The Minister of Communication's comments regarding gifts from gambling groups
Dear Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Communications,
Crikey.com.au reports that Communications Minister Michelle Rowland has accepted 27 tickets and hospitality from Tabcorp and The Star combined over the past five years, with her and her family receiving tickets to the races, dinners, and tickets to Hamilton. She has not declared a gift from the gambling industry since November 2022. In 2023, when Rowland was criticised in Parliament by Clark MP Andrew Wilkie and other independents for reportedly accepting donations from Sportsbet on the eve of the 2022 election, she said she had always complied with disclosure rules.
I request access to the following documents under the Freedom of Information Act 1982:
1. Briefs to the Minister for Communications relating to receiving gifts from gambling groups.
2. Correspondence relating to receiving gifts from gambling groups.
Yours faithfully,
CR
OFFICIAL
Dear CR
Thank you for your email of 8 August 2024 requesting access to documents
held by the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development,
Communications and the Arts (the Department) under the Freedom of
Information Act 1982 (FOI Act).
You have requested access to:
Crikey.com.au reports that Communications Minister Michelle Rowland has
accepted 27 tickets and hospitality from Tabcorp and The Star combined
over the past five years, with her and her family receiving tickets to the
races, dinners, and tickets to Hamilton. She has not declared a gift from
the gambling industry since November 2022. In 2023, when Rowland was
criticised in Parliament by Clark MP Andrew Wilkie and other independents
for reportedly accepting donations from Sportsbet on the eve of the 2022
election, she said she had always complied with disclosure rules.
Requesting:
1. Briefs to the Minister for Communications relating to receiving gifts
from gambling groups.
2. Correspondence relating to receiving gifts from gambling groups.
Your request has been allocated the reference number FOI 25-061. Could you
please ensure that you quote this reference number in all future
correspondence with the Department.
Timeframes
The statutory due date for you to receive a decision on your request is 9
September 2024. This date may be extended in certain circumstances, and in
the event that this occurs, the Department will notify you. Where the due
date falls on a Saturday, Sunday or public holiday, the timeframe will
expire on the next working day.
Other information
Please note that the Department considers the following information
outside the scope of your request unless you specifically request it:
o personal information of third-party individuals; including public
servants below the SES level and all email addresses, signatures and
direct telephone numbers
o any duplicates and drafts of final versions of documents captured by
your request
o any correspondence sent directly to or from you.
The Department may impose a charge for the work involved in providing
access to the documents in accordance with the Freedom of Information
(Charges) Regulations. You will be notified separately if the Department
decides to impose a charge. There is no charge for documents that contain
your own personal information.
Where documents are released to you under the FOI Act in response to your
request, the Department must publish those documents on its FOI Disclosure
Log within 10 business days of their release to you, unless they contain
personal information or business affairs information that would be
unreasonable to publish. Further information regarding the Department’s
FOI Disclosure Log can be found [1]here.
Should you have any questions relating to your request, please do not
hesitate to contact the FOI Section via email to
[2][email address]
Kind regards
FOI Coordinator
Freedom of Information and Privacy Section • Legal, FOI and Privacy
Division
P 02 6274 6294
E [3][Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Communications request email]
GPO Box 594 Canberra, ACT 2601
Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development,
Communications and the Arts
CONNECTING AUSTRALIANS • ENRICHING COMMUNITIES • EMPOWERING REGIONS
[4]infrastructure.gov.au [5][IMG]
I would like to acknowledge the traditional custodians of this land on
which we meet, work and live.
I recognise and respect their continuing connection to the land, waters
and communities.
I pay my respects to Elders past and present and to all Aboriginal and
Torres Strait Islanders.
OFFICIAL
References
Visible links
1. https://www.infrastructure.gov.au/about-...
2. mailto:[email address]
3. mailto:[Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Communications request email]
4. http://www.infrastructure.gov.au/
5. http://www.infrastructure.gov.au/departm...
OFFICIAL
Good morning CR
To assist us in managing your request, we are seeking to clarify the information you are requesting.
Can you please confirm:
1. the date range of the information you are seeking for both points one and two of your request
2. regarding point two of your request, that correspondence relates to correspondence received by the Minister from the Department
3. regarding point two of your request, that your definition of gambling groups means the gambling industry
If you could please respond by COB Monday, 19 August 2024, that would be appreciated.
Regards,
FOI Coordinator
Freedom of Information Team • Legal, FOI and Privacy Division
P: +61 2 6274 6294
E: [Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Communications request email]
Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts
CONNECTING AUSTRALIANS • ENRICHING COMMUNITIES • EMPOWERING REGIONS
infrastructure.gov.au
I would like to acknowledge the traditional custodians of this land on which we meet, work and live.
I recognise and respect their continuing connection to the land, waters and communities.
I pay my respects to Elders past and present and to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders.
OFFICIAL
Dear FOI Coordinator,
Thank you for your prompt acknowledgment.
1. The date range for both points is from 1/6/2022 to 8/8/2024.
2. I kindly disagree with this interpretation. This would include correspondence received by the Minister from the Department, as well as other correspondence, such as (but not limited to) correspondence from the gambling industry related to receiving gifts, questions from the media, comments from parliament members, etc.)
3. I consider that 'gambling groups' and 'gambling industry' have the same meaning and can be used interchangeably. Please advise if you consider otherwise.
Yours sincerely,
CR
OFFICIAL
Good afternoon
I refer to your request below for access to documents under the Freedom of Information Act 1982 (FOI Act).
Please find attached a decision in response to your request.
Regards,
FOI Coordinator
Freedom of Information Team . Legal, FOI and Privacy Division
P: +61 2 6136 8114
E: [Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Communications request email]
Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts
CONNECTING AUSTRALIANS . ENRICHING COMMUNITIES . EMPOWERING REGIONS
infrastructure.gov.au
I would like to acknowledge the traditional custodians of this land on which we meet, work and live.
I recognise and respect their continuing connection to the land, waters and communities.
I pay my respects to Elders past and present and to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders.