If not delivered return to PO Box 7820 Canberra BC ACT 2610
5 May 2017
Our reference: LEX 29090
Ms Sarah Masting
By email:
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx@xxxxxxxxxxx.xxx.xx Dear Ms Masting
Freedom of Information Request - Charges
I refer to your request dated 11 April 2017 and received by the Department of Human Services (the
department) on the same day, for access under the
Freedom of Information Act 1982 (the
FOI Act)
to the following:
'Information relating to the Online Compliance Intervention ("OCI") initiative. This is the
initiative to match Centrelink data with data from the Australian Tax Office ("ATO") to detect
potential over-payment and the recovery of those over-payments.
It has recently been stated in the media and senate hearings that in excess of 200,000
letters have been sent under the OCI.
1. How many people are now marked as deceased, dead or any other synonym used to
describe no longer living that have been sent any letter under the OCI, at any time since
July 1 2016?'
Preliminary Assessment of the Charge
In accordance with section 29 of the FOI Act, I have decided that you are liable to pay a charge for
the processing of your request. Please note that the payment of a charge does not guarantee
access to documents, redacted or otherwise.
My preliminary assessment of that charge is $285.00 calculated as follows:
Collation of data: 5 hours, at $57.00 per hour:
$285.00
Decision-making time (*after deduction of 5 hours): 0 hours, at
$20.00 per hour
$0.00
TOTAL
$285.00
*The FOI Act provides that the first five hours of decision-making time are free of charge and this is reflected in the
calculation.
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Required Action
If you would like the department to continue processing your request, you must notify the
department in writing within 30 days of receiving this notice that you:
a) agree to pay the charge;
b) wish to contend that the charge:
i. has been wrongly assessed; or
ii. should be reduced or not imposed; or
iii. both
c) withdraw the request for access.
If you do not provide a written response in accordance with Option A, B or C above within 30 days
of receiving this notice, your request will be taken to have been withdrawn under section 29(2) of
the FOI Act.
Alternatively you may wish to refine the scope of your FOI request. If you would like to discuss this
please contact me for assistance.
Further information on
Options A,
B and
C is set out below.
Option A - pay the charge
As the charge is more than $100.00, you are required to pay a deposit of 25% of the charge, being
$71.25, within 30 days of receiving this notice. You may, of course, elect to pay the charge in full at
this point.
The amount due should be paid by cheque or money order made out to the Collector of Public
Monies. Please quote the reference number
FOI LEX 29090 with your payment and send it to:
Freedom of Information team
Department of Human Services
PO Box 7820
CANBERRA ACT 2610
Should you elect to pay the charge please email
xxx.xxxxx.xxxx@xxxxxxxxxxxxx.xxx.xx once
you have posted your cheque or money order to advise us of your payment.
Option B - seek reduction or non-imposition of the charge
You may contend that the charge has been wrongly assessed, or should be reduced or not
imposed. Section 29(5) of the FOI Act provides that, in deciding whether to reduce or not to impose
a charge, the decision-maker must take into account any relevant reasons, including whether
payment of the charge, or part of it, would cause you financial hardship, and whether the giving of
access to the documents is in the general public interest or in the interest of a substantial section of
the public.
If you wish to contend that the charge has been wrongly assessed or should be reduced or not
imposed, please set out your reasons and the evidence in support of your reasons as clearly as
possible. If you believe that payment of the charge would cause you financial hardship, please
provide sufficient details of your financial circumstances to enable the decision-maker to make a
well-informed decision in this regard.
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Department of Human Services
Option C - withdraw your request
If you wish to withdraw your request you may do so in writing.
Time limits for processing your request
Section 31 of the FOI Act provides that where a notice is sent to an applicant regarding the payment
of a charge in respect of a request, the time limit for processing the request is suspended from the
date the notice is received until either:
(a) the day following payment of the charge (in full or the required deposit); or
(b) if applicable, the day following the notification to the applicant of a decision not to impose the
charge.
Address for correspondence
Please send all correspondence regarding your FOI request to me at the following address:
Freedom of Information team
Department of Human Services
PO Box 7820
CANBERRA ACT 2610
Or by email to
xxx.xxxxx.xxxx@xxxxxxxxxxxxx.xxx.xx.
Publication of information in the FOI disclosure log
Information released under the FOI Act may be published in a disclosure log on the department's
website. Section 11C of the FOI Act requires this publication, subject to certain exceptions,
including where publication of personal, business, professional or commercial information would be
unreasonable.
Further assistance
If you have any questions please email
xxx.xxxxx.xxxx@xxxxxxxxxxxxx.xxx.xx.
Yours sincerely
Jonathon
Authorised FOI Decision Maker
Freedom of Information Team
FOI and Litigation Branch Legal Services Division
Department of Human Services
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Department of Human Services
