DPS ref: 13/3187
Ms Margot Kingston
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx@xxxxxxxxxxx.xxx.xx
Dear Ms Kingston
Request for access to documents under Freedom of Information Act 1982 I refer to your email dated 1 May 2013, in which you made the following request under the
Freedom of Information (FOI) Act:
‘I recently published an article on the press gallery
(http://australiansforhonestpolitics.wordpress.com/2013/04/30/your-guide-to-the-
press-gallery-and-its-gatekeeper/), and several readers have asked for a list of present members and who they work for.
I understand you have that list because you are responsible for maintaining the
security pass database. I request a copy.’
For the purpose of this response, I have determined that the requested document include the
names of current press pass holders.
I am an authorised decision-maker under section 23 of the FOI Act.
Third party consultation and extension period
I wrote to you on 29 May 2013 stating that I had determined that the people listed in the
document, as third parties to your request, might reasonably wish to make an exemption
contention.
In that letter I notified you under section 15(6) of the FOI Act that I had determined that the
requirements of section 27A make it appropriate to extend the period for dealing with this
request by a further period of 30 days. That extension period ends on 30 June 2013.
Release of document
I have considered the individual submissions received from third parties requesting that their
personal information be exempt from disclosure, four of these submissions were from
technical or administrative staff and not journalists, and I have accepted the personal privacy
reasons provided. Consequently, those third parties have been excluded from the list.
Approximately fifty press pass holders were unable to be contacted and the Department is
seeking confirmation of their status from the Press Gallery. Therefore, the attached list
should be considered a partial release. You will be notified if additional names are added to
the list.
The list, including names and the organisation for which they work, is attached.
Parliament House ● PO Box 6000 ACT 2600 Australia ● T: +61 2 6277 7111 ● ABN: 52 997 141 147
Review of decision Under section 54 of the FOI Act, you may apply for an internal review of this decision within
30 days of receiving this correspondence. If you choose to seek an internal review, you will
subsequently have a right to apply to the Australian Information Commissioner for a review
of the internal review decision.
Alternatively, under section 54L of the FOI Act, you may seek review of this decision by the
Australian Information Commissioner without first going to internal review. Your application
must be made within 60 days of receiving this notice.
The Information Commissioner is an independent office holder who may review decisions of
agencies and Ministers under the FOI Act. More information and contact details for the
Information Commissioner are available on the Information Commissioner’s website
www.oaic.gov.au.
You may also complain to either the Australian Information Commissioner or the
Commonwealth Ombudsman about action taken by the Department in relation to the
application. The Ombudsman will consult with the Information Commissioner before
investigating a complaint about the handling of an FOI request.
If you wish to discuss any aspect of this matter, please contact me on (02) 6277 7102 or by
email at xxxxxx.xxxxxx@xxx.xxx.xx.
Yours sincerely
Dianne Heriot
Parliamentary Librarian
28 June 2013
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