Information about vaccines/tests proposed to be supplied to Australian Government
Dear Department of Health,
I refer to the following information, as outlined in these two articles.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/a...
My understanding is that the facts of the matter are this.
Minister Stuart Robert was a business partner with now-convicted rapist, Neran de Silva in a company called Cryo Australia.
De Silva then apparently entered into a contract with the Australian Government to supply test kits to Australia with his new company, ProMedical.
Shortly thereafter, the TGA revoked Promedical’s approval to supply Covid-19 test kits, at the company’s own request. The US Food and Drug Administration also removed Promedical’s name from its list of test providers.
Despite no longer having TGA approval to supply test kits in Australia, Promedical continued to market test kits in Australia and overseas, including publishing claims it has “Australia’s first approved and certified rapid test kit”.
They were fined for doing so.
I am seeking - any correspondence, diary notes, meeting notes, emails, file notes or memos between the Department of Health and Pro Medical/Neran de Silva, as well as Minister Stuart Robert involving the supply of test kits to the Australian Government.
Many thanks for your help.
Yours faithfully,
Karen Reynolds
Dear Ms Reynolds,
FREEDOM OF INFORMATION REQUEST – NOTIFICATION OF RECEIPT AND REQUEST FOR
AN EXTENSION OF TIME
Acknowledgement of receipt
I am writing to notify you that the Department of Health (department)
received your FOI request on 17 December 2022 for access to the following
documents under the Freedom of Information Act 1982 (Cth) (FOI Act):
I am seeking - any correspondence, diary notes, meeting notes, emails,
file notes or memos between the Department of Health and Pro Medical/Neran
de Silva, as well as Minister Stuart Robert involving the supply of test
kits to the Australian Government.
Request for 10 day extension
The FOI Act requires the department to provide you with an access decision
by 16 January 2023 (30 days).
Many areas of the department, including the FOI Section, will be closed
from 24 December 2022 to 2 January 2023.
To ensure the department has sufficient time to process your request and
provide access to all relevant documents, we are seeking your agreement to
extend the period for completing your FOI request by 10 days under section
15AA of the FOI Act. If you agree to this extension, the department would
be required to provide you with an access decision by 26 January 2023.
If you agree to this extension, could let us know by return email to
[1][Health request email].
FOI processing charge
The department may impose a charge for the work involved in providing
access to documents. The amount of the charge depends on how many
documents are relevant to your FOI request and the amount of work involved
in processing your request.
If the department decides to impose a charge for this FOI request, we will
notify you in writing and you will have an opportunity to ask for the
charge to be reduced or waived.
Draft and duplicate documents
The department considers draft and duplicate documents are generally
irrelevant to FOI requests under section 22 of the FOI Act.
Unless you advise us otherwise, the department will not process draft and
duplicate documents when processing your FOI request.
Departmental staff names and contact details
Names and other personal information about employees may also be subject
to protection under the Privacy Act 1988.
In addition, the department considers the names and contact details of
junior Commonwealth employee (below Senior Executive Service level) and
the mobile telephone numbers of all employees are generally irrelevant
under section 22 of the FOI Act.
Unless you advise us otherwise, those details will be excluded from any
documents provided to you in response to your FOI request.
Contact
You can contact the FOI Unit via email at [2][email address], should you
have any questions.
Kind regards
Daniel
FOI Officer – Freedom of Information Section
Legal Advice and Legislation
Legal and Assurance Division | Corporate Operations Group
Australian Government, Department of Health and Aged Care
T: 02 6289 1666 | E: [3][email address]
PO Box 9848, Canberra ACT 2601, Australia
The Department of Health and Aged Care acknowledges the traditional owners
of country throughout Australia, and their continuing connection to land,
sea and community. We pay our respects to them and their cultures, and to
elders both past and present
Dear Ms Reynolds,
Extension of time
We are kindly following up on the below request seeking an extension of
time to enable the department to process your FOI request. Could you
please confirm if you agree to an extension of time to provide a decision
by 26 January 2023.
We would be grateful if you could confirm this in writing by close of
business Thursday 5 January 2023.
Clarification of scope
In addition, to allow the department to process your request, please
confirm that you are seeking access to documents about COVID-19 test kits.
Documents of former Ministers
Finally, please be advised that this department does not hold all
correspondence between Ministers and third parties, and generally does not
hold any correspondence between Ministers who administer other portfolios
and third parties.
