Our reference: RQ22/00335
Agency reference: LEX 47339
Ms Verity Pane
By email
: xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx@xxxxxxxxxxx.xxx.xx
Notification to
: xxxxxxxxxxx.xxx@xxx.xxx.xx
Extension of time under s 15AB
Dear Ms Pane
On 21 January 2022, the Department of Veterans' Affairs (Department) applied for further
time to make a decision on your FOI request of 24 December 2021 under the
Freedom of
Information Act 1982 (Cth) (the FOI Act).
This application was made on the basis that the processing period is insufficient to deal
adequately with your FOI request, because it is complex.
The Department attempted to obtain an agreement under s 15AA of the FOI Act for an
extension of time from you. The Department advised that it did not receive a response from
you by the specified date.
Decision
As a delegate of the Information Commissioner, I am authorised to make decisions on
applications for extensions of time under s 15AB of the FOI Act.
I have decided to grant the Department an extension of time under s 15AB(2) of the FOI Act
to 2 February 2022. I am satisfied that the Department’s application for an extension of time
is justified, because the request is complex. My reasons and considerations fol ow:
• the scope of the request relates to al s 55G FOI Act varied or substituted decisions
made by the Department, each with copy of their corresponding original FOI request,
that were created in the last six years (2015-2021)
• fol owing internal conversations, the Department confirmed that there is no
centralised reporting for s 55G decisions. As a result, these decisions needed to be
individual y sourced
1300 363 992
T +61 2 9284 9749
GPO Box 5218
www.oaic.gov.au
xxxxxxxxx@xxxx.xxx.xx
F +61 2 9284 9666
Sydney NSW 2001
ABN 85 249 230 937
• the Department has advised that searches undertaken of various databases found a
number of documents relevant to s 55G decisions, and
• the Department has further advised that the majority of these documents likely
contain exempt material, as such, it is more practical and time efficient to create a
new document summarising these decisions as per s 17 of the FOI Act. An extension
of time is needed in order to generate this document.
Based on the information currently before the OAIC, I am satisfied that that granting a 9-day
extension of time is appropriate at this time, particularly in consideration of the complexities
around search and retrieval for this matter, along with the need to create of a document in
order to satisfy the scope of the request.
Contact
If you have any questions about this letter, please contact me on (02) 9284 9721 or via email
to shel xx.xxxxxx@xxxx.xxx.xx. In all correspondence please include OAIC reference:
RQ22/00335.
Yours sincerely
Shelley Napper
Assistant Director Investigations and Compliance
FOI Regulatory Group
28 January 2022
Review rights
If you disagree with the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner’s (OAIC) decision
you can apply to the Federal Court of Australia or the Federal Circuit Court for a review of a
decision of the Information Commissioner if you think that a decision by the Information
Commissioner to grant an extension of time is not legal y correct. You can make this
application under the
Administrative Decisions (Judicial Review) Act 1977.
The Court will not review the merits of your case but it may refer the matter back to the
Information Commissioner for further consideration if it finds the decision was wrong in law
or the Information Commissioner’s powers were not exercised properly.
An application for review must be made to the Court within 28 days of the OAIC sending the
decision to you. You may wish to seek legal advice as the process can involve fees and costs.
Please contact the Federal Court registry in your state or territory for more information, or
visit the Federal Court website at
http://www.fedcourt.gov.au/.
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Further information
Further information about how applications to extend the timeframe to process an FOI
request are handled by the OAIC can be found published on our website:
For FOI applicants: How to make an FOI request: Extensions of time
For agencies and ministers: Guidance and advice: Extension of time for processing
requests
The OAIC has the power to investigate complaints about an agency’s actions under the
Freedom of Information Act 1982 (FOI Act). This is a separate process from asking for an
Information Commissioner review fol owing a decision made under the FOI Act. Complaints
usual y focus on how an agency has handled your FOI request or complied with other
obligations under the FOI Act, rather than the decision itself.
In some cases, the Information Commissioner's investigation of a complaint may lead to the
agency addressing the issues that you have complained about. In other cases, the
Information Commissioner may make suggestions or recommendations that the agency
should implement. The Information Commissioner can only make non-binding
recommendations as a result of a complaint. You and the agency will be notified of the
outcome of the investigation.
FOI complaints to the OAIC must be made in writing. Our preference is for you to use
the online FOI complaint form if at al possible.
Further information about how to make a complaint can be found published on our website:
https://www.oaic.gov.au/freedom-of-information/reviews-and-complaints/make-an-foi-
complaint/ .
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Document Outline
