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• pay the charges, being the deposit amount or the full amount outlined above, and notify the FOI team in writing via
email to xxx@xxxx.xxx.xx, or
• contend that the charge has been wrongly assessed, or should be reduced or not imposed and explain your reasons,
or
• withdraw your request.
10. If you do not provide us with a written response within 30 days of this notice, your request wil be taken to have been
withdrawn.
11. The period for processing your request is suspended from the day that you receive this notice and resumes on either the
day you pay the charge or deposit, or the day on which the NIAA makes a decision not to impose a charge.
Your right to contend the charge
12. Under the FOI Act, you have the right to contend that the charge:
• has been wrongly assessed, or
• should be reduced, or
• should not be imposed.
13. In deciding whether a charge should be reduced or not imposed, I must take into account:
• whether payment of the charge, or part of it, would cause you financial hardship
• whether giving access to the document/s is in the general public interest or in the interest of a substantial section of
the public, and/or
• any other relevant matter.
14. Should you seek a reduction or waiver of the charges on the grounds of financial hardship, it would assist me if you could
provide suitable evidence of financial hardship, for example evidence of receipt of pension or income support payment,
or evidence of income, debts or assets.
Paying the charges
15. Payment can be made by one of the folowing options:
Electronic Funds Transfer
a. You can make payment to the following account:
i. Account Name:
NIAA Departmental Operating Account
i . BSB:
032713
i i. Account:
496380
iv. Reference:
FOI/2122/005
Credit Card Payment
b. Please cal the NIAA’s Accounts Receivable Team on 02 6271 6000 (select option 4, then option 3).
Please reference FOI/2122/005 in all forms of payment to ensure it is al ocated to your matter
IMPORTANT: Please ensure you advise the FOI Team via email xxx@xxxx.xxx.xx once you have made payment. Failure to
advise may cause a delay in processing your request.
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Final charges
16. Once your FOI request has been processed, I wil determine the actual charge you must pay before the documents can
be provided to you. The final charge for processing your request may be different from the estimate quoted in this letter.
17. If I decide to grant ful access to al the documents within the scope of your request, you must pay the actual charges for
the time and disbursements involved in processing your request ascertained in accordance with the table set out above
(which may be greater or less than the estimate).
18. However, if you are only granted partial access to the documents you wil only be required to pay whichever amount is
lesser of the estimate quoted in this letter and the actual charges.
19. Please note that I can charge for search and retrieval that the NIAA has already undertaken for the purpose of your
request in its current form, but it may be possible to reduce the decision-making charges that might be incurred in the
future if you refine the scope of your request, for example, by limiting the date range of document sought or excluding a
particular category of documents.
20. If you agree to pay the charge, you are accepting liability for settlement of the debt upon completion of processing the
FOI request. Once your FOI request has been processed, the outstanding amount of the charge becomes a debt to the
Commonwealth. The NIAA is obliged to pursue recovery of the debt in accordance with the
Public Governance.
Performance and Accountability Act 2013 (Cth).
Questions about this notice
21. More information about charges under the FOI Act is available on the Office of the Australian Information
Commissioner’s website: https://www.oaic.gov.au/freedom-of-information/guidance-and-advice/calculating-and-
imposing-charges-for-foi-access-requests/.
22. If you would like to discuss any of the matters above, please contact the FOI Coordinator by email to xxx@xxxx.xxx.xx.
Kind regards,
Ursula Carolyn
Branch Manager
Families & Safety Branch
9 September 2021
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