Freedom of Information
CP1-6-001
PO Box 7910
CANBERRA BC ACT 2610
Tel: 02 626 62200
Fax: 02 626 62112
xxx@xxxxxxx.xxx.xx
Our reference: FOI 108/17/18
Ms Verity Pane
By email: xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx@xxxxxxxxxxx.xxx.xx
Dear Ms Pane
NOTICE OF PRELIMINARY ASSESSMENT OF CHARGES
1.
I refer to your request of 9 September 2017 in which you requested access, under the
Freedom of Information Act 1982 (FOI Act), to:
‘…the top ten highest transactional value transactions (and the related CMS Expense
Report, including supporting documentation) recorded in CMS for FY2016/17, for
Defence Travel Card (DTC) and Defence Purchasing Card (DPC) expenditures by
SES(E) level employees only (that is on cards issued in their name), for the following
expense type expenditures:
* Hotel Accommodation
* Cash Advances
* Airfares
* Hospitality
* Car Hire (self drive)
* Taxis or similar car with driver expenditures
* Meals
I also seek the top 10 largest reimbursement payments to DTC/DPC accounts (held by
SES(E) level employees) for FY2016/2017 (that is reimbursement using private funds to
offset over-payments or non Departmental expenses transacted on DTC/DPC cards in
the name of SES(E) level employees).’
2.
The Department excludes personal email addresses, signatures, personnel (PMKeyS)
numbers and mobile telephone numbers, contained in documents that fall within the scope of
a FOI request unless you specifically request such details. Defence also excludes duplicates of
documents [and documents sent to and from you].
3.
If you do require these personal details, please inform us within five days of
receipt of this email so that the decision maker can consider your request.
2
LIABILITY TO PAY CHARGES
4.
In accordance with section 29 of the FOI Act, I have decided that you are required to
pay a charge for processing your request.
5.
The decision regarding payment of a charge does not mean that you are required to pay
now. You will only be required to pay if, after consideration of your response to this letter, the
decision is made to impose a charge.
PRELIMINARY ASSESSMENT OF CHARGES
6.
The preliminary assessment of the charge is $340.00. You are required to pay a deposit
of $85.00. A breakdown of the charges is at Enclosure 1.
7.
Please note that the information you have sought is not easily produced from a single
system. In order to provide the top 10 transactions by category for SES employees the are
must first obtain the employee identification numbers for all SES employees. Then, a report
can be run in the system and filtered by category and value. Once the top ten transactions can
be identified, the area must then approach each individual member to get a copy of the
paperwork. The paperwork at a minimum will consist of the approved travel budget and the
CMS expense report, ideally it will also include the relevant booking confirmation/receipt. It
is possible that each category will be part of a separate trip and therefore up to 60 sets of
documents will be needed.
8.
The second part of the request relating to repayments onto the DPC/DTC will be harder
to identify. While the area should be able to identify payments into the DPC/DTC accounts
the reason for the payments may vary.
DEPOSIT REQUIRED
9.
If you wish to proceed with your request, and agree to pay the charge, a deposit is
required as indicated above in the preliminary assessment of charges.
10. Please complete the authorisation form at Enclosure 2 and return it. Processing will
recommence on receipt of the deposit payment.
RESPONSE TO THIS NOTICE
11. Under the FOI Act you have 30 days of receipt of this letter to notify the Department of
your decision to:
a.
withdraw your request (you will not be required to pay any charges); or
b.
agree to pay the charges as set out in the preliminary assessment of charges;
or
c.
contest that the charge has been wrongly assessed, or should be reduced or
not imposed (you should give your full reasons for doing so); or
d.
reduce the scope of your request. Defence will offer you one opportunity to
consult our office to reduce the scope of your request and revise the
preliminary assessment of charges.
12. If you require additional time to respond, please contact this office.
3
13. If you do not respond to this letter within 30 days or by the extension date provided by
this office, it will be assumed you have withdrawn your request.
CHALLENGING ASSESSMENT OF CHARGES
14. If you wish to contest the charges for your request, the decision maker will consider all
relevant reasons which include the following:
a.
whether payment of the charge, or part of it, would cause you financial
hardship; and
b.
whether the giving of access to the documents requested is in the general
public interest or in the interest of a substantial section of the public.
FURTHER INFORMATION
15. If you proceed with the request, when a decision letter is sent to you, an invoice for the
outstanding balance of charges will be raised and forwarded to you within 5 working days.
Documents will not be released until we receive your proof of payment.
16. In accordance with the requirements of section 11C of the FOI Act, Defence is required
to publish, on its website, information released under the FOI Act within 10 working days of
the applicant being given access to documents. Defence will also publish the decision notice,
with personal and business information deleted.
17. Please contact me if you have any questions about this matter.
Yours sincerely
melissa.dav Digitally signed by
melissa.davidson
Date: 2017.09.21
idson
09:34:33 +10'00'
Melissa Davidson
Assistant Director
Information Access
21 September 2017
Enclosures:
1.
Breakdown of Charges
2.
FOI – Deposit authorisation
Freedom of Information
CP1-6-001
PO Box 7910
CANBERRA BC ACT 2610
Tel: 02 626 62200
Fax: 02 626 62112
xxx@xxxxxxx.xxx.xx
Enclosure 1
BREAKDOWN OF CHARGES
Search and retrieval time
Searching for documents
20 hours @ $15 per hour
300.
$
00
Decision-making time
Examination of documents
5 hours @ $20 per hour
100.
$
00
Consulting outside of Defence @ $20 per hour
$
-
Making copies of documents
@ $20 per hour
$
-
Preparing decision notice
@ $20 per hour
$
-
Other decision making tasks
2 hours @ $20 per hour
$
40.
00
Less
0 % reduction for personal information
$
-
Less
5 hours of free decision making time
100.
$
00
Other tasks
$
-
Copying of documents
pages @ 10 cents per page
$
-
Production of CD
GST (Exempt)
Nil
Total
3
$ 40.00
Deposit required
$ 85.00
Freedom of Information
CP1-6-001
PO Box 7910
CANBERRA BC ACT 2610
Tel: 02 626 62200
Fax: 02 626 62112
xxx@xxxxxxx.xxx.xx
Enclosure 2
FREEDOM OF INFORMATION REQUEST - PAYMENT AUTHORISATION
FULL NAME or ORGANISATION
POSTAL ADDRESS:
CONTACT PHONE NUMBERS
H/B
M
EMAIL:
FOI REFERENCE : 108/17/18
DEPOSIT AMOUNT $ 85.00
By signing this form you are agreeing to pay the charges notified to you by the Freedom of
Information Directorate. The deposit is not refundable except in some limited circumstances
(for example, if Defence fails to make a decision on your request within the statutory time
limit), or may be refundable in part if the final charge is less than the deposit paid.
On completion of your request a final invoice will be generated for the outstanding balance of
charges.
PLEASE DO NOT SEND CHEQUES OR MONEY ORDERS TO FOI
Once our office receives this form, the Department of Defence will generate an invoice in
order for you to make payment of the agreed charges via one of the payment options.
Our office will not proceed to process your request until a receipt has been received in
our office notifying that the deposit amount has been paid.
Please sign below and return this form by one of the following:
via email to xxx@xxxxxxx.xxx.xx
via fax 02 6266 2112
by post to the address noted above.
Signature: ____________________________________________________
