FOI request - documents
Dear Commonwealth Ombudsman,
Under the FOI Act 1982 (Cth), I request access to any and all documents (including decisions) issued by officials in the Office of the Commonwealth Ombudsman between 1 September 2020 and 31 October 2020 relating to matter 2019-402149.
Yours faithfully,
Robert
OFFICIAL
Dear Robert
Our ref: FOI-2023-10088
12 September 2023
Emailed to: [1][FOI #10631 email]
Freedom of Information request – Acknowledgment
I acknowledge receipt of your correspondence dated 29 August 2023 in which
you requested access to documents under the Freedom of Information Act
1982 (FOI Act). Your request for documents was framed in the following
way:
‘Under the FOI Act 1982 (Cth), I request access to any and all documents
(including decisions) issued by officials in the Office of the Commonwealth
Ombudsman between 1 September 2020 and 31 October 2020 relating to matter
2019-402149.’
Duplicates/irrelevant information
There may be duplicate copies of documents related to our request. Unless
you advise us you wish to receive multiple copies, we will only consider
and make a decision on one copy of each document.
Timeframes
You should expect a decision from us within 30 days from the date we
received your FOI request. This 30 day period may be extended if we need
to consult third parties, impose a charge (a fee for processing your
request) or for other reasons. We will let you know if this happens..
If you have any questions, you may contact me via email at
[2][email address] or by using the contact details in
the footer of this email.
Yours sincerely
David
Legal Officer
Legal Team
Commonwealth Ombudsman
Phone: 1300 362 072
Email: [3][email address]
Website: [4]ombudsman.gov.au
[5][IMG]
Influencing systemic improvement in public administration
The Office of the Commonwealth Ombudsman acknowledges the traditional
owners of country throughout Australia and their continuing connection to
land, culture and community. We pay our respects to elders past and
present.
The Office of the Commonwealth Ombudsman acknowledges the traditional
owners of country throughout Australia and their continuing connection to
land, culture and community. We pay our respects to elders past and
present.
References
Visible links
1. mailto:[FOI #10631 email]
2. mailto:[email address]
3. mailto:[email address]
4. https://ombudsman.gov.au/
5. http://www.ombudsman.gov.au/
OFFICIAL
Dear Robert
I attach correspondence in relation to your request:
1. Decision letter dated 28 September 2023
Please do not hesitate to contact our Office using the details below if
you have any questions or concerns.
Yours sincerely
David
Legal Officer
Legal Team
Commonwealth Ombudsman
Phone: 1300 362 072
Email: [1][email address]
Website: [2]ombudsman.gov.au
[3][IMG]
Influencing systemic improvement in public administration
The Office of the Commonwealth Ombudsman acknowledges the traditional
owners of country throughout Australia and their continuing connection to
land, culture and community. We pay our respects to elders past and
present.
The Office of the Commonwealth Ombudsman acknowledges the traditional
owners of country throughout Australia and their continuing connection to
land, culture and community. We pay our respects to elders past and
present.
References
Visible links
1. mailto:[email address]
2. https://ombudsman.gov.au/
3. http://www.ombudsman.gov.au/
Dear David Yalpi,
Please pass this on to the person who conducts Freedom of Information reviews.
I am writing to request an internal review of Commonwealth Ombudsman's handling of my FOI request 'FOI request - documents'.
A full history of my FOI request and all correspondence is available on the Internet at this address: https://www.righttoknow.org.au/request/f...
Yours faithfully,
Robert
OFFICIAL
Dear Robert
Please find attached the internal review decision for your Freedom of
Information request dated 29 August 2023.
Many thanks
Jodie
Legal Team
Commonwealth Ombudsman
Phone: 1300 362 072
Email: [1][email address]
Website: [2]www.ombudsman.gov.au
The Office of the Commonwealth Ombudsman acknowledges the traditional
owners of country throughout Australia and their continuing connection to
land, culture and community. We pay our respects to elders past and
present.
References
Visible links
1. mailto:[email address]
2. http://www.ombudsman.gov.au/
[1]Office of the Australian Information Reference Code:
Commissioner ICR_10-55547911-4102
You submitted a form called: FOI Review_
Your form reference code is: ICR_10-55547911-4102
To check the progress of your submission and/or confirm it has been
received you should contact the agency that provides the form. These
details are displayed below.
Office of the Australian Information Commissioner
[2]http://www.oaic.gov.au | [3]1300 363 992 | [4][email address]
GPO Box 5218, Sydney NSW 2001
Note: Please do not reply to this auto-generated email.
References
Visible links
2. http://www.oaic.gov.au/
3. file:///tmp/tel:1300 363 992
4. mailto:[email address]
Our reference: MR23/01358
By email: [FOI #10631 email]
Receipt of your IC review application
Thank you for your application for Information Commissioner Review (IC
review).
The Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) is
considering your application.
If you wish to advise the OAIC of any changes to your circumstances,
including your contact details or if your FOI request has been resolved,
please write to [email address] and quote MR23/01358.
