Travel arrangements and guest logs
Dear Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet,
This is a freedom of information request.
I wish to obtain copies of:
* all travel arrangements for the week of 6 to 12 October 2008 for departmental Senior Executive Service officer Dr Gordon de Brouwer (ie airfares, hire cars; taxi use; hotel bookings).
* all records of attendance by Dr Gordon de Brouwer at the Prime Minister's Sydney residence known as Kirribilli House in the week of 6 to 12 October 2008 (ie times and dates of arrival and departure).
Kind regards,
Caitlin Huntington
FOI/2013/005
Dear Ms Huntington
Thank you for your email of 4 January 2013, received by the Department of
the Prime Minister and Cabinet (the Department) in which you made a
request under the Freedom of Information Act 1982 in the following terms:
1. All travel arrangements for the week of 6 to 12 October 2008 for
departmental Senior Executive Service officer Dr Gordon de Brouwer (i.e.
airfares, hire cars; taxi use; hotel bookings).
2. All records of attendance by Dr Gordon de Brouwer at the Prime
Minister's Sydney residence known as Kirribilli House in the week of 6 to
12 October 2008 (i.e. times and dates of arrival and departure).
Timeframe for receiving your decision
The statutory timeframe for processing a request is 30 days from the date
upon which your application was received by the Department except in
certain circumstances in which case we will notify you of the time
extension.
Removal of officer’s details
It is the Department’s policy to withhold the names and contact details of
junior officers within the Department and other agencies contained within
documents that fall within scope of the request. The names and details of
senior departmental staff would not be withheld unless there were some
reason for that information to be exempt from release. If you require the
names and contact details of junior officers please let us know at
[1][DPMC request email] for the decision-maker to consider; otherwise we will
take it that you agree to that information being excluded from the scope
of your request.
Publication of documents
In accordance with the Government’s pro-disclosure policy agencies are
required to publish information which has been released under FOI on the
agencies’ disclosure logs. If you wish to raise any objections to the
publication of any of the documents which may be released to you please
contact the Department by email at [2][DPMC request email]. Supporting reasons
for any objection would be appreciated.
Charges
Agencies may decide that an applicant is liable to pay a charge in respect
of a request for access to documents. If the Department decides to charge
you in respect of this FOI request, we will send you a preliminary
assessment of the charges as soon as possible.
The Department will write again when we have further information.
Otherwise, further information on FOI processing can be found at the
website of the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner at
[3]http://www.oaic.gov.au/foi-portal/about_....
Regards
FOI Adviser
Legal Policy Branch
Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet
Phone: 02 6271 5794
Email: [4][DPMC request email]
[5]Description: Description: Description: Description: Description: FOI
design element
References
Visible links
1. mailto:[DPMC request email]
2. mailto:[DPMC request email]
3. http://www.oaic.gov.au/foi-portal/about_...
4. mailto:[DPMC request email]
Good afternoon Ms Huntington,
Please find attached correspondence in relation to your FOI request.
Regards
FOI Adviser
Legal Policy Branch
Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet
Email: [1][DPMC request email]
[2]Description: Description: Description: Description: FOI design element
References
Visible links
1. mailto:[DPMC request email]
Dear FOI,
I have posted a money order for the deposit of $32.75 today.
Yours sincerely,
Caitlin Huntington
Dear Ms Huntington
I am writing in relation to your request under the Freedom of Information
Act 1982 (the FOI Act) seeking access to:
· all travel arrangements for the week of 6 to 12 October 2008 for
departmental Senior Executive Service officer Dr Gordon de Brouwer (ie
airfares, hire cars; taxi use; hotel bookings).
· all records of attendance by Dr Gordon de Brouwer at the Prime
Minister's Sydney residence known as Kirribilli House in the week of 6 to
12 October 2008 (ie times and dates of arrival and departure).
Our reference for this request is FOI 2013/005.
The authorised decision-maker for your request is First Assistant
Secretary, Ministerial Support Division, Jamie Fox, Department of Prime
Minister & Cabinet.
I enclose Mr Fox’s decision on your request. I also enclose a statement
setting out your rights of complaint and review.
Regards
FOI Adviser
Legal Policy Branch
Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet
Email: [1][DPMC request email]
[2]Description: Description: Description: Description: FOI design element
Dear Mr Fox,
I refer to your letter to me of 15 February 2013, in which you inter alia advised me that the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet does not maintain records of attendance at Kirribilli House, and that certain documents were not available.
I note that Kirribilli House is property held on trust for the Commonwealth by the non-statutory body known as the Official Establishments Trust.
During the relevant timeframe, the Trust was administered by the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. Now, the Trust is administered by the Department of Finance and Deregulation. I would contend that as the Trust, at the relevant time, was part of the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet, and accordingly the records of attendance are, by implication, within the possession of the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet. Alternatively, they were in the possession of the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet and have now been transferred to the Department of Finance and Deregulation; a circumstance which would require you to transfer so much of this request as relates to Kirribilli House to that Department.
