Department Reference: FOI 3470
A long standing member of the religious community in WA
via email:
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx@xxxxxxxxxxx.xxx.xx
Dear Applicant
NOTICE OF DECISION UNDER SECTION 24A
OF THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT 1982
I refer to your request of 11 December 2021 to the Department of Health (the
department) seeking access under the
Freedom of Information Act 1982 (Cth) (the FOI
Act) to documents related to COVID-19. Your request is in the following terms:
1. Please have the raw data for COVID -19 deaths, with full ICD-10 codes from
early 2020 to present, with full break down of complete ICD-10 codes for each
case, can be anonymized data.
2. Please provide documentation of attempts to break down COVID-19 deaths to
show what the other risk factors are also at play — including age and underlying
health issues, in both vaccinated and vaccinated death cases, so as to provide
meaningful stastics to the public on all COVID 19 deaths.
Information on ICD-10 codes
The purpose of the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related
Health Problems (the ICD) is to permit the systematic recording, analysis,
interpretation and comparison of mortality and morbidity data collected in different
countries or areas and at different times. The ICD, which is endorsed by the World
Health Organization (WHO), is primarily designed for the classification of diseases
and injuries with a formal diagnosis.
https://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/Previousproducts/3303.0Glossary1201
6?opendocument&tabname=Notes&prodno=3303.0&issue=2016&num=&view=
Information on COVID-19 associated death data and reporting by the department
COVID-19 cases and associated deaths are reported to the department by the states
and territories via the National Interoperable Notifiable Diseases Surveillance
System (NINDSS). The national case definitions for COVID-19 cases, including
2
COVID-19 associated deaths, reporting are outlined in the Communicable Diseases
Network Australia COVID-19: National Guideline for Public Health Units, see:
https://www1.health.gov.au/internet/main/publishing.nsf/Content/cdna-song-
novel-coronavirus.htm. The current definition for a COVID-19 associated death is:
• A COVID-19 death is defined for surveillance purposes as a death in a confirmed
COVID-19 case, unless there is a clear alternative cause of death that cannot be
related to COVID-19 (e.g. trauma). There should be no period of complete
recovery from COVID-19 between illness and death. Where a Coroner’s report is
available, these findings are to be observed.
Information and reports on COVID-19 case numbers and associated deaths as
reported to the department by states and territories, is available on the department’s
website:
• Daily case summary of cases:
https://www.health.gov.au/news/health-
alerts/novel-coronavirus-2019-ncov-health-alert/coronavirus-covid-19-current-
situation-and-case-numbers
• Daily infographic, including previous versions dating back to 5 April:
https://www.health.gov.au/resources/collections/coronavirus-covid-19-at-a-
glance-infographic-collection
• Communicable Diseases Intelligence COVID-19 epidemiology fortnightly report,
which includes information on COVID-19 associated deaths by co-morbidity
status and hospitalisations (updated monthly):
https://www1.health.gov.au/internet/main/publishing.nsf/Content/novel_cor
onavirus_2019_ncov_weekly_epidemiology_reports_australia_2020.htm
Request for national notification data
National notification data on COVID-19 confirmed cases, including COVID-19
associated deaths by vaccination status, is collated in the NINDSS based on
notifications made to state and territory health authorities under the provisions of
their relevant public health legislation. As the Department are custodians of these
data, a request for the release of data from the NINDSS requires agreement from
states and territories via the Communicable Diseases Network Australia. Depending
on the sensitivity of the data sought, and proposed use, ethics approval may also be
required. Please be aware, due to the COVID-19 response, unfortunately, specific
requests for NINDSS data are experiencing delays.
• For information on how to apply to access data from the NINDSS please contact
the NINDSS Data Requests inb
ox (xxxxx.xxxxxxxxxxxx@xxxxxx.xxx.xx)
• Please note the vaccination status fields, particularly date of vaccination, are not
currently provided by all jurisdictions.
