Access to document relevant to funding Westconnex

Wendy Bacon made this Freedom of Information request to Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Communications

This request has been closed to new correspondence from the public body. Contact us if you think it ought be re-opened.

This request has been withdrawn by the person who made it. There may be an explanation in the correspondence below.

Dear Department of Infrastructure and Regional Development,

FOI Officer

I received your refusal of my request in relation documents relevant to funding of Westconnex. I acknowledge that I did not ask for a review within the relevant time period.

So I now wish to make a fresh request which considerably narrows down my request to one month of documents only. I have also narrowed the range of documents requested. This will enable you to fulfil my request with far less resources.

I now request access to all emails (and attachments to those emails) relating to the funding of the Westconnex project between February 15 and
March 15 2013,

Yours faithfully,

Wendy Bacon

FOI, Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Communications

Dear Ms Bacon

Acknowledgement - FOI 17-11 - Westconnex Project Funding

Thank you for your email received on Monday 15 August 2016 requesting access to documents in the possession of the Department of Infrastructure and Regional Development (the Department) in accordance with the Freedom of Information Act 1982 (FOI Act).

I confirm receipt of your request and note the Department may be in contact with you to discuss your request - if clarification is required, where we may be able to process your request outside of the FOI Act or for any other reason.

Otherwise you will be notified of any charges payable in relation to your request or of a decision regarding your FOI request as soon as this has been determined. In accordance with subparagraph 15(5)(b) you can expect to hear from the Department regarding this matter within 30 days.

Please contact Mr Kieran Vassallo (FOI Coordinator) if you have any questions regarding the processing of your request. Mr Vassallo reached by telephone on (02) 6274 6495 (or through the Department’s switchboard number on 1800 075 001) or by email at [email address].

To assist the Department in responding to your future communication on this request, please quote the FOI tracking number located in the subject line.

Regards,

Fiorella Del Aguila
FOI Officer | Governance and Performance
Governance Unit | Corporate Services
Department of Infrastructure and Regional Development
GPO Box 594, Canberra ACT 2601
02 6274 6402 | [email address] | www.infrastructure.gov.au

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FOI, Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Communications

3 Attachments

Dear Ms Bacon

 

Charges notice - FOI 17-11 – Funding of the Westconnex Project.

 

I refer to your request for access to documents in the possession of the
Department of Infrastructure and Regional Development (the Department) in
accordance with the Freedom of Information Act 1982. 

 

A determination of your liability to pay a charge and a preliminary
charges estimate is attached.

 

Please contact Mr Kieran Vassallo, FOI Coordinator if you have any
questions regarding the processing of your request.  Mr Vassallo can be
reached by telephone on (02) 6274 6495  (or through the Department’s
switchboard number on 1800 075 001) or by email at
[1][email address].

 

Kind regards,

 

 

 

Fiorella Del Aguila
FOI Officer | Governance and Performance
Governance Unit | Corporate Services
Department of Infrastructure and Regional
Development
GPO Box 594, Canberra ACT 2601 [2]Australian
02 6274 6402 | Government, Department
[email address] | of Infrastructure and
www.infrastructure.gov.au Regional Development
[3]Strip

 

 

References

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1. mailto:[email address]

Dear FOI officers ,
Attention: Kieran Vassallo

Following you determination on charges, I wish to make the following points.

I am a retired person. All my research and journalism is done on a voluntary basis.

As a retired person my income is not sufficient to cover FOI charges of this kind.

The information I have requested relates to a matter of great public interest. It is also specifically is of interest and concern to residents and groups impacted by the $17 billion Westconnex motorway. The Westconnex New M5 EIS proposal attracted a record breaking 12,000 submissions. I mention that as evidence of great public concern and involvement in the project. A key issue in debates about the project is its governance and financing. .

There is a huge amount at stake in the implementation of this project. I believe, and I hope you will agree, that transparency in the governance processes and funding arrangements is itself a matter of considerable public interest,

For these reasons, I ask for a waiver or considerable reduction of the fee.

It is difficult for me to assess on what basis you have found that the identification of the documents will take so long. However I have decided that I will further narrow the request from March 1 - March 15, 2013. This should also further reduce the charges.

I would appreciate it if you could deal with this matter as promptly as possible,

Yours sincerely,

Wendy Bacon

Dear FOI,
Following our recent discussion, I have decided to withdraw this request. Instead I will initiate a new request,

Yours sincerely,

Wendy Bacon

Wendy Bacon left an annotation ()

I asked for a review of the charges given that I am 'retired' or to put it another way, only doing voluntary work. I was persuaded by the FOI officer that by narrowing down to the emails and attachments relevant to the funding, I had considerably added to the time that would be involved in processing the request, So back to square one

FOI, Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Communications

Dear Ms Bacon

Thank you for letting the Department know that you no longer wish to continue with FOI 17-11.

Kind regards

Fiorella Del Aguila
FOI Officer | Governance and Performance
Governance Unit | Corporate Services
Department of Infrastructure and Regional Development
GPO Box 594, Canberra ACT 2601
02 6274 6402 | [email address] | www.infrastructure.gov.au

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