Documents pertaining to or giving evidence in support of wearing face masks from state or federal sources
Dear ACT Health Services Commissioner,
I am requesting documents under the Freedom of Information Act that are containing: instructions, notices, evidence to support, in regards to the wearing of face masks by your internal staff and public that was sent to you from either the State or Federal Authorities in 2021
*Notes*: to keep the scope of the docs requested reasonable see below.
- by docs I am referring to communications ie emails, memos, minutes of decision meeting, guides, Q&A. that I expect your offices would be sent due to virus outbreak.
Such Docs would have been used to convey following info and directive or policy
WHAT the State & Federal Authority wants you to do regarding mask wearing
WHY include evidence & reason why staff and/or public should obey mask mandate.
WHO these docs should show where they originated and be ideally dated also
WHEN I am only after those docs covering this 2021 delta variant covid19 outbreak
EXCEPTION - and finally what is permitted as Exceptions for staff and public including any advice on who is bearing responsibility should any legal claim arise from staff or public suffering harm from mask-wearing (risk management)
Given the ever growing global studies and verifiable results that repeatedly demonstrate that there is no scientific medical justification for enforced mask wearing. It is certainly reasonable that the public know what, precisely, the state and federal authorities communicated with your offices in regards to facemasks.
As it appears currently to have zero effect slowing the outbreak but does have negative health & mental impacts, I hope for a swift response.
Yours faithfully,
verifysp
OFFICIAL: Sensitive - Personal Privacy
Dear FOI applicant.
Thanks for your application outlined below.
We are just trying to clarify the nature and scope of your FOI request to ensure that the information we can provide is the information you are seeking.
Th ACT Health Services Commissioner (HSC) handles complaints about health services provided in the ACT, that is complaints about hospitals, GPs, dentists etc.
The HSC is part of the ACT Human Rights Commission, an independent statutory authority that handles complaints about services & discrimination in the ACT, provides individual advocacy for vulnerable people in the ACT etc.
The HSC does not undertake health policy development for the ACT government and the HSC has no involvement in deciding what measures are implemented in the ACT in response to the pandemic.
Given this the majority of information we hold that meets your criteria below is information that is publicly available that has been published by the ACT government on its COVID 19 website and the Federal Health Department on its website.
I have been provided no information or evidence directly by federal agencies about mask wearing as that is not my role.
We do have information that has been sent by the Head of the ACT Public Service to all ACT Public Sector staff and by the Director General of the Justice and Community Safety Directorate (JACSD) to all JACS staff about COVID measures, most of which is publicly available information.
If this is the information you are seeking please confirm this.
If this is not the information you are seeking please advise whether you wish to continue with the FOI application or withdraw it.
If it would assist to discuss the matter please contact us on 6205 2222.
Regards
Karen
-----Original Message-----
From: verifysp <[FOI #7742 email]>
Sent: Saturday, 28 August 2021 8:25 AM
To: Human Rights <[email address]>
Subject: Freedom of Information request - Documents pertaining to or giving evidence in support of wearing face masks from state or federal sources
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 Health Services Commissioner,
I am requesting documents under the Freedom of Information Act that are containing: instructions, notices, evidence to support, in regards to the wearing of face masks by your internal staff and public that was sent to you from either the State or Federal Authorities in 2021
*Notes*: to keep the scope of the docs requested reasonable see below.
- by docs I am referring to communications ie emails, memos, minutes of decision meeting, guides, Q&A. that I expect your offices would be sent due to virus outbreak.
Such Docs would have been used to convey following info and directive or policy
WHAT the State & Federal Authority wants you to do regarding mask wearing WHY include evidence & reason why staff and/or public should obey mask mandate.
WHO these docs should show where they originated and be ideally dated also WHEN I am only after those docs covering this 2021 delta variant covid19 outbreak EXCEPTION - and finally what is permitted as Exceptions for staff and public including any advice on who is bearing responsibility should any legal claim arise from staff or public suffering harm from mask-wearing (risk management)
Given the ever growing global studies and verifiable results that repeatedly demonstrate that there is no scientific medical justification for enforced mask wearing. It is certainly reasonable that the public know what, precisely, the state and federal authorities communicated with your offices in regards to facemasks.
As it appears currently to have zero effect slowing the outbreak but does have negative health & mental impacts, I hope for a swift response.
Yours faithfully,
verifysp
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Dear Toohey, Karen,
Thank you for the reply, to clarify my request, and if you see an assumption below that is answerable in the public domain do advise me the link, the docs I seek is any related to evidence supporting government requirements for staff of your dept/org to wear masks at work.
My assumption is that employees were told to wear masks, so were they told why and what evidence supporting the order was shown to them? Docs as email, memos, staffnotices, group mail communications, or similar.
