Alcohol and drug testing for Customs officers

Red made this Freedom of Information request to Australian Border Force

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

The request was successful.

Dear Australian Customs and Border Protection Service,

Under FOI I request copies of documentation pertaining to the introduction of alcohol and drug testing for Customs officers, including - but not limited to - discussions between Customs and other parties about the drafting of the Customs (Drug and Alcohol Testing) Regulation 2013, correspondence about the development of internal policies and procedures related to alcohol and drug testing, copies of the finalised policy and procedure documents, reports on any such testing undertaken already (minus personal details, but including such information as date of test, state in which test was conducted, results, etc.), documents related to any staff or union consultation on the matter and their feedback, etc.

Please provide these documents to me electronically.

Should there be any suggestion of charges for this request I would ask that they be waived as I believe there is a genuine public interest in this matter.

Yours faithfully,

Red

FOI Coordinator,

Thank you for your email. This is an automated response to advise you
that your email has been received by the Australian Customs and Border
Protection Service's FOI Coordinator.

If you wish to lodge a request for access to documents under the Freedom
of Information Act 1982 (FOI Act), please ensure that your request is in
writing, states that it is an application for the purposes of the FOI
Act and provides sufficient detail describing the documents you wish to
access. The FOI Coordinator will acknowledge your request within 14
days.

***************************************************************************************************
This email message and any attached files may be protected information under section 16 of the Customs Administration Act 1985 (CA Act) and may also contain information that is confidential, and/or subject to legal professional privilege.

The content of this email is intended only for use by the individual or entity to whom it is addressed.

If you ARE the intended recipient, and are subject to an undertaking provided under section 16 of the CA Act, you must not use or further disclose the information within this email except for the purpose for which it was provided to you or otherwise as required or authorised by law.

If you are NOT the intended recipient, you must not use, copy, disseminate, forward, retain or reproduce this email. If you receive this email in error, please notify the Customs Incident Response Centre immediately on 1800 303 387 (24hrs) and delete all copies of this email and any attachments.

Unsolicited commercial emails MUST NOT be sent to the originator of this email.

***************************************************************************************************

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FOI Coordinator,

Dear Red

I refer to your email dated 8 March 2013 in which you have sought access to documents relating to the introduction of alcohol and drug testing for Customs and Border Protection officers under the Freedom of Information Act 1982 (FOI Act).

Your application was received on 8 March 2013, and the statutory period for processing your request will commence from that date.

I hope to be able to advise you of our decision on your request in the near future.

Where documents are released to you in response to your request, Customs and Border Protection may be required to publish these documents on its website within 10 working days in accordance with section 11C of the FOI Act. Publication will not be required where the documents contain personal or business affairs information.

Should you have any queries regarding the progress of your request, please contact [email address].

FOI Coordinator | Operations & Information Law Section
Legal Services Branch
Australian Customs and Border Protection Service

-----Original Message-----
From: Red [mailto:[FOI #75 email]]
Sent: Friday, 8 March 2013 8:44 AM
To: FOI Coordinator
Subject: Freedom of Information request - Alcohol and drug testing for Customs officers

Dear Australian Customs and Border Protection Service,

Under FOI I request copies of documentation pertaining to the
introduction of alcohol and drug testing for Customs officers,
including - but not limited to - discussions between Customs and
other parties about the drafting of the Customs (Drug and Alcohol
Testing) Regulation 2013, correspondence about the development of
internal policies and procedures related to alcohol and drug
testing, copies of the finalised policy and procedure documents,
reports on any such testing undertaken already (minus personal
details, but including such information as date of test, state in
which test was conducted, results, etc.), documents related to any
staff or union consultation on the matter and their feedback, etc.

Please provide these documents to me electronically.

Should there be any suggestion of charges for this request I would
ask that they be waived as I believe there is a genuine public
interest in this matter.

Yours faithfully,

Red

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Please use this email address for all replies to this request:
[FOI #75 email]

Is [email address] the wrong address for Freedom of Information
requests to Australian Customs and Border Protection Service? If
so, please contact us using this form:
http://www.righttoknow.org.au/help/contact

Write your response as plain text. Only send PDF documents as a
last resort. Government guidelines make it clear that PDF is not an
acceptable format for you to use in the delivery of government
information.
http://www.righttoknow.org.au/help/offic...