If you are interested in obtaining correspondence between former Minister
Robert and third parties, you might like to submit an FOI request to the
relevant department. Information about former Minister Robert and the
positions he has occupied is available here:
[1]https://www.aph.gov.au/Senators_and_Memb...
Contact
Please do not hesitate to contact us at [2][Health request email] should you
wish to discuss further.
Kind regards,
Daniel
FOI Officer – Freedom of Information Section
Legal Advice and Legislation
Legal and Assurance Division | Corporate Operations Group
Australian Government, Department of Health and Aged Care
T: 02 6289 1666 | E: [3][email address]
PO Box 9848, Canberra ACT 2601, Australia
The Department of Health and Aged Care acknowledges the traditional owners
of country throughout Australia, and their continuing connection to land,
sea and community. We pay our respects to them and their cultures, and to
elders both past and present
From: FOI <[email address]>
Sent: Wednesday, 21 December 2022 10:42 AM
To: 'Karen Reynolds' <[FOI #9711 email]>
Subject: Freedom Of Information Request 4151 – Notification Of Receipt And
Request For An Extension Of Time [SEC=OFFICIAL]
Dear Ms Reynolds,
FREEDOM OF INFORMATION REQUEST – NOTIFICATION OF RECEIPT AND REQUEST FOR
AN EXTENSION OF TIME
Acknowledgement of receipt
I am writing to notify you that the Department of Health (department)
received your FOI request on 17 December 2022 for access to the following
documents under the Freedom of Information Act 1982 (Cth) (FOI Act):
I am seeking - any correspondence, diary notes, meeting notes, emails,
file notes or memos between the Department of Health and Pro Medical/Neran
de Silva, as well as Minister Stuart Robert involving the supply of test
kits to the Australian Government.
Request for 10 day extension
The FOI Act requires the department to provide you with an access decision
by 16 January 2023 (30 days).
Many areas of the department, including the FOI Section, will be closed
from 24 December 2022 to 2 January 2023.
To ensure the department has sufficient time to process your request and
provide access to all relevant documents, we are seeking your agreement to
extend the period for completing your FOI request by 10 days under section
15AA of the FOI Act. If you agree to this extension, the department would
be required to provide you with an access decision by 26 January 2023.
If you agree to this extension, could let us know by return email to
[4][Health request email].
FOI processing charge
The department may impose a charge for the work involved in providing
access to documents. The amount of the charge depends on how many
documents are relevant to your FOI request and the amount of work involved
in processing your request.
If the department decides to impose a charge for this FOI request, we will
notify you in writing and you will have an opportunity to ask for the
charge to be reduced or waived.
Draft and duplicate documents
The department considers draft and duplicate documents are generally
irrelevant to FOI requests under section 22 of the FOI Act.
Unless you advise us otherwise, the department will not process draft and
duplicate documents when processing your FOI request.
Departmental staff names and contact details
Names and other personal information about employees may also be subject
to protection under the Privacy Act 1988.
In addition, the department considers the names and contact details of
junior Commonwealth employee (below Senior Executive Service level) and
the mobile telephone numbers of all employees are generally irrelevant
under section 22 of the FOI Act.
Unless you advise us otherwise, those details will be excluded from any
documents provided to you in response to your FOI request.
Contact
You can contact the FOI Unit via email at [5][email address], should you
have any questions.
Kind regards
Daniel
FOI Officer – Freedom of Information Section
Legal Advice and Legislation
Legal and Assurance Division | Corporate Operations Group
Australian Government, Department of Health and Aged Care
T: 02 6289 1666 | E: [6][email address]
PO Box 9848, Canberra ACT 2601, Australia
The Department of Health and Aged Care acknowledges the traditional owners
of country throughout Australia, and their continuing connection to land,
sea and community. We pay our respects to them and their cultures, and to
elders both past and present
Dear Ms Reynolds,
I refer to your FOI request (FOI 4151 refers).
Before the department can commence processing your request, we need
further clarification on the scope of your request.
Clarification of scope
In addition to whether you are seeking information specifically about
“COVID-19” test kits (as set out in the email below), the department needs
clarification on the term “supply”.
In particular, are you seeking access to documents regarding the TGA
approval process of (COVID-19) test kits, or is your request for documents
regarding the procurement or purchase of the test kits by the department
for supply to Australian citizens after the TGA approval process had been
completed?
