This is an HTML version of an attachment to the Freedom of Information request 'Operational Information - FCSO'.



If not delivered return to PO Box 7820 Canberra BC ACT 2610 
 
  
 
 
 
5 March 2015 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Ben Fairless 
 
 
Our reference: LEX 12236
 
 
 
By email: xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx@xxxxxxxxxxx.xxx.xx 
 
 
 
Dear Mr Fairless 
 
Your Freedom of Information Request – Charge decision 
 
1.  I refer to your request dated 12 February 2015 and received by the Department of Human 
Services (the department) on the same date, for access under the Freedom of Information Act 
1982 
(the FOI Act) to the following: 
 
‘106-03010000 First Contact Service Offer (FCSO) 
106-03010010 Opening the First Contact Service Offer application 
106-03010020 Running the First Contact Service Offer (FCSO) 
106-03010030 First Contact Service Offer screens and functions’ 
 
2.  I am an authorised decision-maker under section 23(1) of the FOI Act. 
 
Decision on Charge 
 
3.  The following is my decision in relation to your request for reduction or non-imposition of the 
charge imposed under the FOI Act (the Charge) and the reasons for my decision. 
 
4.  I have decided not to reduce the amount of the charge that was notified to you. 
 
Background 

5.  On 16 February 2015, the department notified you of the preliminary estimate of the charge for 
the processing your freedom of information (FOI) request, calculated as follows:  
Search and retrieval time: 0.33 hours, at $15.00 per hour: 
$4.95  
Decision-making time (*after deduction of 5 hours): 0.97 hours, at 
 
$20.00 per hour 
$19.40  
 
 
TOTAL 
$24.35  
 
*The FOI Act provides that the first five hours of decision making time are free of charge and this is 
reflected in the calculation. 
 
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6.  On 16 February 2015, you wrote to the department by email, seeking that the charge not be 
imposed on the grounds that the charge was incorrectly calculated pursuant to section 
29(1)(f)(ii) of the FOI Act because, you contended, the requested information should be 
available through the department’s Information Publication Scheme (IPS).  
 
Material Considered  
 
7.  I have taken the following material into account in making my decision: 
 
  the department’s correspondence of 16 February 2015, notifying you of the charge;  
  your correspondence of 16 February 2015, contending that the charge should not be 
imposed; 
  documents falling within the scope of your request; 
  the FOI Act;  
 the 
Freedom of Information (Charges) Regulations 1982 (the Regulations); and 
  the Guidelines issued by the Australian Information Commissioner under section 93A of 
the FOI Act (the Guidelines). 
 
Relevant legislation  

 
8.  Section 29(4) of the FOI Act provides that, where an applicant has notified an agency that the 
applicant contends that a charge should be reduced or not imposed in relation to a request 
under the FOI Act, then the agency may decide that the charge is to be reduced or not imposed.  
 
9.  Section 29(5) of the FOI Act provides that, without limiting the matters that the agency may take 
into account when making a decision about whether to reduce or not impose a processing 
charge, the decision maker must consider: 
 
  whether payment of a charge, or part of it, would cause financial hardship to an 
applicant; and 
  whether the giving of access to the document in question is in the general public interest 
or in the interest of a substantial section of the public. 
 
10. Section 29(8) of the FOI Act provides that, if an applicant makes a contention about a charge as 
mentioned in subsection 29(4) and the agency makes a decision to reject the contention in 
whole or in part, then the agency must give the applicant written notice of the decision and the 
reasons for the decision.  
 
Calculation of the charge 
 
11. As a preliminary step in my consideration of whether a processing charge should apply to this 
request, I have examined the calculations which were used to determine the charge. 
 
12. The Charge notified to you on 16 February 2015, totalled $24.35 and was calculated on the 
basis set out in paragraph 5, above.   
 
13. In calculating processing charges for FOI requests, the department applies relevant provisions 
of the Regulations, the FOI Act and the Guidelines in relation to the amounts it is permitted to 
charge. 
 
