Julie Middleton

Dear Department of Social Services,

If possible, please treat this as an informal or administrative request. Otherwise, please treat this as a formal request for documents under the Freedom of Information Act. I am requesting copies of documents that contain the annual total of expenditure provided in DSS grants since 2006.

The Department of Social Security has a page on its website relating to Grants that states the following:

“DSS offers a range of grant programs to assist with improving the well-being of individuals and families in Australian communities.”

The 2021-22 Senate Inquiry, Purpose, intent and adequacy of the Disability Support Pension. Includes:
Recommendation 15
3.116 The committee recommends that the Australian Government provides additional funding to advocacy groups and community legal services to support Disability Support Pension claimants

As an example, the 2021/22 Annual Report for Economic Justice Australia has:

“Economic Justice Australia’s core funding is from a DSS grant agreement.”

“The Secretariat funding from the DSS which remains at $250,000 per annum was fully expended in 2021-2022.”

ACOSS financial report for 2022 has an amount of $941,465 relating to Government grants received.

My understanding is that the agencies are required to put information into a reportable form even if it is not currently available in a document, All the information would be held in a computer/financial database.

Thank you for considering my request.

Yours faithfully,

Julie Middleton

FOI, Department of Social Services

Thank you for your email.

 

You have contacted the Freedom of Information (FOI) team of the Department
of Social Services (the Department).

 

If your email relates to a Freedom of Information application made under
the Commonwealth Freedom of Information Act 1982 (FOI Act), the Department
will respond to you as soon as practicable.

 

Further information about FOI is available on our website at:
[1]https://www.dss.gov.au/about-the-departm...

 

This email address is for applications under the FOI Act only. The
Department is unable to respond to non-FOI related enquiries sent to this
email address. Any correspondence received that is not an information
access request will not be responded to or forwarded. Should you have a
query unrelated to FOI, please complete our [2]online feedback, enquiry or
compliment form on our website or direct your email to
[3][email address].  Alternatively you can contact the Department by
calling 1800 634 035.

 

With regards

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

 

Freedom of Information

Legal Services Branch

Department of Social Services
E: [4][Department of Social Services request email]

 

The Department of Social Services acknowledges the traditional owners of
country throughout Australia, and their continuing connection to land,
water and community.

We pay our respects to them and their cultures, and to Elders both past
and present.

 

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

References

Visible links
1. https://www.dss.gov.au/about-the-departm...
2. https://www.dss.gov.au/contact/feedback-...
3. mailto:[email address]
4. mailto:[Department of Social Services request email]

FOI, Department of Social Services

Dear Julie Middleton

 

We refer to your correspondence received by the Department of Social
Services (the Department) on 21 May 2023, in which you requested access
under the Freedom of Information Act 1982 (FOI Act) to:

 

‘…copies of documents that contain the annual total of expenditure
provided in DSS grants since 2006.’

 

The information you have requested can be found within the Financial
Statements section of the Department’s annual report. The Department’s
most recent annual report, for the 2021/22 financial year, can be found on
the Department’s [1]website, with past annual reports available on the
[2]National Library’s Australian Government Web Archive.

 

For example, for the 2021/22 financial year, page 185 of the Annual report
states: “For the year ended 30 June 2022 the grant expenses were $2.5
billion”.

 

As the Department was established in September 2013, grant information
prior to this date is published in the Department of Families, Housing,
Community Services and Indigenous Affairs annual reports.

 

Next steps

 

As the information you have requested is publicly available, we would be
grateful if you could advise if you now withdraw your FOI request to the
Department.  We would appreciate your response by COB Tuesday 30 May 2023
confirming the withdrawal of your FOI request.

If you wish to proceed with this request, we anticipate the request will
be refused under section 24A of the FOI Act as the information requested
is publicly available and falls outside the definition of a ‘document’
contained in section 4 of the FOI Act.

 

Should you have any queries about this matter, please do not hesitate to
contact the FOI team via email at [3][Department of Social Services request email].

 

Kind Regards,

 

DSS FOI Team

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

Freedom of Information section

Legal Services Group

Department of Social Services
E: [4][Department of Social Services request email]

 

The Department of Social Services acknowledges the traditional owners of
country throughout Australia, and their continuing connection to land,
water and community.

We pay our respects to them and their cultures, and to Elders both past
and present. 

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

 

show quoted sections

Julie Middleton

Dear FOI,

Thank you for your response and I'll now withdraw the FOI application.

Yours sincerely,

Julie Middleton

FOI, Department of Social Services

Thank you for your email.

 

You have contacted the Freedom of Information (FOI) team of the Department
of Social Services (the Department).

 

If your email relates to a Freedom of Information application made under
the Commonwealth Freedom of Information Act 1982 (FOI Act), the Department
will respond to you as soon as practicable.

 

Further information about FOI is available on our website at:
[1]https://www.dss.gov.au/about-the-departm...

 

This email address is for applications under the FOI Act only. The
Department is unable to respond to non-FOI related enquiries sent to this
email address. Any correspondence received that is not an information
access request will not be responded to or forwarded. Should you have a
query unrelated to FOI, please complete our [2]online feedback, enquiry or
compliment form on our website or direct your email to
[3][email address].  Alternatively you can contact the Department by
calling 1800 634 035.

 

With regards

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

 

Freedom of Information

Legal Services Branch

Department of Social Services
E: [4][Department of Social Services request email]

 

The Department of Social Services acknowledges the traditional owners of
country throughout Australia, and their continuing connection to land,
water and community.

We pay our respects to them and their cultures, and to Elders both past
and present.

 

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

References

Visible links
1. https://www.dss.gov.au/about-the-departm...
2. https://www.dss.gov.au/contact/feedback-...
3. mailto:[email address]
4. mailto:[Department of Social Services request email]