Information Request on Supporting Evidence relating to an Asserted Definition

The request was partially successful.

Happy New Year eSafety Commissioner and co!



I seek to make a formal request for documents under the Freedom of Information Act 1982 from eSafety related to any documents such as internal or external correspondence, briefings, minutes, memos, research, policies and manuals that played a role in shaping eSafety’s understanding and subsequent definition of “Cheese Pizza”, an alleged shorthand for “Child Pornography” covering the period beginning on the 1 July 2021 and ending on the date you confirm receipt of this FOI Request.

1. Any documents that reference the term "Cheese Pizza" or contributed to the asserted definition of the term.
2. Internal or external correspondence mentioning, discussing or contributed to the asserted definition of the term "Cheese Pizza".
3. Briefings, minutes, and memos that discuss or contributed to the asserted definition of the term "Cheese Pizza".
4. Research materials or studies that contributed to the asserted definition of the term "Cheese Pizza".
5. Policies or manuals that mention or provide guidance on the term "Cheese Pizza”
6. Internal Dictionaries or Glossary entries that mention or assert the definition of the term "Cheese Pizza".

This request has been prompted following the eSafety Commissioner's submission[1] to the Joint Committee on Law Enforcement, which lacked supporting references regarding the phrase and its origins — with this definition being reiterated by Julie Inman Grant which featured in an article in the Sydney Morning Herald[2].

I believe this request is in the public interest as the phrase has an association with a widely known and debunked conspiracy theory[3]. Public confidence in the eSafety Commissioner’s office is paramount, and understanding the context surrounding this term contributes to transparency and trust.



Notes:
I am happy to receive documents in a digital (PDF) format.


To the extent my consent is relevant, I do not consent to redactions of documents pursuant to the provisions of s 22 of the FOI Act without further specific discussion, and my request should be taken to specifically include any matter within a document otherwise identified as within scope that the decision-maker considers as possibly redactable under s 22.


I do not anticipate this FOI to generate significant work or large volumes of documents, but I nevertheless understand I may be liable for fees in relation to this FOI request.



I thank you for your assistance, and anticipate your prompt response within the statutory timeframe.

Regards,
Eliza.


[1] eSafety Commissioner, Submission No 20 to Joint Committee on Law Enforcement, Parliament of Australia, Law Enforcement Capability in Relation to Child Exploitation (20 August 2021) 15[2]

[2] David Swan, ‘Australian Launches world-first crackdown on ‘deepfake’ porn’, The Sydney Morning Herald, (online 20 November 2023) <https://www.smh.com.au/technology/austra...> [8]

[3] Brian J. Holoyda, ‘QAnon: A Modern Conspiracy Theory and the Assessment of its Believers’, The Journal of The American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law, (online January 2022) <https://jaapl.org/content/early/2022/01/...>

FOI, eSafety Commissioner

NOTICE: This email message is for the sole use of the intended
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and may contain confidential and privileged information. Any unauthorized
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intended recipient, please contact the sender by reply email and destroy
all
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FOI, eSafety Commissioner

5 Attachments

OFFICIAL

Good afternoon Ms Sorensen

 

I am writing to acknowledge your request of 1 January 2024 under the
Freedom of Information Act 1982 (Cth) (FOI Act).

 

The FOI Act allows 30 days for processing your request. This time period
may be extended for charges and third party consultation. We will let you
know if this occurs.

 

I note your instructions not to presume material to be out of scope under
section 22. However, I infer from your email that the names and personal
information of public servants are not relevant to your request. Please
confirm whether you agree for us to redact this information on relevance
grounds pursuant to section 22 of the FOI Act.

 

With respect to the period of your request, the FOI Act provides a right
of access to documents of an agency at the time of the request.
Accordingly, only documents between 1 July 2021 and 1 January 2024 will be
captured.

 

I will contact you at this email address unless you advise otherwise. Any
documents released to you as part of this decision will be published on
our disclosure log unless one of the relevant exceptions apply. Further
information about the FOI Act, including eSafety’s publication
obligations, is available on our website at
[1]https://www.esafety.gov.au/about-us/corp....

 

Kind regards

 

FOI Coordinator

 

[2]eSafety logo Email-Signautre

 

[3]Email-Footers icons3   [4]esafety.gov.au

 

[5]Email-Footers iconsT    [6]Email-Footers iconsF    [7]Email-Footers
iconsL

 

eSafety acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout
Australia and their continuing connection to land, waters and community.
We pay our respects to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, and
to Elders past, present and emerging.

 

 

 

-----Original Message-----
From: Eliza Sorensen <[FOI #10994 email]>
Sent: Monday, 1 January 2024 4:02 PM
To: FOI <[email address]>
Subject: Freedom of Information request - Information Request on
Supporting Evidence relating to an Asserted Definition

 

[You don't often get email from
[8][FOI #10994 email]. Learn why this is
important at [9]https://aka.ms/LearnAboutSenderIdentific... ]

 

Happy New Year eSafety Commissioner and co!

