28 February 2013
Dr Jason Wilson
By email:
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx@xxxxxxxxxxx.xxx.xx
Dear Dr Wilson
FOI REQUEST - REFERENCE NUMBER 2013-13
I refer to your email of 14 February 2013 in which you sought access to the following
documents under the
Freedom of Information Act 1982 (the FOI Act):
Information on the total volume of user/reader comments to ABC websites
between 1999-2000 and 2011-2012.
Separate figures on how many comments were received, and how many were
published, on an annual basis
The number of comments to different parts of the ABC website specified (eg
to News websites,the Drum etc.)
I am writing to you to clarify the scope of your request to enable relevant documents to be
identified and located.
As presently drafted, the request is not sufficiently precise to enable to me to process it. In
particular, it is not clear whether the time period you are interested in is the two financial
years 1999-2000 and 2011-12, or whether you have asked for information in the span of
years from 1999 to 2012.
Further, the ABC receives and publishes comments on an enormous number of websites
and digital services. Some of these sites may be managed and/or moderated by third parties
(such as co-producers), and others may be social media pages. The volume of websites and
therefore the volume of potential comments to those sites is such that any searches for the
information you have requested would likely constitute an unreasonable diversion of the
ABC’s resources.
It would be of assistance to clarify and refine your request to limit the scope to (among other
matters):
include only specific websites;
refer to a specific and reasonable time-frame.
More generally, I note that you request is for information rather than for access to
documents. Accordingly, it does not currently meet the requirements of the FOI Act.
Information about how to make a valid FOI request is available on the ABC’s website
(www.abc.net.au/about). Additional information about freedom of information is available
from the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner
(www.oaic.gov.au).
I would be grateful if you could contact me to discuss the terms of your application. Once I
have clarified the scope of your request, the 30-day processing period will commence.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Yours sincerely
Judith Maude
Head, Corporate Governance
Direct line 02 8333 5316
2