Yours sincerely
Freedom of Information Regulatory Group
Office of the Australian Information Commissioner
Notice:
The information contained in this email message and any attached files may
be confidential information, and may also be the subject of legal
professional privilege. If you are not the intended recipient any use,
disclosure or copying of this email is unauthorised. If you received this
email in error, please notify the sender by contacting the department's
switchboard on 1300 488 064 during business hours (8:30am - 5pm Canberra
time) and delete all copies of this transmission together with any
attachments.
Our reference: MR23/01358
Agency reference: FOI-2023-10088
Mr Robert RTK
By email: [1][FOI #10631 email]
Dear Mr Robert RTK,
Thank you for your application for review. We apologise for the delay in
contacting you regarding your application. We have today informed the
Commonwealth Ombudsman that the Information Commissioner will undertake an
IC review and requested information to assist with progressing the review.
We will provide you with an update when we have heard from the
Commonwealth Ombudsman.
Kind regards,
[2][IMG] Sarveshcika Yuvaraj (she/her)
Paralegal | FOI Branch
Office of the Australian Information Commissioner
Sydney | GPO Box 5288 Sydney NSW 2001
P 1300 363 992 E [3][email address]
The OAIC acknowledges Traditional Custodians of Country across
Australia and their continuing connection to land, waters and
communities. We pay our respect to First Nations people,
cultures and Elders past and present.
[4]Subscribe to Information Matters
Notice:
The information contained in this email message and any attached files may
be confidential information, and may also be the subject of legal
professional privilege. If you are not the intended recipient any use,
disclosure or copying of this email is unauthorised. If you received this
email in error, please notify the sender by contacting the department's
switchboard on 1300 488 064 during business hours (8:30am - 5pm Canberra
time) and delete all copies of this transmission together with any
attachments.
References
Visible links
1. mailto:[FOI #10631 email]
2. https://www.oaic.gov.au/
3. mailto:[email address]
4. https://www.oaic.gov.au/engage-with-us/n...
MR23/01358
Hello,
I made an FOI request to the Ombudsman 1 year ago. My request for access to documents was denied.
On 10 April 2024 I was advised that the Ombudsman had been notified about an IC review and that I would be contacted once the Ombudsman had been in touch with the OAIC.
It has been more than 4 months since then.
If the Ombudsman has been in touch, please provide the submissions (I assume the Ombudsman will provide submissions) that have been provided to the OAIC. If the Ombudsman has failed to contact the OAIC, please follow them up.
Yours sincerely,
Robert
Dear Robert,
Thank you for your email.
We can confirm that we have received information from the Commonwealth Ombudsman in response to our notice of commencement of IC review and request for documents (a copy of their submissions is attached). Your matter is now awaiting review of that information to ensure we have all information required for progression to the Reviews and Investigation team where it will wait allocation to a Review Adviser for further assessment. This will involve case management, including assessment of the material received, and/or a forming of a preliminary view where appropriate, ahead of any decision by the Commissioner under s 55K of the FOI Act.
Please note as the OAIC is currently focussing on the case management and finalisation of aged matters, we are unable to provide an indicative timeframe at this stage. To assist you in determining an approximate timeframe, the OAIC is focussing on progressing the 2020 IC review applications and which remain on hand. Your IC review was received in November 2023, and it will take some time before your IC review is allocated and progressed. However, once your matter is allocated to a Review Adviser, they will contact you to provide a further update and advise of the next steps.
Further information about the IC review process is available in Part 10 of the FOI Guidelines.
Kind regards
Will Martin (he/him)
Assistant Review Advisor | FOI Branch
Office of the Australian Information Commissioner
Sydney | GPO Box 5288 Sydney NSW 2001
P 1300 363 992 E [email address]
Please note: The OAIC has revised its IC review procedures from 1 July 2024. For more information about these revised procedures, including new resources to assist applicants and respondents, see our webpage: Information Commissioner reviews | OAIC
The OAIC acknowledges Traditional Custodians of Country across Australia and their continuing connection to land, waters and communities. We pay our respect to First Nations people, cultures and Elders past and present.
Dear Commonwealth Ombudsman,
Section 76A of the Public Interest Disclosure Act 2013 (Cth) provides that the "Ombudsman must, as soon as practicable after the end of each calendar year, prepare and give to the Minister, for presentation to Parliament, a report on the operation of this Act during the period from 1 July to 31 December in the calendar year."
Under the FOI Act 1982 (Cth), I request access to the report on the operation of the PID Act for the period from 1 July 2024 to 31 December 2024.
Yours sincerely,
Robert
OFFICIAL
Our ref: FOI-2025-80090
Dear Robert
Freedom of Information request – Acknowledgment
I acknowledge receipt of your email dated 27 July 2025 to the Office of
the Commonwealth Ombudsman (the Office), in which you requested access to
documents under the Freedom of Information Act 1982 (FOI Act). Your
request for documents was in the following terms:
“Section 76A of the Public Interest Disclosure Act 2013 (Cth) provides
that the "Ombudsman must, as soon as practicable after the end of each
calendar year, prepare and give to the Minister, for presentation to
Parliament, a report on the operation of this Act during the period from 1
July to 31 December in the calendar year."
