Freedom of Information
From:
Vice-Chancellor
Sent:
Tuesday, July 8, 2025 4:05 PM
To:
Freedom of Information
Subject:
RE: FOI 202500132 - Search and Retrieval Process
Dear
s. 22 Irrelevant
I hope you don’t mind me reaching out but I have a question about the scope of the request laid out below.
The FOI below appears to be predicated on the idea that the “Editor of On Campus” is a role, in the formal HR
sense, with a position description etc. This is not the case. It is a project, with clear KPIs that sits with the OVC, in a
time bounded way whilst the Market and Comms organisation stabilises. So I am not sure I would answer the
below as the starting assumption is erroneous.
Cheers
Genevieve
From: Freedom of Information <xxx@xxx.xxx.xx>
Sent: Tuesday, 8 July 2025 12:33 PM
To: Vice-Chancellor s. 22 Irrelevant material
Subject: FOI 202500132 - Search and Retrieval Process
Dear Vice-Chancellor,
I am writing to you because the University has received a Freedom of Information (FOI) request that identifies
documents likely held by you or someone within your portfolio.
The Freedom of Information Act 1982 is Commonwealth legislation that allows the general public to seek access
to documents held by any Commonwealth agency or authority. The Australian National University is a
Commonwealth authority and is subject to the Act (see following link for further information:
https://www.anu.edu.au/freedom-of-information) .
The request is as follows:
‘Background: Ms Adena has served as Senior Advisor to the Vice-Chancellor since early 2024. In early 2025, she
appeared in On Campus with her own editorial introduc on as Editor of On Campus. This request seeks to
clarify how this Editor role was created, whether it was formally approved or recruited, what financial
arrangements exist, and how any poten al conflict of interest has been managed.
Specifically, I request access to all documents, whether formal or informal, for the period 1 January 2024 to
present, including but not limited to:
1. Any documents related to the crea on, recruitment, appointment or engagement of Ms Adena as Editor
of On Campus, including:
o Posi on descrip ons, business cases, recruitment or appointment papers, selec on reports, approvals
and contracts
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o Any jus fica on for combining or crea ng this editorial role in addi on to her Senior Advisor du es
o Any documents showing whether a compe ve process was undertaken or an exemp on was granted.
2. Any documents provided to or generated by the Recruitment Approval Commi ee (RAC) regarding the
Editor role or Ms Adena’s dual roles.
3. All communica ons (including emails, Signal messages, instant messages, Teams chats, handwri en
notes, mee ng notes) between the Office of the Vice-Chancellor, Media and Communica ons, Human
Resources, Finance or other relevant areas discussing:
o Ms Adena’s appointment as Editor of On Campus
o The ra onale for her introduc on as Editor while holding the Senior Advisor posi on
o Repor ng lines, du es, editorial oversight and any discussion of pay or workload implica ons.
4. Any conflict of interest declara ons, disclosures or management plans referencing Ms Adena’s roles as
Senior Advisor and Editor, or how any actual, poten al or perceived conflict has been assessed or managed’.
Given the subject of the request, we believe relevant documents will be held by you or your team, however, if you
feel there is someone more appropriate for us to liaise with in relation to this request, please let us know at your
earliest convenience.
Timeframe
So that we may respond to the request within the timeframes set out within FOI legislation, I would be grateful if
you can provide us with any documents within scope of the request by COB 17 July 2025.
Search and Retrieval Schedule
Please complete the attached document called ‘Search and Retrieval Schedule’. You should include the
following:
- Number the document You should number documents that you provide to the FOI team, these numbers
should correspond to the ‘Document Number’ in the Search and Retrieval Schedule.
o For example:
1. Report on ABCD
2. Email about report on ABCD.
- Number of Pages within the document
- Date the document was created or ‘Not Ascertainable’ if no dates are included on the document
- Any concerns you have with material contained in the document – provide as much detail as possible,
reference specific pages or information within the document and provide context to assist the FOI team in
determining appropriate exemptions/redactions – this should be considered your sole opportunity to
articulate any concerns you may have. For an idea of what kind of material can be redacted, please review
the following link: https://www.oaic.gov.au/freedom-of-information/guidance-and-advice/exemptions-
and-conditional-exemptions-under-the-freedom-of-information-act-1982
Unmarked Documentation
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You must provide unmarked/unredacted documents to the FOI team for them to process. It is the responsibility of
the FOI team to assess and redact documents in accordance with the provisions of the FOI Act.
Charges
Charges may be able to be applied for this request. So that we can determine this and calculate any applicable
charges, please provide information on:
- Time spent searching for and retrieving documents;
- Staff involved in search.
Attestation of Search
Once you have completed the Search and Retrieval Process and are ready to provide the documentation back to
the FOI team, you must sign the ‘Attestation of Search’ document that is attached to this email. This can be either
wet inked and scanned or docusigned. The reason this document is used is to provide the regulatory body with
assurance that the ANU is taking all reasonable and necessary steps to locate and process documentation that
could be relevant to an FOI request. Please note that this document will be released to FOI applicants where
required.
If you have any questions about the scope of the request or in undertaking this search please contact me as soon
as possible. Thank you for your assistance.
Kind regards,
s. 22 Irreleva
ANU Freedom Of Information Unit
E: xxx@xxx.xxx.xx
Web: https://www.anu.edu.au/freedom-of-information
TEQSA Provider ID: PRV12002 (Australian University) | CRICOS Provider Code: 00120C | ABN: 52 234 063
906
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