ONE NATIONAL CIRCUIT

BARTON
     FOI

FOI/2020/203
FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT 1982

REQUEST BY:
Francis Unmeopa

DECISION BY:  Peter Rush
  Assistant Secretary

Parliamentary and Government Branch

By email: xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx@xxxxxxxxxxx.xxx.xx

Dear Mr Unmeopa

I refer to your email, dated 1 September 2020, in which you made a request to the Department of
the Prime Minister and Cabinet (the Department) under the Freedom of Information Act 1982
(the FOI Act) in the following terms:

The Humanitarian Overseas Service Medal has been awarded to Australians from General
Electric Infrastructure, Water and Process Technologies; and Aspen Medical Pty Ltd.

I respectfully seek the Department’s assessments for public review justifying the award of
the medal to these commercial contractors.

Authorised decision-maker

I am authorised to make this decision in accordance with arrangements approved by the
Department’s Secretary under section 23 of the FOI Act.

Decision

I have decided to refuse your request under section 24A(1)(b)(ii) of the FOI Act.

Reasons

Section 24A(1) of the FOI Act provides as follows:

An agency or Minister may refuse a request for access to a document if:
(a) all reasonable steps have been taken to find the document;
and
(b) the agency or Minister is satisfied that the document:
(i)
is in the agency’s or Minister’s possession but cannot be found; or
(ii)
does not exist.

The Department is responsible for administering the award of the Humanitarian Overseas Service
Medal (the HOSM). The Department’s administration of the HOSM does not include assessments
for public review.

On that basis, I am satisfied that documents meeting the terms of your request do not exist. I have
therefore decided to refuse your request under section 24A(1)(b)(ii) of the FOI Act.

Processing and access charges

I have decided not to impose processing charges in respect of your request.

Review rights

Information about your rights of review under the FOI Act is available at
https://www.oaic.gov.au/freedom-of-information/reviews-and-complaints/.

Complaint rights

You may make a complaint to the Information Commissioner about the Department’s actions in
relation to this decision. Making a complaint about the way the Department has handled an FOI
request is a separate process to seeking review of the Department’s decision. Further information
about how to make a complaint is available at https://www.oaic.gov.au/freedom-of-
information/reviews-and-complaints/.

Yours sincerely

Peter Rush
Assistant Secretary
Parliamentary and Government Branch

24 September 2020

Document Outline

FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT 1982