Disclaimer: This message and any reply that you make will be
published on the internet. Our privacy and copyright policies:
http://www.righttoknow.org.au/help/offic...

If you find this service useful as an FOI officer, please ask your
web manager to link to us from your organisation's FOI page.


-------------------------------------------------------------------

***************************************************************************************************
This email message and any attached files may be protected information under section 16 of the Customs Administration Act 1985 (CA Act) and may also contain information that is confidential, and/or subject to legal professional privilege.

The content of this email is intended only for use by the individual or entity to whom it is addressed.

If you ARE the intended recipient, and are subject to an undertaking provided under section 16 of the CA Act, you must not use or further disclose the information within this email except for the purpose for which it was provided to you or otherwise as required or authorised by law.

If you are NOT the intended recipient, you must not use, copy, disseminate, forward, retain or reproduce this email. If you receive this email in error, please notify the Customs Incident Response Centre immediately on 1800 303 387 (24hrs) and delete all copies of this email and any attachments.

Unsolicited commercial emails MUST NOT be sent to the originator of this email.

***************************************************************************************************

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FOI Coordinator,

1 Attachment

Dear Red

Please find attached correspondence from the Australian Customs and Border Protection Service for your reference.

Should you require any further information, please do not hesitate to contact us at [email address].

Kind regards
FOI Coordinator
Australian Customs and Border Protection Service
Please consider the environment before printing this email
This email may contain legal advice that is subject to legal professional privilege. Care should be taken to avoid unintended waiver of that privilege. Customs and Border Protection Legal Services Branch should be consulted prior to any decision to disclose the existence or content of any advice contained in this email to a third party

-----Original Message-----
From: Red [mailto:[FOI #75 email]]
Sent: Friday, 8 March 2013 8:44 AM
To: FOI Coordinator
Subject: SAVED: Freedom of Information request - Alcohol and drug testing for Customs officers

Dear Australian Customs and Border Protection Service,

Under FOI I request copies of documentation pertaining to the
introduction of alcohol and drug testing for Customs officers,
including - but not limited to - discussions between Customs and
other parties about the drafting of the Customs (Drug and Alcohol
Testing) Regulation 2013, correspondence about the development of
internal policies and procedures related to alcohol and drug
testing, copies of the finalised policy and procedure documents,
reports on any such testing undertaken already (minus personal
details, but including such information as date of test, state in
which test was conducted, results, etc.), documents related to any
staff or union consultation on the matter and their feedback, etc.

Please provide these documents to me electronically.

Should there be any suggestion of charges for this request I would
ask that they be waived as I believe there is a genuine public
interest in this matter.

Yours faithfully,

Red

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Please use this email address for all replies to this request:
[FOI #75 email]

Is [email address] the wrong address for Freedom of Information
requests to Australian Customs and Border Protection Service? If
so, please contact us using this form:
http://www.righttoknow.org.au/help/contact

Write your response as plain text. Only send PDF documents as a
last resort. Government guidelines make it clear that PDF is not an
acceptable format for you to use in the delivery of government
information.
http://www.righttoknow.org.au/help/offic...

Disclaimer: This message and any reply that you make will be
published on the internet. Our privacy and copyright policies:
http://www.righttoknow.org.au/help/offic...

If you find this service useful as an FOI officer, please ask your
web manager to link to us from your organisation's FOI page.


-------------------------------------------------------------------

***************************************************************************************************
This email message and any attached files may be protected information under section 16 of the Customs Administration Act 1985 (CA Act) and may also contain information that is confidential, and/or subject to legal professional privilege.

The content of this email is intended only for use by the individual or entity to whom it is addressed.

If you ARE the intended recipient, and are subject to an undertaking provided under section 16 of the CA Act, you must not use or further disclose the information within this email except for the purpose for which it was provided to you or otherwise as required or authorised by law.

If you are NOT the intended recipient, you must not use, copy, disseminate, forward, retain or reproduce this email. If you receive this email in error, please notify the Customs Incident Response Centre immediately on 1800 303 387 (24hrs) and delete all copies of this email and any attachments.

