Thank you for contacting the Freedom of Information (FOI) team in Services
Australia (the Agency).

 
This email acknowledges your correspondence and provides some general
information in relation to FOI.
 
FOI – Extension of time request
Under the Freedom of Information Act 1982 (FOI Act) you have a right, with
limited exceptions, to access documents the Agency holds. The Agency has
30 days to process an FOI request. Please note this period may be extended
if we need to consult third parties or for other reasons. We will advise
you if this happens.
We are currently experiencing a higher than usual volume of requests,
which has resulted in some delays in our review and response process. We
are seeking your agreement to extend the processing time by an additional
30 days. If you agree to this additional time, we would appreciate it if
you could reply to this email with ‘I agree’ at your earliest opportunity.
Administrative release of documents  
The Agency has administrative access arrangements ('the arrangements') for
the release of certain documents without the need for a formal FOI
request. If you agree to the release of documents under these
arrangements, we may provide you with documents under the arrangements,
where appropriate. 
                                                                 
Any parts of your FOI request that are addressed by documents being
released under the arrangements will be considered withdrawn. The
arrangements do not extend to information or materials of third parties.
You will be notified when documents are released to you under the
arrangements.
 
Personal information of Agency staff
We consider staff details to be personal information of those staff
members. As part of the FOI application process, we will seek your consent
to exclude the following information from documents that may be captured
by your request: 
•names of Services Australia staff below the Senior Executive level
(junior staff)
•direct staff telephone numbers, signatures, logon identifiers and email
addresses.
 
If you consent to exclude this information, we will treat it as outside
the scope of your request and therefore irrelevant under Section 22 of the
FOI Act.
 
Charges
No charge is payable for providing a person with their own personal
information.
If you are requesting non-personal information the Agency will advise you
as soon as practicable if a charge is payable to process your request, and
the amount of any such charge.
 
How we will send documents to you
We typically use this email address to send documents related to your FOI
request unless you have specifically requested to receive them via post.
However, we might seek your consent to deliver the documents
electronically if it is deemed more suitable.
 
How long do I have to wait?
We are required to answer your request within 30 days unless the time
frame is extended under the FOI Act. 

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Dear Alan,

I refer to your request received by Services Australia (the Agency) on 12
April 2025 for the following:

I am seeking for the years 2023 and 2024, the following information in
relation to both Newstart and DSP.

: Number referred to Police for unacceptable behaviour to Service
Australia staff.

: The number of people charged by Police, and

: The number of people convicted.

Upon receiving your request, I consulted with the relevant business areas
of the Agency that holds the type of data you requested. Unfortunately,
the information you are seeking is not held in any existing reports or
documents.

Additionally, your request does not meet the requirements for the Agency
to release documents to you through the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act,
as a person is not entitled to obtain access to a document if it is
available elsewhere (section 12(1)(c)).

Access Data

The Agency has arrangements in place for the purchase of statistical
information and data.

You can submit a request for statistical data by contacting the External
Information Release Team via email at
[1][email address].

Therefore, in accordance with section 12(1)(c) of the FOI Act, you are not
entitled to request access to the documents under the FOI Act.

Further information

The Agency makes a range of statistical information and data available to
the public. For further information regarding public statistical
information and lodging requests for statistics and data, please visit our
website at:  [2]Statistical information and data - About us - Services
Australia

I trust this information is of assistance to you. Your request has now
been closed.

Kind regards

Leanne, Senior FOI Officer

FOI and Reviews Branch, Legal Services Division

[3]Visual brand element showing Services Australia progress symbol to left
with Services Australia wording to the right of the symbol. Underneath is
servicesaustralia.gov.au and icons representing our social media accounts.
To follow us on social media go to servicesaustralia.gov.au/socialmedia
Aligning the bottom of the signature block is the Services Australia
indigenous artwork strip consisting of cultural elements depicting our
agency’s progress story for First Nations people.

Services Australia acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of the lands we
live on. We pay our respects to all Elders, past and present, of all
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander nations.

This email and any attachments may contain information subject to legal
professional privilege or information that is otherwise sensitive or
confidential. If you are not the intended recipient of this email, you are
prohibited from using or disseminating this communication. If you have
received this communication in error please notify the sender immediately
and permanently delete this email.

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References

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