Or alternatively, since by federal law BiosecuritiesAct2015/61 no citizen may be compelled or asked to wear a mask unless a judge has issued a biosecurity control order in the name of that person.
Alternate request under FoI Act
I request a list of all the biosecurity control orders issued to staff (how many issued exactly) with PIN, names etc redacted as I respect individual privacy. If these control orders do not exist the Mask Mandate must be recinded as it is illegal.
Yours sincerely,
verifysp
OFFICIAL
Dear FOI applicant,
I refer to your request for information from the ACT Health Services
Commissioner, Karen Toohey, under the Freedom of Information Act. Please
find attached a letter from the ACT Human Rights Commission’s Information
Officer, Dr Helen Watchirs, concerning your request.
Kind regards
Kevin
Kevin Campbell | ACT Human Rights Commission
Level 1, 5 Constitution Avenue, Canberra ACT 2601
I acknowledge the traditional custodians of the ACT and their continuing
connection to land and community. I pay my respect to them and their
culture, and to the elders past, present, and future.
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If you are not the intended recipient, please notify the sender and delete
all copies of this transmission along with any attachments immediately.
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Dear Campbell, Kevin,
FAO Helen and Staff as directed in her reply letter.
Many thanks for your reply, as my request is very much one that rests in the sphere of human rights and freedom of all Australians I believe you are perfectly positioned to assist or direct what docs to release.
As stated I am looking for where precisely or perhaps better to say who, be it person, office or dept that issued the directives for face masks to be mandated as a requirement for government staff while working.
I did clarify to say of interest was any reasoning or evidence staff were given for the order, but even without such extra info staff would be advised of such a requirement more formally than being told it on the ABC news or other public media.
Such records, considering the State Govt irrational actions over reaction to a virus less deadly than the flu, and instigation of the Army to enforce them, makes the information a valuable piece of the puzzle toward determining who directs this hostile attack.
As I believe the Mask mandate to be against nsw citizens human rights, causing harm to them physically and mentally, providing no virus protection according global studies, and being illegal as per federal law BiosecuritiesAct2015/61 (unless a biosecurity control order has been issued under each and every employee by a judge.)
Your help to obtain docs that shed light on this issue is invaluable.
I have no objection to docs being loaded publicly, anything sent to myself in pdf form is also fine.
Many thanks in advance again,
Yours sincerely,
verifysp
OFFICIAL
Dear FOI applicant,
I refer to your application to the ACT Human Rights Commission (via Karen
Toohey, ACT Health Services Commissioner) under the Freedom of Information
2016, dated 28 August 2021. Please find attached, on behalf of the
Commission’s Information Officer, Dr Helen Watchirs, a letter about your
application.
Kind regards
Kevin
Kevin Campbell | ACT Human Rights Commission
Level 1, 5 Constitution Avenue, Canberra ACT 2601
I acknowledge the traditional custodians of the ACT and their continuing
connection to land and community. I pay my respect to them and their
culture, and to the elders past, present, and future.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
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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OFFICIAL
Dear FOI applicant,
I refer to your application to the ACT Human Rights Commission (via Karen
Toohey, ACT Health Services Commissioner) under the Freedom of Information
2016, dated 28 August 2021. Please find attached, on behalf of the
Commission’s Information Officer, Dr Helen Watchirs, a decision about your
application.
Regards
Rosemary Budavari
Executive Manager
ACT Human Rights Commission
Canberra City ACT 2601
(02) 6205 2222
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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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OFFICIAL
Dear FOI applicant,
Further to Dr Helen Watchirs’ letter to you of 17 September 2021,
providing a decision about your application under the Freedom of
Information Act 2016, I am emailing to advise you that Dr Watchirs’
decision has now been published on our disclosure log:
[1]https://www.justice.act.gov.au/jacs2021-...
Kind regards
Kevin
Kevin Campbell | ACT Human Rights Commission
From: Budavari, Rosemary <[email address]>
Sent: Friday, 17 September 2021 2:29 PM
To: verifysp <[FOI #7742 email]>
Cc: Campbell, Kevin <[email address]>
Subject: Your FOI request
OFFICIAL
Dear FOI applicant,
I refer to your application to the ACT Human Rights Commission (via Karen
Toohey, ACT Health Services Commissioner) under the Freedom of Information
Act 2016, dated 28 August 2021. Please find attached, on behalf of the
Commission’s Information Officer, Dr Helen Watchirs, a decision about your
application.
Regards
Rosemary Budavari
Executive Manager
ACT Human Rights Commission
Canberra City ACT 2601
(02) 6205 2222
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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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References
Visible links
1. https://www.justice.act.gov.au/jacs2021-...
verifysp left an annotation ()
My request got to human rights commissioner, so reply sent asking her to assist if she can. Await next response.