Unsolicited commercial emails MUST NOT be sent to the originator of this email.

***************************************************************************************************

hide quoted sections

Dear FOI Coordinator,

I acknowledge receipt of the correspondence dated 21 March 2013 from the acting NM Integrity Implementation.

In light of the information contained therein I wish to make a revised request, as follows:

Under FOI please provide me with copies of (i) the Customs (Drug & Alcohol Testing) regulation 2013; (ii) copies of approved policy and procedure documents developed by Customs related to alcohol and drug testing; and (iii) reports on any such testing undertaken already (minus personal details, but including such information as date of test, state in which test was conducted, results, etc.)

I have removed the various components of my initial request that would have been likely to divert the resources of the agency from its other operations. I trust therefore that you can provide the items requested above.

Yours sincerely,

Red

FOI Coordinator,

Thank you for your email. This is an automated response to advise you
that your email has been received by the Australian Customs and Border
Protection Service's FOI Coordinator.

If you wish to lodge a request for access to documents under the Freedom
of Information Act 1982 (FOI Act), please ensure that your request is in
writing, states that it is an application for the purposes of the FOI
Act and provides sufficient detail describing the documents you wish to
access. The FOI Coordinator will acknowledge your request within 14
days.

***************************************************************************************************
This email message and any attached files may be protected information under section 16 of the Customs Administration Act 1985 (CA Act) and may also contain information that is confidential, and/or subject to legal professional privilege.

The content of this email is intended only for use by the individual or entity to whom it is addressed.

If you ARE the intended recipient, and are subject to an undertaking provided under section 16 of the CA Act, you must not use or further disclose the information within this email except for the purpose for which it was provided to you or otherwise as required or authorised by law.

If you are NOT the intended recipient, you must not use, copy, disseminate, forward, retain or reproduce this email. If you receive this email in error, please notify the Customs Incident Response Centre immediately on 1800 303 387 (24hrs) and delete all copies of this email and any attachments.

Unsolicited commercial emails MUST NOT be sent to the originator of this email.

***************************************************************************************************

hide quoted sections

FOI Coordinator,

Good afternoon Red

Re: Request for access to documents under the Freedom of Information Act 1982 (FOI Act)

Thank you for your email dated 26 March 2013 in which you have revised the scope of your FOI request to include the following documents:

1. "the Customs (Drug & Alcohol Testing) regulation 2013;
2. copies of approved policy and procedure documents developed by Customs related to alcohol and drug testing; and
3. reports on any such testing undertaken already (minus personal details, but including such information as date of test, state in which test was conducted, results, etc)."

Please note that item 1 of your request (a copy of the Customs (Drug and Alcohol Testing) Regulation 2013) is a publicly available document. For your reference, the Regulation can be found on the ComLaw website at http://www.comlaw.gov.au/Details/F2013L0....

Based on the revised scope in items 2 and 3, Customs and Border Protection will commence processing your request (as the practical refusal reason has been removed).

Customs and Border Protection will advise you of a decision on access as soon as possible.

Should you require any further information at this time, please do not hesitate to contact us at [email address].

Kind regards

FOI Coordinator
Australian Customs and Border Protection Service
E: [email address]
Please consider the environment before printing this email This email may contain legal advice that is subject to legal professional privilege. Care should be taken to avoid unintended waiver of that privilege. Customs and Border Protection Legal Services Branch should be consulted prior to any decision to disclose the existence or content of any advice contained in this email to a third party

Dear FOI Coordinator,

I acknowledge receipt of the correspondence dated 21 March 2013
from the acting NM Integrity Implementation.

In light of the information contained therein I wish to make a
revised request, as follows:

Under FOI please provide me with copies of (i) the Customs (Drug &
Alcohol Testing) regulation 2013; (ii) copies of approved policy
and procedure documents developed by Customs related to alcohol and
drug testing; and (iii) reports on any such testing undertaken
already (minus personal details, but including such information as
date of test, state in which test was conducted, results, etc.)

I have removed the various components of my initial request that
would have been likely to divert the resources of the agency from
its other operations. I trust therefore that you can provide the
items requested above.

Yours sincerely,

Red

-----Original Message-----

Dear Red

Please find attached correspondence from the Australian Customs and
Border Protection Service for your reference.

