOI Act,
your request was transferred to and accepted by us for processing. 

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 your request commenced from the day after the date that your
application was received.  You should therefore expect a decision from us
by Friday, 23 September 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 your 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][email address] so the decision-maker may consider; otherwise
we will take it that you agree to that information being excluded from the
scope of your request.

Charges:

Please note that the Department issues charges for processing FOI
requests.  We will advise you of these charges when we are in a position
to estimate the resources required to process your request.

Timing of release:

As the subject matter of your 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 to you.  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 your FOI
request.  Your personal information is protected by law, including the
Privacy Act 1988.  The Department’s [3]Privacy Policy is available on the
website at 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 documents you have requested, we may need to disclose your personal
information. When we consult with other people about a request you have
made, 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 your request, please let us
know your 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

Felicia Nevins

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

Department of Communications and the Arts

E [email address]

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.

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UNCLASSIFIED

FOI Ref: 04-1617

Dear Mr Elvery,

Further to my email below, we would like to call you to clarify and
discuss the scope of your request.  Are you able to provide us with a
daytime telephone number?

Best regards,

[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 [email address]

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.

From: Nevins, Felicia
Sent: Wednesday, 31 August 2016 12:13 PM
To: [FOI #2162 email]
Subject: FOI Request: 04-16/17 Acknowledgement (The Australian
Classification Database) [SEC=UNCLASSIFIED]

UNCLASSIFIED

FOI Ref: 04-1617

Dear Mr Elvery

Re: Freedom of Information (FOI) Request

I refer to your email dated 24 August 2016 addressed to the
Classifications Board but sent to the FOI and Privacy Section of the
Attorney-General’s Department in which you seek access under the Freedom
of Information Act 1982 to:

“1. An up to date copy of the Classification Database, and 2. The record
layout or information schema describing the data in each column of the
database.  The database could be provided in any appropriate machine
readable format such as XML, CSV, TSV or SQL”.

Please note that the Classifications Database is maintained by this
Department and therefore, in accordance with section 15 of the FOI Act,
your request was transferred to and accepted by us for processing. 

Timeframe for receiving your decision:

Please note that we will process your application in accordance with the
Department’s [8]FOI Policy and that the 30 day statutory period for
processing your request commenced from the day after the date that your
application was received.  You should therefore expect a decision from us
by Friday, 23 September 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 your 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
[9][email address] so the decision-maker may consider; otherwise
we will take it that you agree to that information being excluded from the
scope of your request.

Charges:

Please note that the Department issues charges for processing FOI
requests.  We will advise you of these charges when we are in a position
to estimate the resources required to process your request.

Timing of release:

As the subject matter of your 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 to you.  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 your FOI
request.  Your personal information is protected by law, including the
Privacy Act 1988.  The Department’s [10]Privacy Policy is available on the
website at 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 documents you have requested, we may need to disclose your personal
information. When we consult with other people about a request you have
made, 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 your request, please let us
know your concerns.

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

Yours sincerely

[11]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 [12][email address]

38 Sydney Avenue, Forrest ACT 2603

GPO Box 2154 Canberra ACT 2601

[13]communications.gov.au

[14]cid:17F0759F-5B67-41BB-B991-66700A2CA00A [15]@CommsAu

[16]arts.gov.au

[17]cid:17F0759F-5B67-41BB-B991-66700A2CA00A [18]@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.

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UNCLASSIFIED

FOI Ref: 04-1617

Dear Mr Elvery

Re: Freedom of Information (FOI) Request

I refer to your request dated 24 August 2016 under the Freedom of
Information Act 1982 for access to:

“1. An up to date copy of the Classification Database, and 2. The record
layout or information schema describing the data in each column of the
database.  The database could be provided in any appropriate machine
readable format such as XML, CSV, TSV or SQL”.

This email is to confirm, as agreed during a telephone conversation
earlier today with Ms Felicia Nevins, the Department’s FOI Coordinator,
that your FOI request (reference number 04-1617)  is taken to be
withdrawn. 

As discussed with Ms Nevins, it is appropriate for your request for access
to information about the National Classifications database to be processed
on an administrative basis and therefore it has been referred to the
Department’s Classification Branch for response.  Please note that your
personal information, including your telephone number has been collected
by the Department and will be used by relevant officers for that purpose. 

In the interim, please don’t hesitate to contact the Department’s FOI
Coordinator, Ms Felicia Nevins, by phone (02) 6271 1277 or by email:
[1][email address].

Yours sincerely,

Stuart Kerr

Legal Director,

Office of the General Counsel

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References

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