Thank you for your email, which has been forwarded to the Department’s FOI
Team for their consideration. A member of the FOI Team will respond to
your email in the next couple of days.

Kind regards

FOI Coordinator

OFFICIAL

Dear O

Freedom of Information Request – FOI 24-25/086

Thank you for your email to the Department of Finance (Finance) requesting
access to documents under the Freedom of Information Act 1982 (FOI Act)
that:

             •       summarises the dollar savings generated by the
ongoing efficiency dividend since its introduction in 1987 by year to
today.

•       lists the different exemptions to the efficiency dividend granted
since its introduction.

•       show how much of the efficiency dividend is met by staffing costs.

General FOI matters

Your request was received by Finance on 22 October 2025. The statutory
period for processing your request commences from the day after Finance
received your request and a decision is due on 21 November 2025.

The processing period may be extended if we need to consult third parties,
impose a charge or for other reasons. We will advise you if this happens.

Liability to pay a charge

You will be notified of any charges in relation to your request as soon as
possible, before we process any requested documents or impose a final
charge.

Publication

As required by the FOI Act, any documents provided to you under the FOI
Act will be published on our [1]disclosure log, unless an exception
applies. Documents will be published within the applicable statutory
timeframes set out by the FOI Act.

Policy to exclude junior officer contact details, signatures and mobile
phone numbers

Finance has adopted a policy to generally exclude from any documents
released under FOI, the names and contact details of junior staff (non-SES
officers) and staff employed under the Members of Parliament (Staff) Act
1984 (senior adviser level and below). Finance has also adopted a policy
to exclude signatures and mobile phone numbers from any documents released
under FOI (unless publicly available). Finance’s preference is to reach
agreement with FOI applicants to exclude these details from the scope of
the request. Where there is no objection, the names and contact details of
junior officers, as well as any signatures and mobile phone numbers
appearing in identified documents, will be redacted under section 22 of
the FOI Act on the basis that these details are irrelevant to the request.

Please contact the FOI Team if you wish to discuss your request.

Kind regards,

FOI Team

FOI Officer | Legal and Assurance Branch

Business Enabling Services

Department of Finance

A: One Canberra Avenue, Forrest ACT 2603

References

Visible links
1. https://www.finance.gov.au/about-us/free...

OFFICIAL

Dear O

I refer to your 22 October 2025 FOI request (our ref: FOI 25-26/086)
seeking access to the following documents under the FOI Act:

any documents that:

•       summarises the dollar savings generated by the ongoing efficiency
dividend since its introduction in 1987 by year to today.

•       lists the different exemptions to the efficiency dividend granted
since its introduction.

•       show how much of the efficiency dividend is met by staffing costs.

Steps taken to search for the requested documents

Our colleagues in the Budget Policy and Data Division have undertaken
searches in the applicable repositories for documents relating to the
Efficiency Dividend. They have confirmed:

• No documents exist in relation to points 1 and 3 of your request. We
note that publicly available Budget papers provide estimates of future
savings from the introduction of, or changes to, the Efficiency
Dividend over the relevant estimates period. But Finance does not hold
documents with estimates of savings over the requested timeframe, nor
does it collect data on:

§  actual savings generated by the Efficiency Dividend, or

§  how entities manage the impacts of the Efficiency Dividend on their
appropriations.

• In relation to point 2 of your request, Finance does not hold a
consolidated list of the different exemptions to the Efficiency
Dividend granted since its introduction. This is because such a list
is not necessary for the purpose of setting future departmental
appropriations and costing new policy proposals. However, Finance does
hold a list of the different exemptions to the Efficiency Dividend
that currently apply, which includes:

§  for entities with full exemptions, the year when these exemptions
commenced, and

§  for entities with partial exemptions, the amount of the partial
exemption and some information on the funding that is exempt.

Request for withdrawal

Given the searches undertaken indicate Finance holds no documents in scope
of your request, we would be grateful if you could advise by 5pm Thursday
20 November 2025 whether:

• You would agree to withdraw your request,
• You would like a formal ‘no documents’ decision, or
• You would like to revise your request to be for a list of the
different exemptions to the Efficiency Dividend that currently apply.

Should you wish to continue with your request and receive a decision, we
kindly request your agreement to a short extension of 7 days to finalise
processing your request. This will bring the statutory due date to 28
November 2025. This extension seeks to preserve your internal review
rights and avoid the need for Finance to apply for an extension from the
Office of the Australian Information Commissioner.

We thank you for your assistance with this matter.

Kind regards,

FOI Team

FOI Officer | Legal and Assurance Branch

Business Enabling Services

Department of Finance

A: One Canberra Avenue, Forrest ACT 2603

Thank you for your email, which has been forwarded to the Department’s FOI
Team for their consideration. A member of the FOI Team will respond to
your email in the next couple of days.

Kind regards

FOI Coordinator

OFFICIAL
Dear O

Thank you for agreeing to revise the scope of your request.

We would also be grateful for your consideration of our request for a 7 day extension of time to next Friday, 28 November 2025, to process your revised request.

We would appreciate your response on whether you agree to this extension at your earliest opportunity and no later than this Thursday, 20 November 2025.

Kind regards,
FOI Team

FOI Officer | Legal and Assurance Branch
Business Enabling Services
Department of Finance
A: One Canberra Avenue, Forrest ACT 2603

show quoted sections

Thank you for your email, which has been forwarded to the Department’s FOI
Team for their consideration. A member of the FOI Team will respond to
your email in the next couple of days.

Kind regards

FOI Coordinator