Should you require any further information, please do not hesitate
to contact us at [Customs request email].

Kind regards
FOI Coordinator
Australian Customs and Border Protection Service
Please consider the environment before printing this email
This email may contain legal advice that is subject to legal
professional privilege. Care should be taken to avoid unintended
waiver of that privilege. Customs and Border Protection Legal
Services Branch should be consulted prior to any decision to
disclose the existence or content of any advice contained in this
email to a third party

-----Original Message-----
From: Red [mailto:[FOI #75 email]]
Sent: Friday, 8 March 2013 8:44 AM
To: FOI Coordinator
Subject: SAVED: Freedom of Information request - Alcohol and drug testing for Customs officers

Dear Australian Customs and Border Protection Service,

Under FOI I request copies of documentation pertaining to the
introduction of alcohol and drug testing for Customs officers,
including - but not limited to - discussions between Customs and
other parties about the drafting of the Customs (Drug and Alcohol
Testing) Regulation 2013, correspondence about the development of
internal policies and procedures related to alcohol and drug
testing, copies of the finalised policy and procedure documents,
reports on any such testing undertaken already (minus personal
details, but including such information as date of test, state in
which test was conducted, results, etc.), documents related to any
staff or union consultation on the matter and their feedback, etc.

Please provide these documents to me electronically.

Should there be any suggestion of charges for this request I would
ask that they be waived as I believe there is a genuine public
interest in this matter.

Yours faithfully,

Red

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Please use this email address for all replies to this request:
[FOI #75 email]

Is [email address] the wrong address for Freedom of Information
requests to Australian Customs and Border Protection Service? If
so, please contact us using this form:
http://www.righttoknow.org.au/help/contact

Write your response as plain text. Only send PDF documents as a
last resort. Government guidelines make it clear that PDF is not an
acceptable format for you to use in the delivery of government
information.
http://www.righttoknow.org.au/help/offic...

Disclaimer: This message and any reply that you make will be
published on the internet. Our privacy and copyright policies:
http://www.righttoknow.org.au/help/offic...

If you find this service useful as an FOI officer, please ask your
web manager to link to us from your organisation's FOI page.


-------------------------------------------------------------------

***************************************************************************************************
This email message and any attached files may be protected information under section 16 of the Customs Administration Act 1985 (CA Act) and may also contain information that is confidential, and/or subject to legal professional privilege.

The content of this email is intended only for use by the individual or entity to whom it is addressed.

If you ARE the intended recipient, and are subject to an undertaking provided under section 16 of the CA Act, you must not use or further disclose the information within this email except for the purpose for which it was provided to you or otherwise as required or authorised by law.

If you are NOT the intended recipient, you must not use, copy, disseminate, forward, retain or reproduce this email. If you receive this email in error, please notify the Customs Incident Response Centre immediately on 1800 303 387 (24hrs) and delete all copies of this email and any attachments.

Unsolicited commercial emails MUST NOT be sent to the originator of this email.

***************************************************************************************************

hide quoted sections

Dear FOI Coordinator,

Thank you for your reference to the Comlaw site. I have visited the link you provided and have been able to download not only a copy of the Regulations but also the Explanatory Statement.

Regarding items 2 and 3 of my request, are you able to advise how much longer it might take for you to make a decision about my FOI request for the documents referenced therein?

Yours sincerely,

Red

FOI Coordinator,

Thank you for your email. This is an automated response to advise you
that your email has been received by the Australian Customs and Border
Protection Service's FOI Coordinator.

If you wish to lodge a request for access to documents under the Freedom
of Information Act 1982 (FOI Act), please ensure that your request is in
writing, states that it is an application for the purposes of the FOI
Act and provides sufficient detail describing the documents you wish to
access. The FOI Coordinator will acknowledge your request within 14
days.

***************************************************************************************************
This email message and any attached files may be protected information under section 16 of the Customs Administration Act 1985 (CA Act) and may also contain information that is confidential, and/or subject to legal professional privilege.

The content of this email is intended only for use by the individual or entity to whom it is addressed.

If you ARE the intended recipient, and are subject to an undertaking provided under section 16 of the CA Act, you must not use or further disclose the information within this email except for the purpose for which it was provided to you or otherwise as required or authorised by law.

