ESO responses to consultation on veterans’ legislation simplification and harmonisation feedback.

The request was successful.

Dear Department of Veterans' Affairs,

BACKGROUND:

Last year DVA sought feedback as part of its consultation on veterans’ legislation simplification and harmonisation, feedback that closed in November 2022.

INFORMATION I AM SEEKING:

I am seeking all submissions by ESO’s pertaining to this feedback.

I do not consent to the names of any ESO submissions being redacted.

Yours faithfully,

Alan ASHMORE

INFORMATION.ACCESS, Department of Veterans' Affairs

6 Attachments

Dear Mr Ashmore,

The Department of Veterans' Affairs (the department) has received your
request for access to information under the Freedom of Information Act
1982 (FOI Act). I note you have requested access to the following:

'Last year DVA sought feedback as part of its consultation on veterans'
legislation simplification and harmonisation, feedback that closed in
November 2022. I am seeking all submissions by ESO's pertaining to this
feedback.'

Your request was received by the department on 21 February 2023 and the
ordinary 30 day statutory period for processing your request commenced
from the day after that date.

 

Extension of Time

 

Due to an increase in the number of information access applications
currently being received by the department, we are asking your agreement
to an extension of time for a further 30 days to process this request
under section 15AA of the FOI Act. This would mean that your request is
due on 24 April 2023.

 

If we are in a position to make a decision on your request earlier than
this date, we will endeavour to do so.

 

The statutory period may also be extended if we need to consult third
parties or for other reasons permitted under the FOI Act. We will advise
you if this happens.

 

If you do agree we will notify the Office of the Australian Information
Commissioner (OAIC) of your agreement under section 15AA of the FOI Act.

 

Charges

 

The department will advise you if a charge is payable to process your
request and the amount of any such charge as soon as practicable. No
charge is payable for providing a person with their own personal
information.

 

Your address

 

The FOI Act requires that you provide us with an address that we can send
notices to. You have advised your email address is
[1][FOI #9965 email]. Unless you tell us
otherwise, we will send all notices and correspondence to this address.

 

Disclosure log

 

Information released under the FOI Act may be published on a disclosure
log on our website, subject to certain exceptions. These exceptions
include where publication of personal, business, professional or
commercial information would be unreasonable.

 

Request to treat certain material as out of scope or irrelevant to the
request

 

To the extent the department has documents in its possession that fall
within the scope of your request, we intend to treat the following
information as out of scope or irrelevant to your request, pursuant to
section 22(1)(b)(ii) of the FOI Act:

1.      The surnames, signatures and direct contact details of non-SES
Commonwealth employees and contractors, including clinical staff working
for Open Arms - Veterans & Families Counselling;

2.      The surnames, signatures and direct contact details of serving
members of the Australian Defence Force; and

3.      The signatures of third party individuals.

If you agree to the department treating these details as irrelevant, and
to our request for an extension of time in which to process your request,
please advise by 3 March 2023.

 

Further assistance

 

If you have any questions about your request, please email
[2][DVA request email]

 

Regards

 

Fiona 

Position Number – 62211034

Information Access Registrations Officer

Information Access Unit / Client Access and Rehabilitation Branch

Client Engagement and Support Services Division

Department of Veterans’ Affairs

1800 VETERAN (1800 838 372)

[3][DVA request email]

[4]www.dva.gov.au 

 

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References

Visible links
1. mailto:[FOI #9965 email]
2. mailto:[DVA request email]
3. mailto:[DVA request email]
4. http://www.dva.gov.au/
5. https://www.facebook.com/DVAAus
6. https://twitter.com/DVAAus
7. https://au.linkedin.com/company/australi...
8. https://www.youtube.com/DVATVAus

Dear INFORMATION.ACCESS,

I note your response of 24 February 2023 where you stated, “due to an increase in the number of information access applications being received by the department, we are asking your agreement to an extension of time for a further 30 days to process this request …………”

I note the Information Commissioner’s guideline 3.13 that states, “Agencies should ensure a sufficient number of officers are authorised at appropriate senior levels to make both original and internal review decisions.”

I understand there has been an increase in the number of FOI applications and note DVA were initially given an additional $28.9m to cover the increased staff costs associated with the Royal Commission. One would assume DVA’s FOI Section would have been the beneficiary of some of this additional funding.

I would be staggered if the information requested was not easily available as I understand there was minimal response and responses from ESO's would be in pdf form and therefore readily available.

Accordingly, I do not agree to this extension of time.

Yours sincerely,

Alan ASHMORE

INFORMATION.ACCESS, Department of Veterans' Affairs

6 Attachments

Dear Mr Ashmore,

 

I have discussed this request with the Royal Commission Implementation
Division, the documents relating to ESO responses to consultation on
veterans’ legislation simplification and harmonisation were released via
the previous request - LEX 55098.

 

On 13 January 2023, my colleague Sharmila sent you a copy of documents for
LEX 55098 to your personal email address, the email was titled as
'Information Access Decision- LEX 55098-Ashmore Alan'.

 

I have located some details from email, which consist of information
relating to ESO reponses for this consultation:

 

·       The bundle named ‘Legislation Consultation Charts’ contains
figures of various submission themes from the Ex-Service Organisation

 

·       The bundle named ‘Legislative Consultation Summary Report’, from
page 11 to 12 titled  ‘Appendix C: Summaries of Key Feedback from ESOs’ –
this summary basically contains a list of submission feedback made by
ESOs.

