PO Box 7820 Canberra BC ACT 2610
7 June 2022
Our reference: LEX 68161
OpenWelfare
Only by email:
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx@xxxxxxxxxxx.xxx.xx
Dear OpenWelfare,
Acknowledgement of your Freedom of Information Request
I refer to your request to Services Australia (the agency) for access to documents under the
Freedom of Information Act 1982 (the FOI Act). You requested access to:
As of writing 520 out of 5230 (About 10%) of all Operational Blueprint pages feature a
warning at the top:
"This procedure is under review. An Operational Message about this content exists."
eg
https:/ operational.servicesaustralia.gov.au/public/Pages/job-seekers/001-09040120-
01.html
Normally, outside of Centrelink - reviews are made for reasons. This message is
obtuse - as an outsider I don't fully understand what this message means.
Could you please, in an administrative fashion, not under the FOI act - briefly explain
these messages and why they exist to me and the rest of the public on right to know?
in addition -
I request under the Freedom of Information act 1982, copies of the following
documents:
*Internal documents providing advice on how to use this message should that exist
*The last two most current blueprints that have written records of internal discussion
(be it memo, email, etc) relating to changing a blueprints status to under review.
Timeframe
Your request was received by the agency on 2 June 2022 and the 30 day statutory period for
processing your request commenced from the day after that date. You should therefore
expect a decision from us by 2 July 2022. As this is a Saturday, you should therefore expect
a decision the next business day, Monday, 4 July 2022. The period of 30 days may be
extended if we need to consult third parties or for other reasons. We wil advise you if this
happens.
Charges
The agency wil advise you if a charge is payable to process your request and the amount of
any such charge as soon as practicable. No charge is payable for providing a person with
their own personal information.
Your Address
The FOI Act requires you to provide us with an address to which we can send notices to. You
have advised your electronic address is
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx@xxxxxxxxxxx.xxx.xx.
We wil send all notices and correspondence to this address. Please advise us as soon as
possible if you wish correspondence to be sent to another address or if your address
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changes. If you do not advise us of changes to your address, correspondence and notices
wil continue to be sent to the address specified above.
Administrative Release of Documents
The agency has administrative access arrangements ('the arrangements') for the release of
certain documents without the need for a formal FOI request. Unless you advise us
otherwise, in processing your request we may provide you with documents under these
arrangements where appropriate. The arrangements do not extend to information or
materials of third parties. You wil be notified when documents are released to you under the
arrangements.
Disclosure Log
Please note information released under the FOI Act may be published in a disclosure log on
the agency's website. Section 11C of the FOI Act requires this publication, however it is
subject to certain exceptions, including where publication of personal, business, professional
or commercial information would be unreasonable.
Exclusion of junior staff details
The agency is working towards ensuring that al staff have a choice about whether they
provide their full name, personal logon identifiers and direct contact details in response to
public enquiries. Where such details are included in the scope of a request, this may add to
processing time and applicable charges as it may be necessary to consider whether the
details are exempt under the FOI Act. On this basis, unless you tell us otherwise, we will
assume that these details are out of scope of your request and they wil be redacted under
section 22 of the FOI Act.
Further assistance
If you have any questions please email
xxx.xxxxx.xxxx@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx.xxx.xx.
Yours sincerely
FOI Registration Officer
Freedom of Information Team
Information Access Branch | Legal Services Division
Services Australia
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