Our reference: FOI 21/22-0718
GPO Box 700
Canberra ACT 2601
1800 800 110
24 January 2022
ndis.gov.au
Mark
By email: xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx@xxxxxxxxxxx.xxx.xx
Dear Mark
Freedom of Information request — Notification of Decision
Thank you for your correspondence of 17 December 2021, in which you requested access
under the Freedom of Information Act 1982 (FOI Act) to documents held by the National
Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA).
The purpose of this letter is to provide you with a decision on your request.
Scope of your request
You have requested access to documents about the National Disability Insurance Scheme
(NDIS). Specifical y, you requested access to:
“…the percentage of al access requests that have been approved into the scheme over
its lifetime and by year?”
Decision on access to documents
I am authorised to make decisions under section 23(1) of the FOI Act. My decision on your
request and the reasons for my decision are set out below.
You have identified in the scope of your request that you seek information about NDIS
access, during the lifetime of the Scheme. However, the subject matter experts of the
relevant business areas within the NDIA have advised that data preceding the 2017 financial
year cannot be accurately supplied.
This is because the business system used by the Agency prior to July 2017 did not contain
reportable fields for the information requested; and as a result, would be considered
unreliable. Therefore, we have not considered the data prior to July 2017 when processing
your request for information.
Section 17(1)(c) of the FOI Act provides that an agency can produce a written document
containing the requested information, by the use of a computer or other equipment that is
ordinarily available for retrieving or col ating stored information.
We have been able to produce a document containing the percentage of al approved NDIS
access requests dated between July 2017 and December 2021, through consultations with
relevant NDIA staff.
I have, therefore, treated your request as if it were a request for access to this document in
accordance with section 17(1)(c) of the FOI Act, and I have decided to grant access to this
document in ful .
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In reaching my decision, I took into account the fol owing materials:
your correspondence outlining the scope of your request
the nature and content of the documents fal ing within the scope of your request
the FOI Act
the FOI Guidelines published under section 93A of the FOI Act
consultation with relevant NDIA staff.
Release of documents
The document for release, as referred to in the Schedule of Documents at Attachment A, is
enclosed.
Rights of review
Your rights to seek a review of my decision, or lodge a complaint, are set out at Attachment B.
Should you have any enquiries concerning this matter, please do not hesitate to contact me
by email at xxx@xxxx.xxx.xx.
Yours sincerely
Mia
Senior Freedom of Information Officer
Parliamentary, Ministerial & FOI Branch
Government Division
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Attachment A
Schedule of Documents for FOI 21/22-0718
Document
Page
Description
Access Decision
number
number
1*
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Percentage of approved NDIS Access dated
FULL ACCESS
between July 2017-December 2021
* Document created under section 17 of the FOI Act.
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Attachment B
Your review rights
Internal Review
The FOI Act gives you the right to apply for an internal review of this decision. The review
wil be conducted by a different person to the person who made the original decision.
If you wish to seek an internal review of the decision, you must apply for the review, in
writing, within 30 days of receipt of this letter.
No particular form is required for an application for internal review, but to assist the review
process, you should clearly outline your grounds for review (that is, the reasons why you
disagree with the decision). Applications for internal review can be lodged by email to
xxx@xxxx.xxx.xx or sent by post to:
Freedom of Information Section
Parliamentary, Ministerial & FOI Branch
Government Division
National Disability Insurance Agency
GPO Box 700
CANBERRA ACT 2601
Review by the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner
The FOI Act also gives you the right to apply to the Office of the Australian Information
Commissioner (OAIC) to seek a review of this decision.
If you wish to have the decision reviewed by the OAIC, you may apply for the review, in
writing, or by using the online merits review form available on the OAIC’s website at
www.oaic.gov.au, within 60 days of receipt of this letter.
Applications for review can be lodged with the OAIC in the fol owing ways:
Online:
www.oaic.gov.au
Post:
GPO Box 5218, Sydney NSW 2001
Email:
xxxxxxxxx@xxxx.xxx.xx
Phone:
1300 363 992 (local cal charge)
Complaints to the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner or the
Commonwealth Ombudsman
You may complain to either the Commonwealth Ombudsman or the OAIC about actions
taken by the NDIA in relation to your request. The Ombudsman wil consult with the OAIC
before investigating a complaint about the handling of an FOI request.
Your complaint to the OAIC can be directed to the contact details identified above. Your
complaint to the Ombudsman can be directed to:
Phone:
1300 362 072 (local cal charge)
Email:
xxxxxxxxx@xxxxxxxxx.xxx.xx
Your complaint should be in writing and should set out the grounds on which it is considered
that the actions taken in relation to the request should be investigated.
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