OFFICIAL

Good morning

Thank you for your email of 13 August 2024, requesting access to documents held by the Minister for Communications (the Minister) 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.
I request access to the following documents under the Freedom of Information Act 1982:
1. Correspondence relating to receiving gifts from gambling groups.
Please note the ongoing FOI request to DITRDCA (reference FOI 25-061). This request specifically pertains to the Minister for Communications Michelle Rowland MP. Any overlapping documents identified in both requests are excluded from this FOI request.

Your request has been allocated the reference number MO 25-068. Could you please ensure that you quote this reference number in all future correspondence.

Timeframes
The statutory due date for you to receive a decision on your request is 12 September 2024. This date may be extended in certain circumstances, and in the event that this occurs, the Minister 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 Minister considers the following information outside the scope of your request unless you specifically request it:
• personal information of third-party individuals; including public servants below the SES level and all email addresses, signatures and direct telephone numbers
• any duplicates and drafts of final versions of documents captured by your request
• any correspondence sent directly to or from you.

The Minister 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 Minister 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 Minister 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 FOI Disclosure Log can be found here.

Please note that the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts (the Department) provides administrative support to the Minister in relation to the processing of FOI requests. As such, should you have any questions relating to your request, please do not hesitate to contact the Department’s FOI Section via email at [email address]

With kind regards
FOI Coordinator
Freedom of Information Section
Legal, FOI and Privacy Division
E: [email address]
T: +61 2 6274 6294
GPO Box 594 Canberra, ACT 2601

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

-----Original Message-----

From: CR <[FOI #11878 email]>
Sent: Tuesday, 13 August 2024 12:12 PM
To: Minister.Rowland.MO <[email address]>
Subject: Freedom of Information request - The Minister of Communication's comments regarding gifts from gambling groups

Dear Minister for 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. Correspondence relating to receiving gifts from gambling groups.

Please note the ongoing FOI request to DITRDCA (reference FOI 25-061). This request specifically pertains to the Minister for Communications Michelle Rowland MP. Any overlapping documents identified in both requests are excluded from this FOI request.

Yours faithfully,

CR

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