If you are seeking documents regarding the approval process of test kits,
please submit a separate FOI request to the Therapeutic Goods
Administration (TGA): [1][email address].
Once you have confirmed the scope of your request (type of test kits), the
department can commence processing it.
To allow the department to commence processing your request, please
respond to our queries at your earliest convenience and no later than
close of business on Friday 6 January 2023.
Please do not hesitate to contact us should you wish to discuss further.
Kind regards,
Daniel
FOI Officer – Freedom of Information Section
Legal Advice and Legislation
Legal and Assurance Division | Corporate Operations Group
Australian Government, Department of Health and Aged Care
T: 02 6289 1666 | E: [2][email address]
PO Box 9848, Canberra ACT 2601, Australia
The Department of Health and Aged Care acknowledges the traditional owners
of country throughout Australia, and their continuing connection to land,
sea and community. We pay our respects to them and their cultures, and to
elders both past and present
From: FOI <[email address]>
Sent: Tuesday, 3 January 2023 1:54 PM
To: 'Karen Reynolds' <[FOI #9711 email]>
Subject: FOI 4151 – Request For An Extension Of Time and seeking scope
clarification [SEC=OFFICIAL]
Dear Ms Reynolds,
Extension of time
We are kindly following up on the below request seeking an extension of
time to enable the department to process your FOI request. Could you
please confirm if you agree to an extension of time to provide a decision
by 26 January 2023.
We would be grateful if you could confirm this in writing by close of
business Thursday 5 January 2023.
Clarification of scope
In addition, to allow the department to process your request, please
confirm that you are seeking access to documents about COVID-19 test kits.
Documents of former Ministers
Finally, please be advised that this department does not hold all
correspondence between Ministers and third parties, and generally does not
hold any correspondence between Ministers who administer other portfolios
and third parties.
If you are interested in obtaining correspondence between former Minister
Robert and third parties, you might like to submit an FOI request to the
relevant department. Information about former Minister Robert and the
positions he has occupied is available here:
[3]https://www.aph.gov.au/Senators_and_Memb...
Contact
Please do not hesitate to contact us at [4][Health request email] should you
wish to discuss further.
Kind regards,
Daniel
FOI Officer – Freedom of Information Section
Legal Advice and Legislation
Legal and Assurance Division | Corporate Operations Group
Australian Government, Department of Health and Aged Care
T: 02 6289 1666 | E: [5][email address]
PO Box 9848, Canberra ACT 2601, Australia
The Department of Health and Aged Care acknowledges the traditional owners
of country throughout Australia, and their continuing connection to land,
sea and community. We pay our respects to them and their cultures, and to
elders both past and present
From: FOI <[6][email address]>
Sent: Wednesday, 21 December 2022 10:42 AM
To: 'Karen Reynolds' <[7][FOI #9711 email]>
Subject: Freedom Of Information Request 4151 – Notification Of Receipt And
Request For An Extension Of Time [SEC=OFFICIAL]
Dear Ms Reynolds,
FREEDOM OF INFORMATION REQUEST – NOTIFICATION OF RECEIPT AND REQUEST FOR
AN EXTENSION OF TIME
Acknowledgement of receipt
I am writing to notify you that the Department of Health (department)
received your FOI request on 17 December 2022 for access to the following
documents under the Freedom of Information Act 1982 (Cth) (FOI Act):
I am seeking - any correspondence, diary notes, meeting notes, emails,
file notes or memos between the Department of Health and Pro Medical/Neran
de Silva, as well as Minister Stuart Robert involving the supply of test
kits to the Australian Government.
Request for 10 day extension
The FOI Act requires the department to provide you with an access decision
by 16 January 2023 (30 days).
Many areas of the department, including the FOI Section, will be closed
from 24 December 2022 to 2 January 2023.
To ensure the department has sufficient time to process your request and
provide access to all relevant documents, we are seeking your agreement to
extend the period for completing your FOI request by 10 days under section
15AA of the FOI Act. If you agree to this extension, the department would
be required to provide you with an access decision by 26 January 2023.
If you agree to this extension, could let us know by return email to
[8][Health request email].
FOI processing charge
The department may impose a charge for the work involved in providing
access to documents. The amount of the charge depends on how many
documents are relevant to your FOI request and the amount of work involved
in processing your request.
If the department decides to impose a charge for this FOI request, we will
notify you in writing and you will have an opportunity to ask for the
charge to be reduced or waived.
