Our reference: FOIREQ25/00178
By email:
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx@xxxxxxxxxxx.xxx.xx
Dear Alan Ashmore
Freedom of Information Request – FOIREQ25/00178
I refer to your request for access to documents made under the
Freedom of
Information Act 1982 (Cth) (the FOI Act). Your Freedom of Information (FOI
request) was received by the Office of the Australian Commissioner (OAIC) on 12
April 2025.
I am writing to inform you of my decision.
I have identified 1 document within the scope of your request. I have made a
decision to grant full access to 1 document.
In accordance with section 26(1)(a) of the FOI Act, the reasons for my decision and
findings on material questions of fact are provided below.
Background
Scope of your request
Your FOI request sought access to the following information:
“I am seeking, by Agency name, the number of reviews that are open as 31
March 2025.”
Decision
I am an officer authorised under section 23(1) of the FOI Act to make decisions in
relation to FOI requests on behalf of the OAIC.
Subject to the following provisions of the FOI Act, I have made a decision to grant
full access to 1 document.
1300 363 992
T +61 2 9284 9749 GPO Box 5228
www.oaic.gov.au
xxxxxxxxx@xxxx.xxx.xx
F +61 2 9284 9666 Sydney NSW 2001 ABN 85 249 230 937
Searches undertaken
The FOI Act requires that all reasonable steps have been taken to locate
documents within scope of an FOI request.
In response to your request, the following line areas of the OAIC conducted
reasonable searches for documents relevant to you request:
• Regulatory Intelligence and Strategy branch
• Freedom of Information branch
Searches were conducted across the OAIC’s various document storage systems
including:
• the OAIC’s case management system - Resolve
• the OAIC’s document holding system – Content Manager
• OAIC’s email system
• general computer files
• paper files
• OAIC data analytics software.
The following search terms were used when undertaking electronic records
searches:
• Number of Information Commissioner reviews current as at 31 March 2025
by names of government department/agency
Having consulted with the relevant line areas and undertaken a review of the
records of the various search and retrieval efforts, I am satisfied that a reasonable
search has been undertaken in response to your request and that all relevant
documents have been found.
Reasons for decision
Material taken into account
In making my decision, I have had regard to the following:
• your FOI request dated 12 April 2025.
• the FOI Act, in particular section 3, 11, 11A, 15 and 26 of the FOI Act
• the Guidelines issued by the Australian Information Commissioner under
section 93A of the FOI Act to which regard must be had in performing a
function or exercising a power under the FOI Act (FOI Guidelines)
• consultation with line area/s of the OAIC in relation to your request
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Disclosure log decision
Section 11C of the FOI Act requires the OAIC to publish documents released
under the FOI Act on the OAIC’s disclosure log within 10 days of release, except if
they contain personal or business information that would be unreasonable to
publish.
I have made a decision to publish the documents subject to your request on the
OAIC’s disclosure log.
Release of document/s
The document is enclosed for release.
The document is identified in the
attached schedule of documents.
Please see the following page for information about your review rights.
Yours sincerely,
Nicole Pantazopoulos
Governance, Risk and Compliance Officer (FOI)
12 May 2025
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If you disagree with my decision
Internal review
You have the right to apply for an internal review of my decision under Part VI of the
FOI Act. An internal review will be conducted, to the extent possible, by an officer
of the OAIC who was not involved in or consulted in the making of my decision. If
you wish to apply for an internal review, you must do so in writing within 30 days.
There is no application fee for internal review.
If you wish to apply for an internal review, please mark your application for the
attention of the FOI Coordinator and state the grounds on which you consider that
my decision should be reviewed.
Applications for internal review can be submitted via email t
o xxx@xxxx.xxx.xx, or
by fax on 02 9284 9666. Alternatively, you can submit your internal review
application by post to:
Office of the Australian Information Commissioner
GPO Box 5288
SYDNEY NSW 2001
Further review
You have the right to seek review of this decision by the Information Commissioner
and the Administrative Review Tribunal (ART).
You may apply to the Information Commissioner for a review of my decision (IC
review). If you wish to apply for IC review, you must do so in writing within 60 days.
Your application must provide an address (which can be an email address or fax
number) that we can send notices to and include a copy of this letter. A request for
IC review can be made in relation to my decision, or an internal review decision.
Please note: It is the Information Commissioner’s view that it will usually not be in
the interests of the administration of the FOI Act to conduct an IC review of a
decision, or an internal review decision, made by the agency which the
Information Commissioner heads: the OAIC. For this reason, if you make an
application for IC review of my decision, and the Information Commissioner is
satisfied that in the interests of administration of the Act it is desirable that my
decision be considered by the ART, the Information Commissioner may decide not
to undertake an IC review.
Section 57A of the FOI Act provides that, before you can apply to the ART for review
of an FOI decision, you must first have applied for IC review.
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Applications for IC review can be submitted online at
: IC Review application online
form.
Alternatively, you can submit your application to:
Office of the Australian Information Commissioner
GPO Box 5288
SYDNEY NSW 2001
Or by email t
o xxxxx@xxxx.xxx.xx.
Accessing your information
If you would like access to the information which we hold about you, please lodge
an enquiry form via our website at
general enquiry. Please note that this form is
not for complaints or reviews. More information is available on t
he Access our
information | OAIC page on our website.
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Document Outline