Under the FOI Act 1982 (Cth), I request access to the report on the
operation of the PID Act for the period from 1 July 2024 to 31 December
2024.”
Timeframes
The FOI Act requires us to provide notice of a decision on your request
within 30 days from the date we received a valid FOI request. Therefore, a
decision for your request will be provided to you on or before 26 August
2025. This 30-day period may be extended if we need to consult third
parties, or for other reasons. We will let you know if this happens.
If you have any questions, you may contact me via email at
[1][email address]
David
Legal Officer
Legal Team – Defence, Investigations, ACT, Legal (DIAL) Branch
[2]A black and white logo Description 1300 362 072
automatically generated
[email address]
The Office of the Commonwealth Ombudsman acknowledges the traditional
owners of country throughout Australia and their continuing connection to
land, culture and community. We pay our respects to elders past and
present.
References
Visible links
1. mailto:[email address]
OFFICIAL
Dear Robert
I refer to your freedom of information request of 27 July 2025. Your
request for documents was in the following terms:
“Section 76A of the Public Interest Disclosure Act 2013 (Cth) provides
that the "Ombudsman must, as soon as practicable after the end of each
calendar year, prepare and give to the Minister, for presentation to
Parliament, a report on the operation of this Act during the period from 1
July to 31 December in the calendar year."
Under the FOI Act 1982 (Cth), I request access to the report on the
operation of the PID Act for the period from 1 July 2024 to 31 December
2024.”
Publicly available information
The document you are seeking is available on our Office’s website which
you can access here: [1]Public Interest Disclosure Scheme, Biannual
Report, July - December 2024.
If this information satisfies your request, can you please confirm by
return email that you agree to withdraw your FOI request by 15 August
2025.
If you have any questions, you may contact me via email at
[2][email address]
David
Legal Officer
Legal Team – Defence, Investigations, ACT, Legal (DIAL) Branch
[3]A black and white logo Description 1300 362 072
automatically generated
[email address]
The Office of the Commonwealth Ombudsman acknowledges the traditional
owners of country throughout Australia and their continuing connection to
land, culture and community. We pay our respects to elders past and
present.
References
Visible links
1. https://www.ombudsman.gov.au/__data/asse...
2. mailto:[email address]
Dear Information Access,
REF: FOI-2025-80090
I withdraw my request for access to the report on the operation of the PID Act for the period from 1 July 2024 - 31 December 2024. The document has been published on the website of the Australian Parliament.
Yours sincerely,
Robert
Dear Information Access,
The Deputy Commonwealth Ombudsman, Penny McKay, resigned in May 2025.
Under the FOI Act 1982 (Cth), I request access to Penny McKay's notification of resignation, and any other documents setting out her reasons for resignation.
Yours sincerely,
Robert
OFFICIAL
Our ref: FOI-2025-80098
Dear Robert
Freedom of Information request – Acknowledgment
I acknowledge receipt of your email dated 8 August 2025 to the Office of
the Commonwealth Ombudsman (the Office), in which you requested access to
documents under the Freedom of Information Act 1982 (FOI Act). Your
request for documents was in the following terms:
Under the FOI Act 1982 (Cth), I request access to Penny
McKay's notification of resignation, and any other documents setting out
her reasons for resignation.
Duplicates/irrelevant information
There may be duplicate copies of documents related to your request. Unless
you advise us you wish to receive multiple copies, we will only consider
and make a decision on one copy of each document.
Timeframes
The FOI Act requires us to provide notice of a decision on your request
within 30 days from the date we received a valid FOI request. Therefore, a
decision for your request will be provided to you on or before 7 September
2025. However, the due date falls on a Sunday so the deadline is extended
to the next business day which is 8 September 2025 ([1]How long does an
agency have to process a freedom of information request? | OAIC). This
30-day period may be extended if we need to consult third parties, or for
other reasons. We will let you know if this happens.
If you have any questions, you may contact me via email at
[2][email address]
Kind regards,
Alison
Legal Team
Defence, Investigations, ACT Ombudsman, Legal
1300 362 072
[3]A black and white logo [4][email address]
Description automatically
generated [5]ombudsman.gov.au
Level 5, 14 Childers St Canberra ACT 2600
Proud to be working on the lands of the Gadigal people of the Eora
Nation. The Office of the Commonwealth Ombudsman acknowledges the
Traditional Owners of Country throughout Australia and their continuing
connection to land, culture and community. We pay our respects to Elders
past and present.
The Office of the Commonwealth Ombudsman acknowledges the traditional
owners of country throughout Australia and their continuing connection to
land, culture and community. We pay our respects to elders past and
present.
References
Visible links
1. https://www.oaic.gov.au/freedom-of-infor...
2. mailto:[email address]
4. mailto:[email address]
5. http://www.ombudsman.gov.au/