14. In matters where an applicant requests documents the department holds, the department 
calculates the amount it may charge based on: 
 
  the time taken to search for, and retrieve, files containing documents within scope; 
  the number of third parties with whom it will be necessary to consult in the course of 
making a decision regarding the release of the documents; 
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Department of Human Services 
 

  the number and size (number of pages) of the documents that have been identified as 
falling within the scope of the requests and the resultant time taken for decision-making 
in relation to each of those pages (less the first five hours of decision-making, which are 
free of charge; and 
  the number of pages considered sensitive, requiring redaction (and therefore potentially 
extra decision-making time). 
 
15. Based on estimates and documents received from the department’s Customer First Branch, it 
was estimated that it had taken approximately 0.33 hours to locate and collate the relevant 
documents, and would take a further 5.97 hours to examine the documents, apply any 
redactions, undertake any necessary consultation and prepare a decision on access.  
 
16. Having examined the documents within the scope of your request, the calculation of the charge 
and the reasoning behind it, I am of the view that the Charge calculated fairly reflects the work 
involved in processing your request and is a fair contribution towards the cost of processing your 
request. 
 
Reasons for decision 
 
17. I note that you have not contested the charge on the basis of any of the prescribed matters that 
must be taken into account under subsection 29(5) of the FOI Act.  
 
18.  Subsection 29(4) of the FOI Act provides a general discretion to reduce or not to impose a 
charge which goes beyond matters relating to financial hardship and the public interest. In 
considering this general discretion, I have had regard to whether the charge imposed 
appropriately reflects the cost of processing your request and whether the documents you have 
requested should be available through the department’s IPS. 
 
19.  With regard to whether the charge imposed appropriately reflects the cost of processing your 
request, as outlined above, I note that processing charges are designed to be a contribution to 
the cost of processing FOI requests and do not compensate the full costs associated with the 
processing of a request.  
 
20.  I note also that, in recognition of the general public interest in allowing access to government 
information, the FOI Act provides for the first five hours of decision-making time to be free of 
charge for all applicants. This discount was applied to the calculation of the charge notified to 
you on 16 February 2015. 
 
21.  In regard to whether the documents within the scope of your request should be available 
through the department’s IPS, I am not persuaded by this argument.  
 
22.  Section 8A(1) of the FOI Act provides that operation information is information held by the 
agency to assist the agency to perform or exercise the agency’s functions or powers in making 
decisions or recommendations affection members of the public (or any particular person or 
entity or class of persons or entities).   
 
23.  In contrast to this definition I am of the view that the documents you have requested are not 
operational information because they are not relied on to make administrative decisions and on 
that basis they do not affect members of the public. The documents you have requested are 
process documents related to ensuring that staff are able to manage and appropriately allocate 
work using the department’s First Contact Service Offer tool. Nothing in the documents requires 
an officer to undertake a decision, nor do they provide a guide to making administrative 
decisions related to, for example, the implementation of social security law.   
 
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Department of Human Services 
 

24.  I further note the documents within the scope of your request were listed on the interim list of 
operational information available through the IPS in error and are being removed as a matter of 
urgency.  
 
Conclusion  
 
25.  On balance, after weighing the arguments that you have submitted, I have decided not to 
reduce the charge. 
 
Options to proceed with your request 
 
26.  In order for your request to continue to be processed, you are required to respond in writing 
within 30 days of receipt of this notice in accordance with one of the following options: 
 
A. Pay the Charge; 
B. Request a review of the decision to impose the charge; or 
C. Withdraw your request. 
 
27.  Further information on each of these options is set out below. 
 
Option A – Pay the Charge 
 
28.  The amount due should be paid by cheque or money order and made out to the Collector of 
Public Monies.  Please quote reference number LEX 12236 with your payment. 
 
29. Please send this cheque or money order to: 
 
FOI and Information Release Branch 
Legal Services Division 
Department of Human Services 
18 Canberra Ave, Forrest ACT 2603 
 
30. If you elect to pay the reduced charge amount, please email 
xxx.xxxxx.xxxx@xxxxxxxxxxxxx.xxx.xx once you have posted your cheque or money order to 
advise us of your payment. 
 
