Dear Ms Jonscher,
 
I refer to your request, made to the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery
(TMAG) through the Right To Know website, seeking “documents that detail
the customer complaints that the gallery has fielded for (if possible) the
last three years”.  You asked for your request to be treated as “a formal
freedom of information request”.  In Tasmania, the Freedom of Information
Act 1991 (Tas) was replaced by the Right to Information Act 2009 (Tas)
(“the RTI Act”), and so I have considered your request in accordance with
the provisions of the RTI Act.
 
Section 16 of the RTI Act requires that all applications for assessed
disclosure (in other words, “formal” applications) must be accompanied by
an application fee of 25 fee units.  Before an application can be
accepted, the fee must be paid or a decision to waive the fee must be
made.  The fee may only be waived in specific circumstances, namely where
the applicant is:

* impecunious; or
* a Member of Parliament acting in connection with his or her official
duty; or
* able to show that he or she intends to use the information for a
purpose that is of general public interest or benefit.

 
There is no information with your request that enables me to determine
whether any of the specific circumstances for waiver are met, and I can
find nothing to indicate you have paid the fee.  Under the RTI Act, I am
therefore unable to accept your application as a formal application for
assessed disclosure.
 
However, I am happy to provide you with general information relating to
TMAG’s management of visitor feedback (please see below).  If after
considering this information you wish to make a further request, I invite
you to contact the Department to discuss your requirements, in particular
with reference to the amount of work that may be required to collate
material, or to assess it with regard to any third party personal
information it may include.  It may be possible to frame your request in a
way that allows for information to be provided outside the formal assessed
disclosure process, which would save time and not require payment or
waiver of the fee.
 
More information about how the Department deals with its obligations under
the Act is available on the website: 
[1]http://www.stategrowth.tas.gov.au/home/a....
 
 
TMAG’s management of visitor feedback
TMAG provides various mechanisms for gathering visitor feedback. 
 
The Front of House reception area has a visitor comments box.  Comments of
all natures can be lodged in the box using a written template. Visitors
with verbal feedback (which can consist of complaints and compliments) are
encouraged to fill in these comments forms. These comments are read by our
Visitor Service Manager and distributed to the Audience Engagement Team. 
Where relevant, feedback is taken on board in training, exhibition design,
customer service, etc. The written comments are regularly collated into
summary tables, where they are allocated a range of categories including
whether they are positive and negative (if applicable), and to which areas
of operations they relate, such as ‘exhibitions/ text/ lighting/ content’.
A summary email is forwarded to relevant staff for follow up.
 
TMAG also runs several social media channels (Facebook, Twitter,
Instagram) on which visitors make comments. These social media channels
are monitored by a member of the TMAG Communications Team who responds
within the relevant social medial platform when required. TMAG also
actively encourages visitors to review their experience on TripAdvisor and
it is our practice to respond to all reviews, whether positive or
negative.  Social media complaints of sufficient magnitude are elevated to
the Deputy Director for guidance and again either responded to online or
via direct email if applicable.
 
Finally TMAG also receives more formal written correspondence. These are
responded to individually and replies kept in a records management system.
 
I trust this information is of assistance to you.
 
Yours sincerely,
 
 
Alison Lander | Executive Officer (Right to Information, Privacy, Internal
Reviews)
Business Services | Department of State Growth
22 Elizabeth Street TAS 7000 | GPO Box 536, Hobart TAS 7001
Phone: (03) 6166 3293
[2]www.stategrowth.tas.gov.au
 
 
 
 
 

show quoted sections