OFFICIAL
17 November 2023
By email:
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx@xxxxxxxxxxx.xxx.xx
Dear Alex Pentland
Freedom of Information (FOI) Request 23-24-14
The purpose of this letter is to give you a decision about access to documents that you requested
under the
Freedom of Information Act 1982 (FOI Act).
Summary
I, Nicole Pearson, am an officer under section 23(1) of the FOI Act to make decisions in relation to
FOI request.
You requested access to documents relating to the Independent Parliamentary Expenses Authority
(IPEA) on 18 September 2023. Specifically, you sought access to:
“.. the flights, origins and destinations, dates and costs related to all airfares booked for
Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price since 21 May 2022.”
Decision and reasons for decision
In making my decision, I have taken the fol owing into account:
• the terms of your request
• advice provided to me by officers with responsibility for matters to which your request
relates
• the provisions of the FOI Act; and
• the Guidelines issued by the Australian Information Commissioner under section 93A of the
FOI Act (the Guidelines).
Section 24A of the FOI Act relevantly provides that an agency or Minister may refuse a request for
access to a document if all reasonable steps have been taken to find the document and the agency is
satisfied that the document:
• is in the agency’s possession but cannot be found; or
• does not exist.
One Canberra Avenue, Forrest ACT 2603 • Telephone 02 6215 3000
Intern
et www.ipea.gov.au
OFFICIAL
OFFICIAL
When considering a decision to refuse access under section 24A of the FOI Act, the Guidelines
relevantly provide at paragraph 3.89 that an agency or Minister should take comprehensive steps to
locate documents, having regard to:
• the subject matter of the documents;
• the current and past file management systems and the practice of destruction or removal of
documents;
• the record management systems in place; and
• the individuals within an agency or minister’s office who may be able to assist with the
location of documents.
Under section 11 of the FOI Act, you have a right to request access to documents. A document of an
agency is defined in section 4 of the FOI Act as being a document in possession of an agency whether
created in the agency or received in the agency.
The Independent Parliamentary Expenses Authority (IPEA) is not in possession of a document as
described in your request. IPEA is also unable to create an accurate document as described, as the
expenditure report functionality for the Parliamentary Expenses Management System (PEMS) is stil
being built. The reporting module function is expected to be live from December 2023, and the
information you seek will be publicly available in the near future.
Having regard to the above, I have decided to refuse access pursuant to section 24A of the FOI Act.
Questions about this decision
If you wish to discuss this decision, please contact me using the details below.
Yours sincerely
Nicole Pearson
Branch Manager
Independent Parliamentary Expenses Authority
One Canberra Avenue, FORREST ACT 2603
T: 02 6215 3991
E: xxx@xxxx.xxx.xx
Attachments
Attachment A: Review rights
One Canberra Avenue, Forrest ACT 2603 • Telephone 02 6215 3000
Intern
et www.ipea.gov.au
OFFICIAL