If you are NOT the intended recipient, you must not use, copy, disseminate, forward, retain or reproduce this email. If you receive this email in error, please notify the Customs Incident Response Centre immediately on 1800 303 387 (24hrs) and delete all copies of this email and any attachments.

Unsolicited commercial emails MUST NOT be sent to the originator of this email.

***************************************************************************************************

hide quoted sections

FOI Coordinator,

Good afternoon Red

Thank you for your email.

The Australian Customs and Border Protection Service is in the process of finalising your request for access to documents under the FOI Act. We hope to be able to issue a decision on access and the relevant documents to you early next week.

My apologies for the delay in this matter.

Should you require any further information at this time, please do not hesitate to contact us at [email address].

Kind regards

FOI Coordinator
Australian Customs and Border Protection Service
E: [email address]
Please consider the environment before printing this email This
email may contain legal advice that is subject to legal
professional privilege. Care should be taken to avoid unintended
waiver of that privilege. Customs and Border Protection Legal
Services Branch should be consulted prior to any decision to
disclose the existence or content of any advice contained in this
email to a third party

-----Original Message-----
From: Red [mailto:[FOI #75 email]]
Sent: Friday, 26 April 2013 9:36 AM
To: FOI Coordinator
Subject: RE: SAVED: Freedom of Information request - Alcohol and drug testing for Customs officers [SEC=UNCLASSIFIED]

Dear FOI Coordinator,

Thank you for your reference to the Comlaw site. I have visited the
link you provided and have been able to download not only a copy of
the Regulations but also the Explanatory Statement.

Regarding items 2 and 3 of my request, are you able to advise how
much longer it might take for you to make a decision about my FOI
request for the documents referenced therein?

Yours sincerely,

Red

-----Original Message-----

Good afternoon Red

Re: Request for access to documents under the Freedom of
Information Act 1982 (FOI Act)

Thank you for your email dated 26 March 2013 in which you have
revised the scope of your FOI request to include the following
documents:

1. "the Customs (Drug & Alcohol Testing) regulation 2013;
2. copies of approved policy and procedure documents developed by
Customs related to alcohol and drug testing; and
3. reports on any such testing undertaken already (minus personal
details, but including such information as date of test, state in
which test was conducted, results, etc)."

Please note that item 1 of your request (a copy of the Customs
(Drug and Alcohol Testing) Regulation 2013) is a publicly available
document. For your reference, the Regulation can be found on the
ComLaw website at
http://www.comlaw.gov.au/Details/F2013L0....

Based on the revised scope in items 2 and 3, Customs and Border
Protection will commence processing your request (as the practical
refusal reason has been removed).

Customs and Border Protection will advise you of a decision on
access as soon as possible.

Should you require any further information at this time, please do
not hesitate to contact us at [email address].

Kind regards


FOI Coordinator
Australian Customs and Border Protection Service
E: [email address]
Please consider the environment before printing this email This
email may contain legal advice that is subject to legal
professional privilege. Care should be taken to avoid unintended
waiver of that privilege. Customs and Border Protection Legal
Services Branch should be consulted prior to any decision to
disclose the existence or content of any advice contained in this
email to a third party

Dear FOI Coordinator,

I acknowledge receipt of the correspondence dated 21 March 2013
from the acting NM Integrity Implementation.

In light of the information contained therein I wish to make a
revised request, as follows:

Under FOI please provide me with copies of (i) the Customs (Drug &
Alcohol Testing) regulation 2013; (ii) copies of approved policy
and procedure documents developed by Customs related to alcohol
and
drug testing; and (iii) reports on any such testing undertaken
already (minus personal details, but including such information as
date of test, state in which test was conducted, results, etc.)

I have removed the various components of my initial request that
would have been likely to divert the resources of the agency from
its other operations. I trust therefore that you can provide the
items requested above.

Yours sincerely,

Red

-------------------------------------------------------------------
Please use this email address for all replies to this request:
[FOI #75 email]

Write your response as plain text. Only send PDF documents as a
last resort. Government guidelines make it clear that PDF is not an
acceptable format for you to use in the delivery of government
information.
http://www.righttoknow.org.au/help/offic...

