202300115 Notice of Practical Refusal Request consultation.pdf

Kathryn Dan
University Archivist & Associate
Director, University Records
Records and Archives
Scholarly Information Services
Division
xxx@xxx.xxx.xx

1 December 2023
Tom Orsag
Via Email: xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx@xxxxxxxxxx.xxx.xx

Freedom of Information Request 202300115
Notification of Practical Refusal- Request Consultation Process
Dear Mr Orsag,
On 16 November 2023, the Australian National University received your request
seeking access to documents under the Freedom of Information Act 1982 (the Act).
I, Kathryn Dan, am an officer authorised under section 23(1) of the Act to make
decisions in relation to FOI requests.
I am writing to inform you that I believe that the work involved in processing your
request in its current form would substantially and unreasonably divert the resources
of this agency from its other operations, and on that basis, I intend to refuse your
request under s24AA of the FOI Act.
This refusal is due to the combination of the size and broad scope of your request.
Before I make a final decision to do this, you have an opportunity to revise your request.
This is called a ‘request consultation process’ as set out under section 24AB of the FOI
Act. You have 14 days to respond to this notice in one of the ways set out below.
Why I intend to refuse your request
In your request you sought the following:
The Australian National University
Canberra 2600, ACT Australia

TEQSA Provider ID: PRV12002 (Australian University)
CRICOS Provider Code: 00120C

‘I request access to ﬁnancial reports or any other reports that contain numerical data for the
period 1 January 2013 – 1 November 2023 that record the University’s purchase, sale or
ownership of shares or funds (domestic or international) in the fol owing companies:

1. Aecom

2. Aerojet Rocketdyne

3. Airbus Group

4. Babcock International

5. BAE Systems

6. Bechtel

7. Boeing

8. BWX Technologies

9. CH2M Hil

10. Charles Stark Draper Laboratory

11. Engility Holdings

12. European Aeronautic Defence & Space

13. General Dynamics

14. Goodrich Corporation

15. Fluor Corporation

16. Honeywel International

17. Huntington Ingal s Industries

18. ITT Corporation

19. Jacobs Engineering

20. Larsen & Toubro

21. Leonardo-Finmeccanica

22. Lockheed Martin

The Australian National University
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CRICOS Provider #00120C

23. Moog Inc.

24. Northrop Grumman

25. Orbital ATK

26. Raytheon [now RTX]

27. Redhal  Group

28. Rockwell Col ins Inc

29. Rol s Royce Holdings

30. Safran

31. SAIC Inc

32. Serco Group

33. Textron

34. Thales

35. Thyssenkrupp

36. Walchandnagar Industries’

After considering the scope of your request in its entirety and undertaking initial
search and retrieval processes, the initial documents that have been provided to the
FOI function (71 in total, with an average page count of 8) will require extensive third
party consultation with a range of entities. As such, your request as it currently stands
amounts to an unreasonable diversion of the University’s resources under FOI
legislation.
My assessment of the time and resources it would take to process your request
appropriately includes, but is not limited to, the following elements:
  Search and retrieval processes
  Initial review/discussion of documents to assess their relevance to scope
  Internal and external consultations regarding the content of documents
The Australian National University
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CRICOS Provider #00120C

  Processing documents (formatting and converting from different file types to
PDF)
  Validating and discussing exemptions
  Applying redactions
  Developing decision letter and other correspondence associated with your
request
  QA Review of all documentation
  Finalisation of documentation for circulation.

You may consider revising your request by reducing the scope to something that is less
resource intensive to process. For example, by providing more specific information
about exactly what documents/issues/information you are interested in, the University
will be able to pinpoint the relevant documents more quickly and avoid using excessive
resources to process any documents that you may not be interested in.
Before the end of the consultation period, you must do one of the following things, in
writing:
  Revise your request to remove the practical refusal reason;
  Tell us that you do not wish to revise the request; or
  Withdraw the request.
The consultation period runs for 14 days and starts on the day after you receive this
notice.
If you revise your request in a way that adequately addresses the practical refusal
grounds outlined above, we will recommence processing it. (Please note that the time
taken to consult you regarding the scope of your request is not taken into account for
the purposes of the 30-day time limit for processing your request.)
If you do not do one of the three things listed above during the consultation period,
your request will be taken to have been withdrawn and you will be advised as such in
writing.

The Australian National University
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CRICOS Provider #00120C

Contact officer
If you would like to revise your request or have any questions regarding any of the
above, please contact me via xxx@xxx.xxx.xx.

Yours sincerely

Kathryn Dan
Associate Director
Records and Archives

The Australian National University
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CRICOS Provider #00120C