Documents about DVA FOI 24057, DVA FOI 24563, DVA FOI 24297, DVA FOI 24465, and DVA FOI 24432

Julie made this Freedom of Information request to Department of Veterans' Affairs

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 partially successful.

Dear Department of Veterans' Affairs,

Under FOI I seek copy of all documents (including emails, sms messages, file notes and any other ‘document’ type the FOI Act recognises) between the DVA officers in the Information Law area of the Legal Services & Assurance Branch and any other area of the DVA (including the Information Law area) and any external party that refers to, or contains mention of (the number is the search key, not the whole text):
^DVA FOI 24057,
^DVA FOI 24563
^DVA FOI 24297
^DVA FOI 24465
^DVA FOI 24432

The scope period is 17 August 2018 to 11 October 2018 inclusive. Duplicate and identical documents are to be excluded, so only one version is copied.

Where documents consist of the same chain of identical emails, only the most recent chain is to be copied (again, to exclude unnecessary duplicates).

I note DVA recently partially released such records in https://www.righttoknow.org.au/request/d...

Since the DVA has not given transparency about what has occurred with these FOIs I have little choice but to formally seek these records to identify why they have been subject to the improper conduct they have received.

Yours faithfully,

Julie

Dear Department of Veterans' Affairs,

I note that despite the FOIs made before this FOI, as well as the FOIs made after it, having all received acknowledgement from the Department, this FOI appears to be the odd one out - having failed to receive one.

While s 15(5)(a) doesn’t require an acknowledgement to be provided before 14 days expire, it is unusual that an agency will issue an acknowledgement the next business day for all your other FOIs, but then deviate from that practice for a specific FOI.

Given that I’ve received a couple of deemed refusals from DVA already, despite only recently finding Right to Know, I thought I better draw this to your attention so you have the opportunity to avoid yet another deemed refusal or last day extension application to the OAIC, causing yet more progressive and extensive delays.

It may reflect badly in your FOI statistics otherwise, and give rise to evidence supporting some form of systemic bad faith intent, which I’m sure is something you don’t want to lend weight to.

Yours faithfully,

Julie

INFORMATION.LAW, Department of Veterans' Affairs

Good morning Julie,

FOI 25115 - Acknowledgment

Please accept this email as an acknowledgment that the Department has received your FOI request as detailed below. A decision will be due by 10 November 2018.

Kind Regards,

Information Law Section | Legal Services and General Counsel Branch
Legal Assurance and Governance Division
Department of Veterans’ Affairs
E: [email address] | W: www.dva.gov.au

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INFORMATION.LAW, Department of Veterans' Affairs

3 Attachments

Dear Julie

 

FOI 25115 – Decision and Statement of Reasons              

 

Please find attached the decision in relation to your freedom of
information request received by the Department of Veterans’ Affairs on 11
October 2018.

 

Kind regards

 

Information Law Section | Legal Services & Assurance Branch

Department of Veterans’ Affairs

E: [1][email address]

 

[2]cid:image001.png@01D0027A.1DAB84F0

 

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Dear Department of Veterans' Affairs,

Please pass this on to the person who conducts Freedom of Information reviews.

I am writing to request an internal review of Department of Veterans' Affairs's handling of my FOI request 'Documents about DVA FOI 24057, DVA FOI 24563, DVA FOI 24297, DVA FOI 24465, and DVA FOI 24432.

The released documents consist about 75% of fully redacted pages, with a considerable large number under s 22 where logically those pages are part of documents not suggestive of irrelevant material at all.

The remaining documents provided consist predominantly of that already published here on Right to Know, and despite excluding duplicates and seeking only the last chain of any duplicate set of emails from my FOI scope, the DVA has padded those releases with those duplicate documents.

It’s very much a Clayton’s release.

I request that an independent Internal Reviewer review the unredacted version of released documents and independently assess them, as it is inappropriate to send out such a heavily redacted collection (if a large number of documents are redacted, it is inefficient to reproduce them in full sets of fully blacked out pages, and can simply be referred to in the schedule).

A full history of my FOI request and all correspondence is available on the Internet at this address: https://www.righttoknow.org.au/request/d...

Yours faithfully,

Julie

INFORMATION.LAW, Department of Veterans' Affairs

1 Attachment

Dear Julie,

 

Acknowledgement of Internal Review of FOI Request 25115  – IR 25506

 

I refer to your request for internal review by our Department under the
Freedom of Information Act 1982 (FOI Act). The Department received your
request on 15 November 2018. In accordance with section 54C(3) of the FOI
Act, the Department has 30 days to process your request. As such, a
decision on your request is due by 17 December 2018.