 

Since the submissions for feedback was closed in Novemeber 2022, the
Division advised us that there is no further new or additional documents
that we can provide to you.  That means all the documents related to this
request LEX 56141 are availabe from the released documents of LEX 55098.

 

Unless you have further comments, we are seeking this request as withdrawn
and finalised.

 

Kind regards,

Frankie| Information Access Officer

Position 62210799

Information Access Unit  I Client Access and Rehabilitation Branch

Client Engagement and Support Services Division

Department of Veterans’ Affairs

Tel 1800 VETERAN (1800 838 372)

[1][DVA request email]

[2]www.dva.gov.au 

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References

Visible links
1. mailto:[DVA request email]
2. http://www.dva.gov.au/
3. https://www.facebook.com/DVAAus
4. https://twitter.com/DVAAus
5. https://au.linkedin.com/company/australi...
6. https://www.youtube.com/DVATVAus

INFORMATION.ACCESS, Department of Veterans' Affairs

6 Attachments

Dear Mr Ashmore

 

This is just a courtesy reminder that as per my previous email dated 1
March 2023, if there is no further comment from you by this Thursday COB 9
March 2023 we will proceed to finalise this request.

 

Kind regards,

Frankie| Information Access Officer

Position 62210799

Information Access Unit  I Client Access and Rehabilitation Branch

Client Engagement and Support Services Division

Department of Veterans’ Affairs

Tel 1800 VETERAN (1800 838 372)

[1][DVA request email]

[2]www.dva.gov.au 

[3]cid:image002.png@01D7B6E3.69D49590[4]cid:image003.png@01D7B6E3.69D49590[5]cid:image004.png@01D7B6E3.69D49590[6]cid:image005.png@01D7B6E3.69D49590

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From: INFORMATION.ACCESS
Sent: Wednesday, 1 March 2023 5:29 PM
To: 'Alan ASHMORE' <[FOI #9965 email]>
Subject: LEX 56141: ESO responses to consultation on veterans’ legislation
simplification and harmonisation feedback [SEC=OFFICIAL]

 

Dear Mr Ashmore,

 

I have discussed this request with the Royal Commission Implementation
Division, the documents relating to ESO responses to consultation on
veterans’ legislation simplification and harmonisation were released via
the previous request - LEX 55098.

 

On 13 January 2023, my colleague Sharmila sent you a copy of documents for
LEX 55098 to your personal email address, the email was titled as
'Information Access Decision- LEX 55098-Ashmore Alan'.

 

I have located some details from email, which consist of information
relating to ESO reponses for this consultation:

 

·       The bundle named ‘Legislation Consultation Charts’ contains
figures of various submission themes from the Ex-Service Organisation

 

·       The bundle named ‘Legislative Consultation Summary Report’, from
page 11 to 12 titled  ‘Appendix C: Summaries of Key Feedback from ESOs’ –
this summary basically contains a list of submission feedback made by
ESOs.

 

Since the submissions for feedback was closed in Novemeber 2022, the
Division advised us that there is no further new or additional documents
that we can provide to you.  That means all the documents related to this
request LEX 56141 are availabe from the released documents of LEX 55098.

 

Unless you have further comments, we are seeking this request as withdrawn
and finalised.

 

Kind regards,

Frankie| Information Access Officer

Position 62210799

Information Access Unit  I Client Access and Rehabilitation Branch

Client Engagement and Support Services Division

Department of Veterans’ Affairs

Tel 1800 VETERAN (1800 838 372)

[9][DVA request email]

[10]www.dva.gov.au 

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[15]cid:image005.jpg@01D8E9E7.0F9C7A60
[16]cid:image012.jpg@01D8E9E7.0F9C7A60

 

References

Visible links
1. mailto:[DVA request email]
2. http://www.dva.gov.au/
3. https://www.facebook.com/DVAAus
4. https://twitter.com/DVAAus
5. https://au.linkedin.com/company/australi...
6. https://www.youtube.com/DVATVAus
9. mailto:[DVA request email]
10. http://www.dva.gov.au/
11. https://www.facebook.com/DVAAus
12. https://twitter.com/DVAAus
13. https://au.linkedin.com/company/australi...
14. https://www.youtube.com/DVATVAus

Dear INFORMATION.ACCESS,

I am reponding to your request for me to withdraw and note the following.

: You noted, "The bundle named ‘Legislative Consultation Summary Report’, from
page 11 to 12 titled ‘Appendix C: Summaries of Key Feedback from ESOs’ –
this summary basically contains a list of submission feedback made by
ESOs."

It is correct you provided a summary of key feedback from ESO's. The information I requested was, "I am seeking all submissions by ESO’s pertaining to this feedback."

I made this submission because all the submissions were NOT provided in my previous request and is the reason I made the current request.

I now ask that you immediately finalise this FOI request by providing what I asked for, i.e. all submissions by ESO's pertaining to this feedback.

As this FOI was made under righttoknow I ask that you provide the requested information via righttoknow and not to my personal email address.

Thanks in advance.

Yours sincerely,

Alan ASHMORE

INFORMATION.ACCESS, Department of Veterans' Affairs

2 Attachments

Dear Mr Ashmore

Thank you for your information access request LEX 56141.

Please find attached my decision letter and documents relating to your request.

Kind regards,

Frankie| Information Access Officer
Position 62210799
Information Access Unit  I Client Access and Rehabilitation Branch
Client Engagement and Support Services Division
Department of Veterans’ Affairs
[DVA request email]
www.dva.gov.au