On this basis, I contend that your search for documents was inadequate, and I request that you search again for documents within the scope of this request.
You should also be aware that I also intend to, at a later time, set out a case as to why I believe that the release of these documents is in the public interest, and why charges should be waived.
Regards,
Yours sincerely,
Caitlin Huntington
Dear Ms Huntington
Thank you for your email. We regret the delay in responding to you. We
note your concerns regarding the adequacy of the document searches
undertaken by the Department in relation to your FOI request. The
Department is satisfied that all reasonable searches were undertaken in
order to identify potentially relevant documents. In these circumstances,
the Department does not propose undertaking the searches again at this
point.
The Department has also noted your intention at a later time to set out a
case as to why you believe that the release of these documents is in the
public interest, and why charges should be waived.
Should you have any queries please feel welcome to contact an FOI Adviser
by return email.
Regards
FOI Adviser
Legal Policy Branch
Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet
Email: [1][DPMC request email]
[2]Description: Description: Description: Description: FOI design element
Dear Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet,
Please pass this on to the person who conducts Freedom of Information reviews.
I am writing to request an internal review of Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet's handling of my FOI request 'Travel arrangements and guest logs'.
I think that it is entirely inconceivable that the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet has "lost" records relating to Kirribilli House. It is patently the case that the Department does not wish to exert itself in finding the relevant documents, or it wishes to be wilfully ignorant of their existence.
Again, I assert that documents relating to Kiribli House and the Official Establishments Trust were, at the relevant time, part of the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet, and accordingly the records are within the possession of the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet, or the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet has a constructive knowledge of their present whereabouts.
If it assists you, I am mostly interested in attendance on Friday 10 October 2008; the night of the infamous “what’s the G20” phone conversation with former US president George W. Bush.
A full history of my FOI request and all correspondence is available on the Internet at this address:
http://www.righttoknow.org.au/request/tr...
Yours faithfully,
Caitlin Huntington
FOI/2013/005
Dear Ms Huntington,
Thank you for your email of 29 March 2013, received by the Department of
the Prime Minister and Cabinet (the Department) in which you made a
request for internal review under the Freedom of Information Act 1982 (FOI
Act) in the following terms:
I am writing to request an internal review of Department of the Prime
Minister and Cabinet's handling of my FOI request 'Travel arrangements and
guest logs'.
I think that it is entirely inconceivable that the Department of the Prime
Minister and Cabinet has "lost" records relating to Kirribilli House. It
is patently the case that the Department does not wish to exert itself in
finding the relevant documents, or it wishes to be wilfully ignorant of
their existence.
Again, I assert that documents relating to Kiribli House and the Official
Establishments Trust were, at the relevant time, part of the Department of
Prime Minister and Cabinet, and accordingly the records are within the
possession of the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet, or the
Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet has a constructive knowledge of
their present whereabouts.
A decision on your original request was notified to you on 18 February
2013. The FOI Act provides at section 54B that an application for internal
review must be made within 30 days of a decision being notified. While
your application for internal review was received outside of 30 days, the
Department has decided it is appropriate to accept your request by
allowing a further period for lodgement.
Timeframe for receiving your decision
The statutory timeframe for processing a request is 30 days from the date
upon which your application was received by the Department.
Authorised decision-maker
Section 54C of the FOI Act requires the Department to arrange for a person
other than the person who made the original decision to review that
decision. The authorised decision-maker for the review is Renée Leon,
Deputy Secretary (Governance).
Removal of officer’s details
It is the Department’s policy to withhold the names and contact details of
junior officers within the Department and other agencies contained within
documents that fall within scope of the request. The names and details of
senior departmental staff would not be withheld unless there were some
reason for that information to be exempt from release. If you require the
names and contact details of junior officers please let us know at
[1][DPMC request email] for the decision-maker to consider; otherwise we will
take it that you agree to that information being excluded from the scope
of your request.
Publication of documents
In accordance with the Government’s pro-disclosure policy agencies are
required to publish information which has been released under FOI on the
agencies’ disclosure logs. If you wish to raise any objections to the
publication of any of the documents which may be released to you please
contact the Department by email at [2][DPMC request email]. Supporting reasons
for any objection would be appreciated.
Charges
Please be reminded that documents in relation to the original decision
will be released upon receipt of the balance of the charge for that
application. The remaining balance is $98.25.
The Department will write again when we have further information.
Otherwise, further information on FOI processing can be found at the
website of the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner at
[3]http://www.oaic.gov.au/foi-portal/about_....
Regards
FOI Adviser
Legal Policy Branch
Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet
Email: [4][DPMC request email]
[5]Description: Description: Description: Description: Description: FOI
design element
References
Visible links
1. mailto:[DPMC request email]
2. mailto:[DPMC request email]
3. http://www.oaic.gov.au/foi-portal/about_...
4. mailto:[DPMC request email]
Dear Ms Huntington
Please see attached correspondence.
Yours sincerely
FOI Adviser
Legal Policy Branch
Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet
Phone: 02 6271 5849
Email: [DPMC request email]