Disclaimer: This message and any reply that you make will be
published on the internet. Our privacy and copyright policies:
http://www.righttoknow.org.au/help/offic...

If you find this service useful as an FOI officer, please ask your
web manager to link to us from your organisation's FOI page.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

***************************************************************************************************
This email message and any attached files may be protected information under section 16 of the Customs Administration Act 1985 (CA Act) and may also contain information that is confidential, and/or subject to legal professional privilege.

The content of this email is intended only for use by the individual or entity to whom it is addressed.

If you ARE the intended recipient, and are subject to an undertaking provided under section 16 of the CA Act, you must not use or further disclose the information within this email except for the purpose for which it was provided to you or otherwise as required or authorised by law.

If you are NOT the intended recipient, you must not use, copy, disseminate, forward, retain or reproduce this email. If you receive this email in error, please notify the Customs Incident Response Centre immediately on 1800 303 387 (24hrs) and delete all copies of this email and any attachments.

Unsolicited commercial emails MUST NOT be sent to the originator of this email.

***************************************************************************************************

hide quoted sections

FOI Coordinator,

2 Attachments

Good morning Red

 

Request for access to documents - Freedom of Information Act 1982

 

Please find attached a Notice of Decision from the Australian Customs and
Border Protection Service for your information.

 

The documents referred to in this decision are also attached for your
reference.

 

With kind regards

FOI Coordinator

Australian Customs and Border Protection Service

 

 

 

 

-----Original Message-----
From: Red [mailto:[FOI #75 email]]
Sent: Friday, 8 March 2013 8:44 AM
To: FOI Coordinator
Subject: SAVED: Freedom of Information request - Alcohol and drug testing
for Customs officers

 

 

     Dear Australian Customs and Border Protection Service,

    

     Under FOI I request copies of documentation pertaining to the

     introduction of alcohol and drug testing for Customs officers,

     including - but not limited to - discussions between Customs and

     other parties about the drafting of the Customs (Drug and Alcohol

     Testing) Regulation 2013, correspondence about the development of

     internal policies and procedures related to alcohol and drug

     testing, copies of the finalised policy and procedure documents,

     reports on any such testing undertaken already (minus personal

     details, but including such information as date of test, state in

     which test was conducted, results, etc.), documents related to any

     staff or union consultation on the matter and their feedback, etc.

    

     Please provide these documents to me electronically.

    

     Should there be any suggestion of charges for this request I would

     ask that they be waived as I believe there is a genuine public

     interest in this matter.

    

     Yours faithfully,

    

     Red

    

     -------------------------------------------------------------------

    

     Please use this email address for all replies to this request:

     [1][FOI #75 email]

    

     Is [2][email address] the wrong address for Freedom of Information

     requests to Australian Customs and Border Protection Service? If

     so, please contact us using this form:

     [3]http://www.righttoknow.org.au/help/contact

    

     Write your response as plain text. Only send PDF documents as a

     last resort. Government guidelines make it clear that PDF is not an

     acceptable format for you to use in the delivery of government

     information.

     [4]http://www.righttoknow.org.au/help/offic...

    

     Disclaimer: This message and any reply that you make will be

     published on the internet. Our privacy and copyright policies:

     [5]http://www.righttoknow.org.au/help/offic...

    

     If you find this service useful as an FOI officer, please ask your

     web manager to link to us from your organisation's FOI page.

    

     

     -------------------------------------------------------------------

 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

This email message and any attached files may be protected information
under section 16 of the Customs Administration Act 1985 (CA Act) and may
also contain information that is confidential, and/or subject to legal
professional privilege.  

The content of this email is intended only for use by the individual or
entity to whom it is addressed.  

If you ARE the intended recipient, and are subject to an undertaking
provided under section 16 of the CA Act, you must not use or further
disclose the information within this email except for the purpose for
which it was provided to you or otherwise as required or authorised by
law.  

If you are NOT the intended recipient, you must not use, copy,
disseminate, forward, retain or reproduce this email. If you receive this
email in error, please notify the Customs Incident Response Centre
immediately on 1800 303 387 (24hrs) and delete all copies of this email
and any attachments.  

Unsolicited commercial emails MUST NOT be sent to the originator of this
email. 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

References

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