24 August 2022
BE
BY EMAIL: xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx@xxxxxxxxxxx.xxx.xx
In reply please quote:
FOI Request: FA 22/08/00298
File Number:
OBJ2022/21284
Dear BE
I refer to your request dated 4 August 2022 in which you have sought access to documents
held by the Department of Home Affairs (the Department) under the
Freedom of Information
Act 1982 (the FOI Act).
You have requested access to (as revised on 16 August 2022):
1. Final version of each QTB for the 47th Parliament as it was last provided to the
Ministers’ Offices by the Department
2. A copy of the Department’s current index of Question Time Briefs.
This letter is to notify you that a preliminary assessment has been made that you are liable to
pay a charge for the processing of this request.
In accordance with section 29 of the FOI Act and the
Freedom of Information (Charges)
Regulations 1982 (the Regulations), my preliminary assessment of the amount of charges you
are liable to pay is
$497.50.
Preliminary assessment of charges
I have assessed the work the Department would need to do to process your request and have
calculated the following breakdown of charges.
Document estimate
Number of relevant discrete documents: 78
Number of relevant documents created under section 17 of the FOI Act: 1
Number of relevant pages: 324
6 Chan Street B 1
el connen ACT 2617
PO Box 25 Belconnen ACT 2616 • Telephone: 02 6264 1111 • w ww.homeaffairs.gov.au
Deposit payable
As the charge exceeds $100.00, a deposit of 25%, or
$124.40, wil be sought if the charge is
imposed. Please note that by paying the deposit you are deemed to have accepted the charge
and wil be liable for the full amount once a decision has been made on the documents.
The deposit is not refundable except in some limited circumstances (for example, if the
Department fails to make a decision on your request within the statutory timeframe), or may
be refundable in part if the final charge is less than the deposit paid.
Timeframe for your response and next steps
The FOI Act provides you with 30 days to respond, in writing, to this notice, which is
Friday, 23 September 2022.
By this date you
must do one of the following:
• agree to pay the charge;
• contend that the charge has been wrongly assessed; or should be reduced or
not imposed; and explain your reasons; or
• you may withdraw your request.
Once you have paid, please advise the FOI Section at xxx@xxxxxxxxxxx.xxx.xx
immediately
to avoid delays in the processing of your request.
Please note that if you do not provide a written response within the
30 day timeframe your
request wil be taken to have been withdrawn (by you) under section 29(2) of the Act.
Contesting charges
If you seek to contend the assessment of charges the Department may make a decision on
whether a charge should be reduced or not imposed and
must take into account:
• whether payment of the charge, or part of it, would cause you financial hardship
• whether giving access to the documents is in the general public interest or in
the interest of a substantial section of the public
This is not an exhaustive list and the Department may consider any other relevant matters.
Please set out your reasons and evidence in support of your reasons as clearly as possible.
If you believe that payment of the charge would cause you financial hardship, please provide
sufficient details of your financial circumstances to enable the decision maker to make a well
informed decision.
Payment Options
To indicate your agreement to pay the charge you are required to pay the deposit, or pay the
charge in full.
The Department has a number of payment options available, including an online payment
facility for credit/debit cards; automated telephone payment system and BPay. You may also
pay the charge by cheque or money order.
Electronic funds transfer/credit card payment
If you wish to pay the charges using a credit card, the online payment facility, telephone
payment system or BPay, please refer to the tax invoice attached which wil include full details
of how the payment can be made.
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Payment by cheque/money order
If you wish to pay by cheque or money order, please make the cheque/money order payable
to ‘
Collector of Public Monies Home Affairs’; and send via post to:
Freedom of Information Section
Department of Home Affairs
PO Box 25 Belconnen ACT 2616
If the Department fails to make a decision on your request within the statutory time limit,
the payment wil be refunded.
Processing period suspended
The period for processing your request is suspended from the day that you are deemed to
have been ‘notified’ of the charge and resumes on:
• the day you pay the charge in full or the required deposit; or
• the day on which this agency makes a decision not to impose a charge.
Legislation
A copy of the FOI Act is available at https://www.legislation.gov.au/Series/C2004A02562.
If you are unable to access the legislation through this website, please contact our office for
a copy.
Contact
If you have any enquiries concerning this matter, please contact the FOI Section at
xxx@xxxxxxxxxxx.xxx.xx.
Yours sincerely
[
Signed electronically]
Guy
Position no. 60103474
FOI Officer | Freedom of Information Section
FOI and Records Management Branch
Data Division | Strategy and National Resilience Group
Department of Home Affairs
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