 

If you have any questions about your FOI matter, please contact us using
the following details:

 

Post: Legal Services & Assurance, Department of Veterans’ Affairs

GPO Box 9998, Canberra ACT 2601

Facsimile: (02) 6289 6337

Email: [1][email address]

 

In all communications please quote reference IR 25506.

 

Kind Regards,

 

Information Law Team

 

Information Law Section | Legal, Assurance & Governance Division

Department of Veterans’ Affairs

Gnabra House – 21 Genge Street Canberra City ACT 2601|GPO Box 9998
Canberra ACT 2601

E: [2][email address]

 

 

[3]cid:image001.png@01D0027A.1DAB84F0

 

 

 

 

 

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INFORMATION.LAW, Department of Veterans' Affairs

3 Attachments

Email 1

 

Dear Julie,

 

Internal Review of FOI Request 25115 – IR 25506 – statement of reasons and
document for release

 

I refer to your request for internal review by our Department under the
Freedom of Information Act 1982 (FOI Act). I attach a statement of reasons
and one document which I release to you in accordance with that decision.

 

If you have any questions, please contact us using the following details:

 

Post: Legal Services & Assurance, Department of Veterans’ Affairs

GPO Box 9998, Canberra ACT 2601

Facsimile: (02) 6289 6337

Email: [1][email address]

 

In all communications please quote reference IR 25506.

 

Kind Regards,

 

Information Law Team

 

Information Law Section | Legal, Assurance & Governance Division

Department of Veterans’ Affairs

Gnabra House – 21 Genge Street Canberra City ACT 2601|GPO Box 9998
Canberra ACT 2601

E: [2][email address]

 

 

[3]cid:image001.png@01D0027A.1DAB84F0

 

 

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INFORMATION.LAW, Department of Veterans' Affairs

2 Attachments

Email 2

 

Dear Julie,

 

Internal Review of FOI Request 25115 – IR 25506 – statement of reasons and
document for release

 

I refer to your request for internal review by our Department under the
Freedom of Information Act 1982 (FOI Act). I attach part 2 of the document
which I release to you in accordance with my decision.

 

If you have any questions, please contact us using the following details:

 

Post: Legal Services & Assurance, Department of Veterans’ Affairs

GPO Box 9998, Canberra ACT 2601

Facsimile: (02) 6289 6337

Email: [1][email address]

 

In all communications please quote reference IR 25506.

 

Kind Regards,

 

Information Law Team

 

Information Law Section | Legal, Assurance & Governance Division

Department of Veterans’ Affairs

Gnabra House – 21 Genge Street Canberra City ACT 2601|GPO Box 9998
Canberra ACT 2601

E: [2][email address]

 

 

[3]cid:image001.png@01D0027A.1DAB84F0

 

 

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INFORMATION.LAW, Department of Veterans' Affairs

2 Attachments

Email 3

 

Dear Julie,

 

Internal Review of FOI Request 25115 – IR 25506 – statement of reasons and
document for release

 

I refer to your request for internal review by our Department under the
Freedom of Information Act 1982 (FOI Act). I attach part 3 of the document
which I release to you in accordance with my decision.

 

If you have any questions, please contact us using the following details:

 

Post: Legal Services & Assurance, Department of Veterans’ Affairs

GPO Box 9998, Canberra ACT 2601

Facsimile: (02) 6289 6337

Email: [1][email address]

 

In all communications please quote reference IR 25506.

 

Kind Regards,

 

Information Law Team

 

Information Law Section | Legal, Assurance & Governance Division

Department of Veterans’ Affairs

Gnabra House – 21 Genge Street Canberra City ACT 2601|GPO Box 9998
Canberra ACT 2601

E: [2][email address]

 

 

[3]cid:image001.png@01D0027A.1DAB84F0

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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INFORMATION.LAW, Department of Veterans' Affairs

2 Attachments

Email 4

 

Dear Julie,

 

Internal Review of FOI Request 25115 – IR 25506 – statement of reasons and
document for release

 

I refer to your request for internal review by our Department under the
Freedom of Information Act 1982 (FOI Act). I attach part 4 of the document
which I release to you in accordance with my decision.

 

If you have any questions, please contact us using the following details:

 

Post: Legal Services & Assurance, Department of Veterans’ Affairs

GPO Box 9998, Canberra ACT 2601

Facsimile: (02) 6289 6337

Email: [1][email address]

 

In all communications please quote reference IR 25506.

 

Kind Regards,

 

Information Law Team

 

Information Law Section | Legal, Assurance & Governance Division

Department of Veterans’ Affairs

Gnabra House – 21 Genge Street Canberra City ACT 2601|GPO Box 9998
Canberra ACT 2601

E: [2][email address]

 

 

[3]cid:image001.png@01D0027A.1DAB84F0

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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