Draft and duplicate documents
The department considers draft and duplicate documents are generally
irrelevant to FOI requests under section 22 of the FOI Act.
Unless you advise us otherwise, the department will not process draft and
duplicate documents when processing your FOI request.
Departmental staff names and contact details
Names and other personal information about employees may also be subject
to protection under the Privacy Act 1988.
In addition, the department considers the names and contact details of
junior Commonwealth employee (below Senior Executive Service level) and
the mobile telephone numbers of all employees are generally irrelevant
under section 22 of the FOI Act.
Unless you advise us otherwise, those details will be excluded from any
documents provided to you in response to your FOI request.
Contact
You can contact the FOI Unit via email at [9][email address], should you
have any questions.
Kind regards
Daniel
FOI Officer – Freedom of Information Section
Legal Advice and Legislation
Legal and Assurance Division | Corporate Operations Group
Australian Government, Department of Health and Aged Care
T: 02 6289 1666 | E: [10][email address]
PO Box 9848, Canberra ACT 2601, Australia
The Department of Health and Aged Care acknowledges the traditional owners
of country throughout Australia, and their continuing connection to land,
sea and community. We pay our respects to them and their cultures, and to
elders both past and present
Dear Ms Reynolds,
We refer to your FOI request received on 17 December 2022.
Please find attached a decision on access together with the documents
referred to in that decision.
If you have any queries in relation to this decision, please contact the
FOI Section on the details below.
Kind regards,
Daniel
Case Officer – Freedom of Information Section
Legal Advice and Legislation
Legal and Assurance Division | Corporate Operations Group
Australian Government, Department of Health and Aged Care
T: 02 6289 1666 | E: [1][email address]
PO Box 9848, Canberra ACT 2601, Australia
The Department of Health and Aged Care acknowledges the traditional owners
of country throughout Australia, and their continuing connection to land,
sea and community. We pay our respects to them and their cultures, and to
elders both past and present
From: FOI <[email address]>
Sent: Tuesday, 3 January 2023 1:54 PM
To: 'Karen Reynolds' <[FOI #9711 email]>
Subject: TRIM: FOI 4151 – Request For An Extension Of Time and seeking
scope clarification [SEC=OFFICIAL]
Dear Ms Reynolds,
Extension of time
We are kindly following up on the below request seeking an extension of
time to enable the department to process your FOI request. Could you
please confirm if you agree to an extension of time to provide a decision
by 26 January 2023.
We would be grateful if you could confirm this in writing by close of
business Thursday 5 January 2023.
Clarification of scope
In addition, to allow the department to process your request, please
confirm that you are seeking access to documents about COVID-19 test kits.
Documents of former Ministers
Finally, please be advised that this department does not hold all
correspondence between Ministers and third parties, and generally does not
hold any correspondence between Ministers who administer other portfolios
and third parties.
If you are interested in obtaining correspondence between former Minister
Robert and third parties, you might like to submit an FOI request to the
relevant department. Information about former Minister Robert and the
positions he has occupied is available here:
[2]https://www.aph.gov.au/Senators_and_Memb...
Contact
Please do not hesitate to contact us at [3][Health request email] should you
wish to discuss further.
Kind regards,
Daniel
FOI Officer – Freedom of Information Section
Legal Advice and Legislation
Legal and Assurance Division | Corporate Operations Group
Australian Government, Department of Health and Aged Care
T: 02 6289 1666 | E: [4][email address]
PO Box 9848, Canberra ACT 2601, Australia
The Department of Health and Aged Care acknowledges the traditional owners
of country throughout Australia, and their continuing connection to land,
sea and community. We pay our respects to them and their cultures, and to
elders both past and present
From: FOI <[5][email address]>
Sent: Wednesday, 21 December 2022 10:42 AM
To: 'Karen Reynolds' <[6][FOI #9711 email]>
Subject: Freedom Of Information Request 4151 – Notification Of Receipt And
Request For An Extension Of Time [SEC=OFFICIAL]
Dear Ms Reynolds,
FREEDOM OF INFORMATION REQUEST – NOTIFICATION OF RECEIPT AND REQUEST FOR
AN EXTENSION OF TIME
Acknowledgement of receipt
I am writing to notify you that the Department of Health (department)
received your FOI request on 17 December 2022 for access to the following
documents under the Freedom of Information Act 1982 (Cth) (FOI Act):
I am seeking - any correspondence, diary notes, meeting notes, emails,
file notes or memos between the Department of Health and Pro Medical/Neran
de Silva, as well as Minister Stuart Robert involving the supply of test
kits to the Australian Government.
