Harry Williams
Via email to: xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx@xxxxxxxxxxx.xxx.xx
Dear Harry Williams
Freedom of Information Request LEX 53001 – Decision on access
I refer to the
Freedom of Information Act 1982 (
FOI Act) request to the Department of Social Services
(
Department) on 19 February 2025. The request, which has been revised by agreement, seeks access to:
Ministerial briefs relating to the National Consumer Protection Framework for online wagering for the
period 1 January and 31 December 2021
I am authorised to make decisions in respect of FOI requests under subsection 23(1) of the FOI Act.
Decision
I have decided to grant partial access to the documents sought by the request as they contain material that
is irrelevant to the request and deleted under section 22 of the FOI Act.
The documents and my decision in relation to each are set out in the Schedule of Documents at
Attachment A (
Schedule).
The reasons for my decision are set out in the Statement of Reasons at
Attachment B.
Review rights and complaints
Information concerning how you may seek a review of this decision or make a complaint about the
handling of this request is at
Attachment C.
Publication
Section 11C of the FOI Act requires agencies to publish details on how to access documents released in
response to FOI requests on their website within 10 days of release unless except where that publication
would be unreasonable.
The documents released in response to this request do not contain any information that would be
unreasonable to publish. As a result, details on how to access them wil be published on the Department’s
disclosure log within 10 days of this decision.
GPO Box 9820 Canberra ACT 2601
Email Facsimile Telephone 1300 653 227
National Relay Service: TTY: 133 677, Speak and listen: 1300 555 727, Internet relay: www.relayservice.com.au
www.dss.gov.au
Contact
If you would like to discuss any aspect of my decision, please contact me at xxx@xxx.xxx.xx.
Yours sincerely
Heather D
Authorised FOI Decision Maker
5 May 2025
Attachments
A – Schedule of Documents
B – Statement of Reasons
C – Review rights
ATTACHMENT A
2c
Letter
Release in part
Subject: RE: Verification of client identity and funding source prior to
Section 22 – name and direct contact details of departmental staff;
commencement of online gambling
signature of NT Racing Commission Chair
Date: 31 March 2021
3
General brief
Release in part
MS21-000393: Status Update – National Consumer Protection
Section 22 – direct contact details and signature of departmental
Framework for online wagering
staff; signature of former Minister for Families and Social Services
3a
Table
Release in full
Progress status update: National Consumer Protection Framework for
Online Wagering – June 2021
3b
Report
Release in full
Department of Social Services Consistent Gambling Messaging Insights
Research (June 2021)
4
General brief
Release in part
MS21-000473: National Consumer Protection Framework for online
Section 22 – direct contact details and signature of departmental
wagering – Implementation of the Activity Statements Measure
staff; signature of former Minister for Families and Social Services
4a
Table
Release in full
Proposed refinements to the agreed principles supporting the Activity
Statements Measure
4b
Draft correspondence
Release in full
Minister for Families and Social Services to state and territory ministers
for gambling
5
General brief
Release in part
MS21-000660: National Consumer Protection Framework for Online
Section 22 – direct contact details and signature of departmental
Wagering (National Framework) – Implemntation of the Staff Training
staff; signature of former Minister for Families and Social Services
Measure
ATTACHMENT A
5a
Plan
Release in full
National Consumer Protection Framework Staff Training Measure –
Implementation Plan
5b
Draft correspondence
Release in full
Minister for Families and Social Services to state and territory ministers
for gambling
5c
General brief
Release in part
MS21-000512: Gambling Research Appropriation 2021-22
Section 22 – direct contact details and signature of departmental
staff; signature of former Minister for Families and Social Services
6
General brief
Release in part
MS21-000679: Status Update – National Consumer Protection
Section 22 – direct contact details and signature of departmental
Framework for online wagering
staff; signature of former Minister for Families and Social Services
6a
Table
Release in part
September 2021 - Progress status update: National Consumer Protection Section 22 – names of members of the Implementation Governance
Framework for Online Wagering
Committee
ATTACHMENT B
STATEMENT OF REASONS
Material on which the decision is based
1. I relied on the following material in coming to this decision:
• the terms of the FOI request;
• the documents subject to the FOI request;
• advice from subject matter experts within the Department regarding the nature and sensitivity
of the documents subject to the request;
• the FOI Act;
• responses from third parties consulted in the course of processing the request; and
• the Guidelines issued by the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner under section
93A of the FOI Act (
FOI Guidelines).
Section 22 – Irrelevant material
2. Under section 22 of the FOI Act, the Department may delete material from documents that it
considers irrelevant to the scope of your request.
3. At the outset of this request you agreed to exclude the following information from its scope:
a) group email addresses used for internal departmental purposes;
b) all personal information of members of the public;
c) all personal information of non-Senior Executive Service (SES) government staff; and
d) all personal information of SES level government staff with the exception of the names of the
Department’s SES staff.
4. Where present in the documents, this information has been deleted under section 22 of the FOI
Act.
ATTACHMENT C
INFORMATION ON REVIEW RIGHTS
You may seek review of this decision via:
(a) an internal review; or
(b) the Australian Information Commissioner (
Information Commissioner).
Internal review
If you apply for internal review, a fresh decision will be made by a different decision-maker within the
Department. An application for internal review must be:
(a) made in writing;
(b) made within 30 days of receiving this letter; and
(c) sent to xxx@xxx.xxx.xx.
The application should also include the reasons why you think this decision should be reviewed.
If the internal review decision results in you not being provided access to all of the documents to which
you have requested access, you have the right to seek a further review by the Information
Commissioner.
Information Commissioner review
You can apply for the Information Commissioner to review this decision either immediately or following
an internal review decision. You must apply to the Information Commissioner within 60 days of the
receipt of this decision letter.
Further details on this process can be found on the Information Commissioner’s website at
https://www.oaic.gov.au/.
COMPLAINTS TO THE INFORMATION COMMISSIONER
You may also make a complaint to the Information Commissioner concerning actions taken by the
Department while exercising its powers or performing its functions under the FOI Act.
Further details on this process can be found on the Information Commissioner’s website at
https://www.oaic.gov.au/.