Documents describing information exchanged between the department and Apple about how Exposure Notifications could be used in the COVIDSafe app
Dear Department of Health,
According to an email released in response to an FOI request (FOI 4145 - Document 1), Daniel Keys (in his capacity as Chief Information Officer at the time) attended a meeting between the Minister for Health and Apple's VP for Health on Thursday the 21st of May, 2020. According to the email, the person leading the development of Exposure Notifications at Apple was also present at the meeting and "objected when [Daniel Keys] said that [Apple's] framework would be of limited use in its current form to the Australian implementation".
According to the email there was agreement "to take it offline so that [Apple's lead for Exposure Notifications] can share with [the department] how he believes that it can satisfy our requirements of supporting public health officials". The email alludes to a subsequent meeting scheduled for "Wednesday (presumably the 27th of May, 2020) where it is proposed that "one of you guys" talk about "the discussions you’ve had with Apple Australia and the assessment you’ve made of the framework". It is then proposed that the Apple representative (whose name has been redacted) could "talk about why they feel [the department's] assessment is incorrect". Finally, it is proposed that another person or group of people is invited to the meeting as "they’ve done the assessment" of the suitability of Apple's system.
I am interested in understanding the government's reasons for not adopting Exposure Notifications in COVIDSafe. In order to better understand this I am requesting:
1. any documents (including emails, notes, messages etc.) that contain "the assessment" of Apple's system as described in the second to last sentance of the email referred to above,
2. any documents (including emails, diary entries, notes, messages etc.) relating to the meeting with Apple scheduled for Wednesday the 27th of May, 2020. To be clear this includes documents prepared before the meeting, notes taken during the meeting, and documents prepared after the meeting, and
3. any documents (including emails, notes, messages etc) that outline why Apple "feel [the department's] assessment is incorrect".
Yours faithfully,
Concerned Citizen
Good afternoon
Acknowledgement of receipt of Freedom of Information request
I refer to your request received by the Department of Health and Aged Care
(the department) for access to documents under the Freedom of Information
Act 1982 (FOI Act). You have requested access to:
I am interested in understanding the government's reasons for not adopting
Exposure Notifications in COVIDSafe. In order to better understand this I
am requesting:
1. any documents (including emails, notes, messages etc.) that contain
"the assessment" of Apple's system as described in the second to last
sentence of the email referred to above,
2. any documents (including emails, diary entries, notes, messages etc.)
relating to the meeting with Apple scheduled for Wednesday the 27th of
May, 2020. To be clear this includes documents prepared before the
meeting, notes taken during the meeting, and documents prepared after the
meeting, and
3. any documents (including emails, notes, messages etc) that outline why
Apple "feel [the department's] assessment is incorrect".
The reference number for your request is FOI-4294. Please ensure that you
quote this number in future correspondence with us concerning this
request.
Timeframes
Your request was received on 10 March 2023. The statutory timeframe for
processing your request is 30 calendar days and you should expect to be
notified of a decision from the department on or before 09 April 2023.
The period of 30 days may be extended if the department needs to consult
third parties or for other reasons. We will advise you if this happens.
Other information
The department may impose a charge for the work involved in providing
access to the documents. If this request attracts a charge you will be
notified in writing.
Unless you advise otherwise:
· any draft and duplicate documents will be excluded from the scope
of your request, and
· any public service employee names below Senior Executive Service
level and direct telephone numbers of all staff will be excluded from the
scope of your request under s22(1)(a)(ii) of the FOI Act.
Please note that information released under the FOI Act may later be
published online on our disclosure log
[1]www.health.gov.au/resources/foi-disclosure-log, subject to certain
exceptions. (For example, personal information will not be published where
this would be unreasonable.)
You can contact the FOI team via email at [2][email address] or by phone
on 02 6289 1666, should you have any questions.
Kind regards,
Tegan
FOI Officer – Freedom of Information Section
Legal Advice and Legislation
Legal and Assurance Division | Corporate Operations Group
Australian Government, Department of Health and Aged Care
T: 02 6289 1666 | E: [email address]
PO Box 9848, Canberra ACT 2601, Australia
The Department of Health and Aged Care acknowledges the traditional owners
of country throughout Australia, and their continuing connection to land,
sea and community. We pay our respects to them and their cultures, and to
elders both past and present
Dear Concerned Citizen,
I write in regards to your recent Freedom of Information request, FOI
4294.
Request for extension of time
Section 15AA of the FOI Act permits the department to extend the statutory
processing timeframe, with your agreement, for a period of up to 30
calendar days.
Noting that the statutory due date for your request currently falls within
the Easter break period in April. The department is seeking your agreement
to an extension of 7 calendar days to ensure the department has undertaken
all reasonable steps to identify all documents relevant to your request,
and for the decision maker to make a well-balanced decision on access to
any such documents identified.
If you agree to this extension, the statutory due date will then be 16
April 2023. The department will however continue to process your request
as quickly as possible.
It would assist if you could please advise by COB Thursday 23 March if you
agree to this extension of time. If we do not hear from you by this date
or if you do not agree to the extension, the department may consider
seeking an extension of time from the Office of the Australian Information
Commissioner (OAIC) under section 15AB of the FOI Act.
We thank you for your ongoing patience and cooperation as we continue to
process your request.
If you have any questions regarding any of the matters discussed in this
email, please do not hesitate to contact the FOI Section at
[1][email address].
Kind regards
Joanne
FOI Case Officer
Legal Advice and Legislation
Legal and Assurance Division | Corporate Operations Group
Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care
T: 02 6289 1666 | E: [2][Health request email]
PO Box 9848, Canberra ACT 2601, Australia
The Department of Health and Aged Care acknowledges First Nations peoples
as the Traditional Owners of Country throughout Australia, and their
continuing connection to land, sea and community. We pay our respects to
them and their cultures, and to all Elders both past and present.
Dear FOI,
Yes, I’m happy to agree to the extension due to the Easter break.
Yours sincerely,
Concerned Citizen
Good morning,
Thank you for your prompt reply. The statutory due date for your request is now 16 April 2023.
Kind regards
Joanne
FOI Case Officer
Legal Advice and Legislation
Legal and Assurance Division | Corporate Operations Group
Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care
T: 02 6289 1666 | E: [Health request email]
PO Box 9848, Canberra ACT 2601, Australia
The Department of Health and Aged Care acknowledges First Nations peoples as the Traditional Owners of Country throughout Australia, and their continuing connection to land, sea and community. We pay our respects to them and their cultures, and to all Elders both past and present.