Request for 10 day extension
The FOI Act requires the department to provide you with an access decision
by 16 January 2023 (30 days).
Many areas of the department, including the FOI Section, will be closed
from 24 December 2022 to 2 January 2023.
To ensure the department has sufficient time to process your request and
provide access to all relevant documents, we are seeking your agreement to
extend the period for completing your FOI request by 10 days under section
15AA of the FOI Act. If you agree to this extension, the department would
be required to provide you with an access decision by 26 January 2023.
If you agree to this extension, could let us know by return email to
[7][Health request email].
FOI processing charge
The department may impose a charge for the work involved in providing
access to documents. The amount of the charge depends on how many
documents are relevant to your FOI request and the amount of work involved
in processing your request.
If the department decides to impose a charge for this FOI request, we will
notify you in writing and you will have an opportunity to ask for the
charge to be reduced or waived.
Draft and duplicate documents
The department considers draft and duplicate documents are generally
irrelevant to FOI requests under section 22 of the FOI Act.
Unless you advise us otherwise, the department will not process draft and
duplicate documents when processing your FOI request.
Departmental staff names and contact details
Names and other personal information about employees may also be subject
to protection under the Privacy Act 1988.
In addition, the department considers the names and contact details of
junior Commonwealth employee (below Senior Executive Service level) and
the mobile telephone numbers of all employees are generally irrelevant
under section 22 of the FOI Act.
Unless you advise us otherwise, those details will be excluded from any
documents provided to you in response to your FOI request.
Contact
You can contact the FOI Unit via email at [8][email address], should you
have any questions.
Kind regards
Daniel
FOI Officer – Freedom of Information Section
Legal Advice and Legislation
Legal and Assurance Division | Corporate Operations Group
Australian Government, Department of Health and Aged Care
T: 02 6289 1666 | E: [9][email address]
PO Box 9848, Canberra ACT 2601, Australia
The Department of Health and Aged Care acknowledges the traditional owners
of country throughout Australia, and their continuing connection to land,
sea and community. We pay our respects to them and their cultures, and to
elders both past and present
Dear Ms Reynolds,
We refer to your FOI 4151 request received on 17 December 2022.
The OAIC has advised the department that they were unable to deliver the s
15AB extension of time decision to your email address.
For your records, please find attached a copy of the email from the OAIC
along with this decision.
No further action is required from you regarding this matter.
If you have any queries in relation to this decision, please contact the
FOI Section on the details below.
Kind regards,
Daniel
Case Officer – Freedom of Information Section
Legal Advice and Legislation
Legal and Assurance Division | Corporate Operations Group
Australian Government, Department of Health and Aged Care
T: 02 6289 1666 | E: [1][email address]
PO Box 9848, Canberra ACT 2601, Australia
The Department of Health and Aged Care acknowledges the traditional owners
of country throughout Australia, and their continuing connection to land,
sea and community. We pay our respects to them and their cultures, and to
elders both past and present
PERKOVIC, Daniel would like to recall the message, "Your FOI request 4151 – Extension of time under s15AB [SEC=OFFICIAL]".
"Important: This transmission is intended only for the use of the addressee and may contain confidential or legally privileged information. If you are not the intended recipient, you are notified that any use or dissemination of this communication is strictly prohibited. If you receive this transmission in error please notify the author immediately and delete all copies of this transmission."
Dear Ms Reynolds,
We refer to your FOI 4151 request received on 17 December 2022.
The OAIC has advised the department that they were unable to deliver the s
15AB extension of time decision to your email address.
For your records, please find attached a copy of the email from the OAIC
along with this decision.
No further action is required from you regarding this matter.
If you have any queries in relation to this decision, please contact the
FOI Section on the details below.
Kind regards,
Daniel
Case Officer – Freedom of Information Section
Legal Advice and Legislation
Legal and Assurance Division | Corporate Operations Group
Australian Government, Department of Health and Aged Care
T: 02 6289 1666 | E: [1][email address]
PO Box 9848, Canberra ACT 2601, Australia
The Department of Health and Aged Care acknowledges the traditional owners
of country throughout Australia, and their continuing connection to land,
sea and community. We pay our respects to them and their cultures, and to
elders both past and present