Documents on the decision to group equal transfer values from different election events separately

Vanessa Teague made this Freedom of Information request to ACT Electoral Commission

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 ACT Electoral Commission,

I request, under the Freedom of Information Act, all documents, including email, dated from 2016 to 2020, relating to the decision to change EVACS's behaviour in its grouping of transfer values for the 2020 election count.

Yours faithfully,

Vanessa Teague

Spence, Rohan, ACT Electoral Commission

1 Attachment

OFFICIAL

Dear Dr Teague,

Please find attached an FOI Acknowledgment letter in relation to your recent FOI Access application.

Ro Spence | Deputy Electoral Commissioner
ACT Electoral Commission
Phone: 02 6205 0224 | [mobile number]
[email address] | www.elections.act.gov.au | facebook | twitter | youtube
Level 6, 221 London Circuit, Canberra City

-----Original Message-----
From: Vanessa Teague <[FOI #6962 email]>
Sent: Tuesday, 8 December 2020 1:55 PM
To: Elections <[email address]>
Subject: Freedom of Information request - Documents on the decision to group equal transfer values from different election events separately

CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the ACT Government. Do not click links or open attachments unless you recognise the sender and know the content is safe.

Dear ACT Electoral Commission,

I request, under the Freedom of Information Act, all documents, including email, dated from 2016 to 2020, relating to the decision to change EVACS's behaviour in its grouping of transfer values for the 2020 election count.

Yours faithfully,

Vanessa Teague

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Elections, ACT Electoral Commission

5 Attachments

OFFICIAL

Dear Dr Teague,

Please find attached in relation to your access application, your Access application decision notice and the accompanying Reason for decision notice and schedule of documents.

Also attached are the released documents relevant to your access application.

Ro Spence | Deputy Electoral Commissioner
ACT Electoral Commission
Phone: 02 6205 0224 | [mobile number]
[email address] | www.elections.act.gov.au | facebook | twitter | youtube
Level 6, 221 London Circuit, Canberra City

-----Original Message-----
From: Vanessa Teague <[FOI #6962 email]>
Sent: Tuesday, 8 December 2020 1:55 PM
To: Elections <[email address]>
Subject: Freedom of Information request - Documents on the decision to group equal transfer values from different election events separately

CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the ACT Government. Do not click links or open attachments unless you recognise the sender and know the content is safe.

Dear ACT Electoral Commission,

I request, under the Freedom of Information Act, all documents, including email, dated from 2016 to 2020, relating to the decision to change EVACS's behaviour in its grouping of transfer values for the 2020 election count.

Yours faithfully,

Vanessa Teague

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

Please use this email address for all replies to this request:
[FOI #6962 email]

Is [ACT Electoral Commission request email] the wrong address for Freedom of Information requests to ACT Electoral Commission? If so, please contact us using this form:
https://aus01.safelinks.protection.outlo...

This request has been made by an individual using Right to Know. This message and any reply that you make will be published on the internet. More information on how Right to Know works can be found at:
https://aus01.safelinks.protection.outlo...

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, and any attachments, may be confidential and also privileged. If you are not the intended recipient, please notify the sender and delete all copies of this transmission along with any attachments immediately. You should not copy or use it for any purpose, nor disclose its contents to any other person.
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Dear Mr Spence,

Thankyou for those documents, but I do not think this is a complete response.

- There is nothing from within Elections ACT documenting any review of the interpretation of the legislation.
- You did not include the Electoral Commissioner's email to me on 30 Nov, though it discusses the decision in some detail.

Please either include those documents or explain why they are not included.

Yours sincerely,

Vanessa Teague

Spence, Rohan, ACT Electoral Commission

I am currently on leave, returning 28 January 2021. 

 

Please email

 

[email address]   or

[email address]

 

with any matters that need attention and they will ensure the appropriate
action is taken or the matter is passed on to the appropriate person.

 

Have a safe new year.

 

Thank you 

 

Ro Spence | Deputy Electoral Commissioner

ACT Electoral Commission

Phone: 02 6205 0224 | [mobile number]

[1][email address] | [2]www.elections.act.gov.au | [3]facebook |
[4]twitter | [5]youtube

Level 6, 221 London Circuit, Canberra City

 

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Spence, Rohan, ACT Electoral Commission

OFFICIAL

Dear Dr Teague,

Thank you for your email and apologies for the delay in responding, I have been on leave since I addressed your original access application.

I have provided you with details of all of the documents the Commission holds in relation to the decision 'to change eVACS's behaviour in its grouping of transfer values for the 2020 election count.'

The discussions on this matter were held verbally within the organisation and between stakeholders.

In relation to the inclusion of the email from the Electoral Commissioner to yourself on 30 November, I was of the view that this was not within the scope of the access application as it did not relate to "the decision to change eVACS's behaviour...." as I had interpreted your request.

To meet your request I will shortly include this letter to you, from the Commissioner, on the Electoral Commission's disclosure log.

Ro Spence | Deputy Electoral Commissioner
ACT Electoral Commission
Phone: 02 6205 0224 | [mobile number]
[email address] | www.elections.act.gov.au | facebook | twitter | youtube
Level 6, 221 London Circuit, Canberra City

-----Original Message-----
From: Vanessa Teague <[FOI #6962 email]>
Sent: Saturday, 19 December 2020 2:27 PM
To: Spence, Rohan <[email address]>
Subject: Internal review of Freedom of Information request - Documents on the decision to group equal transfer values from different election events separately

CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the ACT Government. Do not click links or open attachments unless you recognise the sender and know the content is safe.

Dear Mr Spence,

Thankyou for those documents, but I do not think this is a complete response.

- There is nothing from within Elections ACT documenting any review of the interpretation of the legislation.
- You did not include the Electoral Commissioner's email to me on 30 Nov, though it discusses the decision in some detail.

Please either include those documents or explain why they are not included.

Yours sincerely,

Vanessa Teague

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

OFFICIAL

Dear Dr Teague,

Please find attached an FOI Acknowledgment letter in relation to your recent FOI Access application.

Ro Spence | Deputy Electoral Commissioner ACT Electoral Commission
Phone: 02 6205 0224 | [mobile number]
[email address] | http://www.elections.act.gov.au/ | facebook | twitter | youtube Level 6, 221 London Circuit, Canberra City

-------------------------------------------------------------------
Please use this email address for all replies to this request:
[FOI #6962 email]

This request has been made by an individual using Right to Know. This message and any reply that you make will be published on the internet. More information on how Right to Know works can be found at:
https://aus01.safelinks.protection.outlo...

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, and any attachments, may be confidential and also privileged. If you are not the intended recipient, please notify the sender and delete all copies of this transmission along with any attachments immediately. You should not copy or use it for any purpose, nor disclose its contents to any other person.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

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Vanessa Teague left an annotation ()

The ACT Electoral Commission (Elections ACT) published a somewhat-redacted version of the Commissioner's letter to me. To access it,

go to their FoI site:
https://www.elections.act.gov.au/about_u...

scroll down to 'FoI disclosure log'

download the Excel spreadsheet entitled "Freedom of Information - disclosure log"

look up the link ending in 'Letter-to-V-Teague-30-Nov-2020_Redacted.pdf

The direct link is here:https://www.elections.act.gov.au/__data/...

The letter is somewhat redacted but contains the information directly relevant to this request.