18 October 2013
Mr Nikos Thomacos
By email:
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx@xxxxxxxxxxx.xxx.xx
Dear Mr Thomacos
FOI REQUEST - REFERENCE NUMBER 2013-043
I refer to your email of 12 October 2013. Whilst your request does not strictly meet all of the
requirements of s.15 of the
Freedom of Information Act 1982 (the FOI Act), I have assumed
that it is a request for the purposes of that Act, and that you are seeking access to the
following documents:
policies and/or procedures the ABC has in place to ensure the transparency of
political commentators and their relationships to political parties and lobby groups
exists when they appear on ABC news or current affairs programs - be they on
television, radio, print or online.
policies and/or procedures the ABC has in place to manage potential or actual
conflicts-of-interest regarding the appearance of political commentators on ABC
news or current affairs programs - be they on television, radio, print or online.
I confirm that the 30 day statutory period for processing your request commenced from the
day after your email was received, being 13 October 2013.
Subject to any suspension of the processing period or extension of the time for deciding this
application, the ABC is required to make a determination in relation to this application by 11
November 2013. Please note that processing charges may be imposed and that consultation
with third parties may be required. If it is necessary to seek agreement to pay charges or to
consult with third parties, additional processing time is provided under the FOI Act. You will
be advised of any charges as well as any need to consult third parties in relation to your
request.
Please note that the ABC is required by the FOI Act to publish decisions and accessed
information on its website within 10 working days after the release of the documents to the
FOI applicant.
You should also be aware that by making an FOI request, you may be providing personal
information to the ABC. The ABC will manage any such information in accordance with the
ABC’s Privacy Policy. Details of that policy are available on the ABC’s website:
http://about.abc.net.au/abc-privacy-policy/. Please note that personal information (such as
your name) may be disclosed in the course of processing this request, for instance for the
purposes of consultation.
I will consider your request and provide you with a decision as soon as practicable.
Yours sincerely
Judith Maude
Head, Corporate Governance
Direct line 02 8333 5316
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