Information on data reported by the Australian Bureau of Statistics
Deaths certified as being from COVID-19 are routinely collated and reported by the
Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). Mortality data compiled by the ABS is based
on death registrations processed by the jurisdictional Registries of Births, Deaths and
3
Marriages, and information on the cause of death sourced from a Medical Certificate
of Cause of Death (MCCD) completed by a certifying practitioner. Compared with
NINDSS data (which is primarily collected for surveillance purposes), information
from the registration-based system is more comprehensive and can provide
important additional insights into circumstances surrounding deaths from COVID-
19. This is especially the case with data obtained from the MCCD, which enables
identification of the underlying cause of death and other associated causes. These
data sources also provide demographic information about the decedent (e.g. age, sex
and usual residence). For COVID-19 mortality data from the ABS, we suggest:
• The monthly ‘Provisional Mortality Statistics’ reports, available at:
https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/health/causes-death/provisional-mortality-
statistics/latest-release. These reports provide information on doctor certified
deaths and their registered causes, including deaths from COVID-19, noting that
there is an approximate three-month lag in the availability of these data. Please
note that these data are provisional, and do not include deaths that have been
referred to a coroner. Further information on the provisional report methodology
can be found at:
https://www.abs.gov.au/methodologies/provisional-
mortality-statistics-methodology/jan-2020-jul-2021.
o The annual ‘Causes of Death, Australia’ reports, which include
information and aggregated data on deaths for the calendar year of 2020,
is available at
: https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/health/causes-
death/causes-death-australia/2020.
o A recently published article ‘COVID-19 Mortality’ which reports on
COVID-19 deaths that occurred by 31 July 2021 that have been registered
and received by the ABS, is available at:
https://www.abs.gov.au/articles/covid-19-mortality-1.
o Requests for ABS mortality data should be directed to the ABS.
FOI decision
I am authorised under subsection 23(1) of the FOI Act to make decisions in relation
to Freedom of Information requests. I am writing to notify you of my decision in
response to your request.
Appropriate steps have been taken to find documents you have requested including
consultation with relevant departmental officers and searches of departmental file
management systems.
I am satisfied, on the basis of the consultation undertaken and the searches
conducted, that the department, including the TGA, does not hold any documents
referred to in your request. Relevant research and information is available in the
public domain as described above.
FOI review rights
If you are dissatisfied with my decision, you may apply for a review.
4
Internal review
Under section 54 of the FOI Act, you may apply for internal review of this decision.
In accordance with section 54B of the FOI Act, an application for internal review
must be made in writing within 30 days after the day you are notified of this
decision (or such further period as the department allows). To assist in the internal
review process, please provide reasons you consider the review of my decision is
necessary.
The internal review will be carried out by another officer of this department within
30 days of receipt of your application.
An application for an internal review should be addressed to:
Email:
xxx@xxxxxx.xxx.xx
Mail: FOI Unit (MDP 516)
Department of Health
GPO Box 9848
CANBERRA ACT 2601
Information Commissioner review
Alternatively, under section 54L of the FOI Act, you may apply to the Office of the
Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) for review of my decision by the
Information Commissioner (IC).
In accordance with subsection 54S(1) of the FOI Act, an IC review application in
relation to a decision covered by subsection 54L(2) (access refusal decisions) must be
made in writing within 60 days after the day you are notified of this decision (if you
do not request an internal review).
More information about IC review is available on the OAIC website at:
https://www.oaic.gov.au/freedom-of-information/reviews/
The OAIC can be contacted by:
Phone: 1300 363 992
Email:
xxxxxxxxx@xxxx.xxx.xx
Complaints
If you are dissatisfied with action taken by the department, you may also make a
complaint.
5
Complaint to the department
Complaints to the department are covered by the department’s privacy policy. A
form for lodging a complaint directly to the department is available on the
department’s website:
https://www.health.gov.au/about-us/contact-us/complaints
Complaint to the IC
Information about making a complaint to the IC about action taken by the
department is available on the OAIC website:
https://www.oaic.gov.au/freedom-of-information/reviews-and-complaints/make-
an-foi-complaint/
Relevant provisions of the FOI Act
The FOI Act, including the provisions referred to in this letter, can be accessed from
the Federal Register of Legislation website:
https://www.legislation.gov.au/Details/C2021C00557
Contacts
If you require clarification of any of the matters discussed in this letter you should
contact the department’s Freedom of Information Unit on (02) 6289 1666 or at
xxx@xxxxxx.xxx.xx.
Yours sincerely
Emily Harper
Assistant Secretary
Communicable Diseases Branch
7 January 2022
