VoxPopuli
By email: xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx@xxxxxxxxxxx.xxx.xx
Our reference: LEX 1632
Dear Applicant
Freedom of Information request
1. I am writing about your Freedom of Information (FOI) request under the
Freedom of
Information Act 1982 (FOI Act) made on 20 September 2025 for access to
documents held by the Australian Public Service Commission (the Commission).
2. The FOI Act and all other Commonwealth legislation referred to in this letter are publicly
available fro
m www.legislation.gov.au.
Documents relevant to your request
3. You requested access to documents on the following terms:
“I am requesting a document that shows the most current up-to-date pay scales for all
APS agencies and/or prescribed authorities.
For context, the APSC published agency pay scales as of 31 August 2023 during the
previous APS-wide bargaining process that outlined min and max salaries at each APS
and EL1 level for over 100 different agencies. This document is accessible here:
https://www.apsc.gov.au/sites/default/files/2023-05/Pay%20Scales%20-
%20Updated%2031%20May%202023.xlsx
I am seeking a document like this as part of my request. If such a document does not
exist, I refer you to the obligation to produce such a document under section 17 of the
FOI Act using data held on your systems.”
4. On 25 September 2025, the Commission provided you with publicly available information
in relation to your request and advised that the Commission has not updated the document
referenced in your request, which was created as part of the previous APS-wide bargaining.
The Commission invited you to withdraw your request, or otherwise clarify the scope of
your request, noting that the Commission was unlikely to possess a document within the
scope of your request as framed.
5. On 27 September 2025, you clarified the scope of your request as follows:
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“I will not be withdrawing my request. If it assists, I clarify the scope of my request to data
outlining minimum and maximum salary numbers for levels APS1-6 and EL1-EL2. If such data
does not exist in a discrete document I refer you to your obligation under section 17 of the FOI
Act to create such a document.
Your agency would have this data on their systems due to your responsibility in overseeing the
previous APS round and your agency would have received the pay scales for the overwhelming
majority of APS agencies and prescribed authorities. I understand you do not want to do the
work involved in compiling the data stored in your systems, but if so, you will need to explain
why this is the case on a formal FOI decision.”
Decision
6. I am authorised under subsection 23(1) of the FOI Act to make FOI decisions.
5. I am satisfied that all reasonable steps have been taken to locate documents relevant to
your request.
6. I have identified one (1)
document within scope of your request which is:
• Document 1: Working Level Document of Minimum and Maximum Pay Scales
7. I have decided to grant you full access to Document 1.
8. Document 1 is a working level document created by the relevant line area within the
Commission. The document is a collation of publicly available information contained in
published enterprise agreements. Please note that this document has not undergone a data
validation process and, therefore, may contain inaccuracies.
9. As previously advised in the Commission’s correspondence on 25 September 2025,
publicly available information in relation to pay scales is released annually in the
Remuneration Report in Tables 28 and 35 of Appendix 3 (available on the Commission’s
website). The data captured in the most current report is at 31 December 2024.
Contacts
10. If you require clarification on matters in this letter please contact the Commission’s FOI
Officer by email at
xxx@xxxx.xxx.xx.
Review rights
11. You are entitled to seek review of this decision. Your review rights are set out at
Attachment A.
Yours sincerely
Harrison Miller
Authorised FOI decision maker
15 October 2025
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ATTACHMENT A
Rights of Review
Asking for a full explanation of a Freedom of Information decision
If you are dissatisfied with this decision, you may seek review. Before you seek review of a
Freedom of Information (FOI) decision, you may contact us to discuss your request and we
will explain the decision to you.
Seeking review of a Freedom of Information decision If you still believe a decision is incorrect, the
Freedom of Information Act 1982 (the FOI Act)
may give you the right to apply for a review of the decision. Under sections 54 and 54L of the
FOI Act, you can apply for a review of an FOI decision by seeking:
1. an internal review by an different officer of the Australian Public
Service Commission; and/or
2. external review by the Australian Information
Commissioner. There are no fees applied to either review option.
Applying for a review by an Internal Review Officer If you apply for internal review, a different decision maker to the agency authorised officer
who made the original decision will carry out the review. The Internal Review Officer will
consider all aspects of the original decision and decide whether it should change. An
application for internal review must be made in writing within 30 days of receiving this letter
to:
Email:
xxx@xxxx.xxx.xx
Post:
The FOI Officer
Australian Public Service Commission
B Block, Treasury Building
GPO Box 3176
Parkes Place West
PARKES ACT 2600
You do not need to fill in a form. However, it is a good idea to set out any relevant
submissions you would like the Internal Review Officer to further consider, and your reasons
for disagreeing with the decision.
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Applying for external review by the Australian Information Commissioner If you do not agree with the original FOI decision or the internal review decision, you can ask
the Australian Information Commissioner to review the decision. You have 60 days to apply
in writing for a review by the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (the OAIC)
from the date you received this letter or any subsequent internal review decision.
You can
lodge your application:
Online:
www.oaic.gov.au
Post:
Australian Information Commissioner
GPO Box 5218
SYDNEY NSW 2001
Email:
xxxxxxxxx@xxxx.xxx.xx
The OAIC encourage applicants to apply online. Where possible, to assist the OAIC you
should include your contact information, a copy of the related FOI decision and provide
details of your reasons for objecting to the decision.
Complaints to the Information Commissioner and Commonwealth Ombudsman Information Commissioner You may complain to the Information Commissioner concerning action taken by an agency
in the exercise of powers or the performance of functions under the FOI Act. There is no fee
for making a complaint. A complaint to the Information Commissioner must be made in
writing. The Information Commissioner's contact details are:
Telephone: 1300 363 992
Website:
www.oaic.gov.au
Commonwealth Ombudsman You may complain to the Ombudsman concerning action taken by an agency in the exercise
of powers or the performance of functions under the FOI Act. There is no fee for making a
complaint. A complaint to the Ombudsman may be made in person, by telephone or in
writing. The Ombudsman's contact details are:
Phone:
1300 362 072
Website:
www.ombudsman.gov.au
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Document Outline
