Our ref:
FOI21/088; CM21/83861
12 July 2021
Melissa Jones
By email: xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx@xxxxxxxxxxx.xxx.xx
Dear Ms Jones
Freedom of Information Request FOI21/088 – Decision Letter
The purpose of this letter is to give you a decision about your request for access to documents under the
Freedom of Information Act 1982 (the FOI Act) which you submitted to the Attorney-General's Department
(the department).
Your Request
On 11 June 2021, you requested access to:
…a dol ar figure for the last 5 financial years’ general ledger for the Australian Government Solicitor.
We are not asking for the details being the GL just the expenditure by line item for the department
for the 5 years
On 25 June 2021, the department acknowledged your request.
On 6 July 2021, the department advised you the Australian Government Solicitor is a group within the
Attorney-General’s Department (the department), and the information you are seeking is consolidated
within the department’s annual report publications, available publicly on the department’s website.
As the department did not receive your agreement to the withdrawal of your formal FOI request by 8 July
2021, the department has continued with processing of your request under the FOI Act.
A decision in relation to your request is due on 12 July 2021.
My Decision
I am an officer authorised under section 23(1) of the FOI Act to make decisions in relation to freedom of
information requests made to the department.
I have decided to refuse your request as the department is exempt from the operation of the FOI Act in
relation to documents in respect of activities undertaken by the Australian Government Solicitor. I note the
Australian Government Solicitor is a group of the department. The operation of this exemption is explained
further below.
In making my decision regarding access to the relevant documents, I have taken the following material into
account:
• the terms of your request
• the provisions of the FOI Act (specifically section 7(2) and Part I of Schedule 2), and
• the guidelines issued by the Australian Information Commissioner under section 93A of the FOI Act.
Exemption of certain persons or bodies (section 7(2))
Section 7(2) of the FOI Act provides that:
(2) The persons, bodies and Departments specified in Part I of Schedule 2 are exempt from the
operation of this Act in relation to the documents referred to in that Schedule in relation to them.
Division 1 of Part II of Schedule 2 lists the department as exempt from the operation of the FOI Act in
relation to:
(b) documents in respect of activities undertaken by the Australian Government Solicitor.
I am satisfied any documents the department might hold that are covered by the terms of your request fall
within the scope of this exemption and are therefore not subject to the FOI Act.
Additional Information
As noted above, the Australian Government Solicitor is a group within the Attorney-General’s Department
(the department), and the information you are seeking is consolidated and publicly available within the
department’s annual report publications. The annual reports are accessible on our website
https://www.ag.gov.au/about-us/accountability-and-reporting/annual-reports. Expenditure information by
line item is located under the financial statements section of each year’s annual report.
Your review rights under the FOI Act are set out at
Attachment A to this letter.
Questions about this decision
If you wish to discuss this decision, please contact Mila by telephone on (02) 6141 6666 or by email to
xxx@xx.xxx.xx.
Yours sincerely
Antony Catt
Director
Freedom of Information and Privacy Section
Freedom of Information request FOI21/088 – Decision letter Page 2 of 2