Option B – Request a review of the decision to impose the Charge 
 
31. Please find attached a document setting out your rights of review at Attachment A
 
Option C – Withdraw your request 
 
32.  If you wish to withdraw your request, you may do so in writing. Alternatively, you may wish to 
consider narrowing the terms of your request. If the scope of your request can be reduced, the 
charge may be recalculated accordingly. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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Department of Human Services 
 

Further Information 
 
33.  Should you have any enquiries concerning this matter, please contact me at  
xxx.xxxxx.xxxx@xxxxxxxxxxxxx.xxx.xx.  
 
 
Yours sincerely, 
 
 
 
FOI Delegate 
FOI and Information Release Branch  
Department of Human Services 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
PAGE 5 OF 7 
 
Department of Human Services 
 

Attachment A 
 
 

INFORMATION ON RIGHTS OF REVIEW 
 
FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT 1982 
 
Application for review of decision 
 
The Freedom of Information Act 1982 (FOI Act) gives you the right to apply for a review of this 
decision. Under sections 54 and 54L of the FOI Act, you can apply for a review of this decision by: 
 
(i)  
an internal review officer in the Department of Human Services; or 
(ii)  
the Information Commissioner. 
 
Internal Review 
 
If you apply for internal review, it will be carried out by a different decision-maker who will make a 
fresh decision on your application. An application for review must be: 
 
• made in writing; 
• made within 30 days of receiving this letter; and 
• sent to the address at the head of this letter. 
 
No particular form is required, but it is desirable to set out in the application the grounds upon which 
you consider the decision should be reviewed. 
 
If the internal review officer decides not to grant you access to all of the documents to which you 
have requested access, you have the right to seek a review of that decision by the Information 
Commissioner. You will be further notified of your rights of review at the time you are notified of the 
internal review decision. 
 
Please note that if you apply for an internal review and a decision is not made by an internal review 
officer within 30 days of receiving the application, you have the right to seek review by the 
Information Commissioner for a review of the original FOI decision on the basis of a 'deemed 
refusal' decision, An application for Information Commissioner review in this situation must be made 
within 60 days of the date when the internal review decision should have been made (provided an 
extension of time has not been granted or agreed). 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

PAGE 6 OF 7 
 
Department of Human Services 
 

Information Commissioner review 
 
You must apply in writing within 60 days of the receipt of the decision letter and you can lodge your 
application in one of the following ways: 
 
 
Online: www.oaic.gov.au   
Post: GPO Box 2999, Canberra ACT 
2601  
Fax: +61 2 9284 9666 
Email: xxxxxxxxx@xxxx.xxx.xx 
 
 
If a person has sought an internal review and no result of that review is provided within 30 days, 
then the applicant may apply to the Information Commissioner to review the matter.   
 
An application form is available on the website at www.oaic.gov.au. Your application should include 
a copy of the notice of the decision that you are objecting to (if one was provided), and your contact 
details. You should also set out why you are objecting to the decision. 
 
Complaints to the Commonwealth Ombudsman and Information Commissioner  
 
Commonwealth Ombudsman 
 
You may complain to the Ombudsman concerning action taken by an agency in the exercise of 
powers or the performance of functions under the FOI Act. There is no fee for making a complaint. A 
complaint to the Ombudsman may be made in person, by telephone or in writing. The 
Ombudsman's contact details are: 
 
Phone:  
1300 362 072 
Website:  
www.ombudsman.gov.au 
 
The Commonwealth Ombudsman generally prefers applicants to seek review before complaining 
about a decision. 
 
Information Commissioner 
 
You may also complain to the Information Commissioner concerning action taken by an agency in 
the exercise of powers or the performance of functions under the FOI Act, There is no fee for 
making a complaint. A complaint to the Information Commissioner must be made in writing. The 
Information Commissioner's contact details are: 
 
Telephone:  
1300 363 992 
Website:  
www.oaic.gov.au  
 
 
Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) is disbanding  
Please note:
 The Australian Government announced as part of the 2014-15 Budget that the Office 
of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) will be disbanded. The OAIC remains 
operational until further notice.  
For further information on how the OAIC will deal with IC reviews and FOI complaints please visit 
their website at www.oaic.gov.au 
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Department of Human Services