FOI Request – "Juanita: A Family Mystery" / "Unravel: Juanita" Internal Review and Project Expenditure
Dear ABC FOI Team,
Following your correspondence of 15 July 2025 and my formal withdrawal of FOI Request 2024/25-128, I hereby submit a revised application under the Freedom of Information Act 1982 (Cth) regarding the project “Juanita: A Family Mystery” / “Unravel: Juanita.”
Scope of Request
Part 1: Internal Review Report (Non-Program Material)
The final version of the internal review report prepared by Sashka Koloff for Michael Carrington and Jennifer Collins, initiated in or around November 2021.
In accordance with section 7(2) of the FOI Act, I expressly exclude program material or datacasting content. I am seeking only those parts of the report that address procedural, editorial, and governance matters—specifically, fact-checking processes, upward referral protocols, and internal communication procedures.
Part 2: Project Expenditure
Documents evidencing the final total cost or expenditure for “Juanita: A Family Mystery” / “Unravel: Juanita,” including summary budget or final financial reports.
Format and Scope Management:
Please provide documents in electronic PDF format via email.
Where any document contains exempt information, I request access to the non-exempt portions under section 22 of the FOI Act.
I remain open to further clarification or narrowing if required, and invite consultation under section 24AB to facilitate efficient processing.
Existing Document Access:
I note your advice that relevant documents matching this revised scope have already been identified and supplied to the FOI team. Thank you for confirming that the request will proceed with a new file number and that you will seek to finalise the matter within the statutory 30-day period.
Public Interest and Senate Estimates Context:
There is a compelling and specific public interest in disclosure of the requested documents. This project—“Juanita: A Family Mystery” / “Unravel: Juanita”—has itself been the subject of questioning and scrutiny at Senate Estimates, in addition to broader parliamentary interest in ABC’s editorial governance and use of public funds. Disclosure will promote transparency regarding production oversight, editorial standards, and public expenditure, supporting accountability and public confidence in the ABC.
Process and Accountability:
Please confirm receipt of this request and advise the name and contact information of the FOI officer assigned to this matter (as recommended by the FOI Guidelines [3.38]–[3.39]). Should any scope or process matters arise, I request prompt consultation in line with the FOI Act.
For the record, and in the interests of transparency, I have copied this correspondence to the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC).
I look forward to your response within the statutory timeframe.
Kind regards,
Harry Black
20 July 2025
Good morning Mr Black
ABC FOI 202526-007
The ABC acknowledges receipt of your freedom of information request
received Sunday 20 July 2025 seeking access to:
…under the Freedom of Information Act 1982 (Cth) regarding the project
“Juanita: A Family Mystery” / “Unravel: Juanita.”
Scope of Request
Part 1: Internal Review Report (Non-Program Material)
The final version of the internal review report prepared by Sashka Koloff
for Michael Carrington and Jennifer Collins, initiated in or around
November 2021.
In accordance with section 7(2) of the FOI Act, I expressly exclude
program material or datacasting content. I am seeking only those parts of
the report that address procedural, editorial, and governance
matters—specifically, fact-checking processes, upward referral protocols,
and internal communication procedures.
Part 2: Project Expenditure
Documents evidencing the final total cost or expenditure for “Juanita: A
Family Mystery” / “Unravel: Juanita,” including summary budget or final
financial reports.
…
Where any document contains exempt information, I request access to the
non-exempt portions under section 22 of the FOI Act.
I remain open to further clarification or narrowing if required, and
invite consultation under section 24AB to facilitate efficient processing.
A decision on the request is due to be made by Tuesday 19 August 2025,
subject to any extensions of time for consultation or by agreement.
Regarding part 2, we have the final cost of the 2 programs. To the extent
this can be broken down into categories of spending, the ABC can include
certain sub-totals, such as travel or staff costs. Please confirm if this
is okay with you.
By making a FOI request, you are providing personal information to the
ABC. The ABC manages personal information in accordance with its Privacy
Policy - available at [1]ABC Privacy Policy – ABC Help - Australian
Broadcasting Corporation Help Centre. Personal information may be
disclosed in the course of processing this request, such as for the
purposes of consultation or internal reporting.
Our contact information is available here: [2]Freedom of Information -
About the ABC
Many thanks,
ABC FOI team
13 9994
This email, including any attachments, is intended only for the addressee.
It is confidential and may contain privileged information. You should not
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Dear FOI ABC,
Thank you for your email and for confirming the scope of the request.
Regarding Part 2 of the request, I’m happy to proceed on the basis of the final total cost, along with available sub-totals such as travel and staff costs, as you’ve outlined.
Please don’t hesitate to contact me if any further clarification is required.
Yours sincerely,
Harry Black
Good afternoon Mr Black
ABC FOI 202526-007
Attached is the ABC’s decision about your freedom of information request.
Many thanks
ABC FOI team
This email, including any attachments, is intended only for the addressee.
It is confidential and may contain privileged information. You should not
read, copy, use or disclose it, or take any other action in reliance of
the information contained in this email, without authorisation. If you
have received the email in error, please immediately let the sender know
by separate email or telephone and delete the email from your system.