 

 

 



I seek to make a formal request for documents under the Freedom of
Information Act 1982 from eSafety related to any documents such as
internal or external correspondence, briefings, minutes, memos, research,
policies and manuals that played a role in shaping eSafety’s understanding
and subsequent definition of “Cheese Pizza”, an alleged shorthand for
“Child Pornography” covering the period beginning on the 1 July 2021 and
ending on the date you confirm receipt of this FOI Request.

 

 

 

1. Any documents that reference the term "Cheese Pizza" or contributed to
the asserted definition of the term.

 

2. Internal or external correspondence mentioning, discussing or
contributed to the asserted definition of the term "Cheese Pizza".

 

3. Briefings, minutes, and memos that discuss or contributed to the
asserted definition of the term "Cheese Pizza".

 

4. Research materials or studies that contributed to the asserted
definition of the term "Cheese Pizza".

 

5. Policies or manuals that mention or provide guidance on the term
"Cheese Pizza”

 

6. Internal Dictionaries or Glossary entries that mention or assert the
definition of the term "Cheese Pizza".

 

 

 

This request has been prompted following the eSafety Commissioner's
submission[1] to the Joint Committee on Law Enforcement, which lacked
supporting references regarding the phrase and its origins — with this
definition being reiterated by Julie Inman Grant which featured in an
article in the Sydney Morning Herald[2].

 

 

 

I believe this request is in the public interest as the phrase has an
association with a widely known and debunked conspiracy theory[3]. Public
confidence in the eSafety Commissioner’s office is paramount, and
understanding the context surrounding this term contributes to
transparency and trust.

 

 

 



Notes:

 

I am happy to receive documents in a digital (PDF) format.


 

 

 

To the extent my consent is relevant, I do not consent to redactions of
documents pursuant to the provisions of s 22 of the FOI Act without
further specific discussion, and my request should be taken to
specifically include any matter within a document otherwise identified as
within scope that the decision-maker considers as possibly redactable
under s 22.


 

 

 

I do not anticipate this FOI to generate significant work or large volumes
of documents, but I nevertheless understand I may be liable for fees in
relation to this FOI request.


 

 

 


I thank you for your assistance, and anticipate your prompt response
within the statutory timeframe.

 

 

 

Regards,

 

Eliza.


 

 

 

[1]  eSafety Commissioner, Submission No 20 to Joint Committee on Law
Enforcement, Parliament of Australia, Law Enforcement Capability in
Relation to Child Exploitation (20 August 2021) 15[2]

 

 

 

[2] David Swan, ‘Australian Launches world-first crackdown on ‘deepfake’
porn’, The Sydney Morning Herald, (online 20 November 2023)
<[10]https://www.smh.com.au/technology/austra...>
[8]

 

 

 

[3] Brian J. Holoyda, ‘QAnon: A Modern Conspiracy Theory and the
Assessment of its Believers’, The Journal of The American Academy of
Psychiatry and the Law, (online January 2022)
<[11]https://jaapl.org/content/early/2022/01/...>

 

 

 

-------------------------------------------------------------------

 

 

 

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[12][FOI #10994 email]

 

 

 

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requests to eSafety Commissioner? If so, please contact us using this
form:

 

[14]https://www.righttoknow.org.au/change_re...

 

 

 

This request has been made by an individual using Right to Know. This
message and any reply that you make will be published on the internet.
More information on how Right to Know works can be found at:

 

[15]https://www.righttoknow.org.au/help/offi...

 

 

 

Please note that in some cases publication of requests and responses will
be delayed.

 

 

 

If you find this service useful as an FOI officer, please ask your web
manager to link to us from your organisation's FOI page.

 

 

 

 

 

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Dear FOI Coordinator,

Many thanks for your response, I confirm that I understand that the names and personal
information of public servants are not relevant to my request.

In future correspondence, I would kindly ask that you use 'Mx' if you must use a title in your responses.

Regards,
Eliza Sorensen

FOI, eSafety Commissioner

6 Attachments

OFFICIAL

Dear Mx Sorensen

 

Please find a notice of third-party consultation attached.

 

Kind regards

 

FOI Coordinator

 

[1]eSafety logo Email-Signautre

 

[2]Email-Footers icons3   [3]esafety.gov.au

 

[4]Email-Footers iconsT    [5]Email-Footers iconsF    [6]Email-Footers
iconsL

 

eSafety acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout
Australia and their continuing connection to land, waters and community.
We pay our respects to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, and
to Elders past, present and emerging.

 

 

 

-----Original Message-----
From: Eliza Sorensen <[FOI #10994 email]>
Sent: Wednesday, January 10, 2024 3:13 PM
To: FOI <[email address]>
Subject: Re: FOI 24101 - Acknowledgement [SEC=OFFICIAL]

 

[You don't often get email from
[7][FOI #10994 email]. Learn why this is
important at [8]https://aka.ms/LearnAboutSenderIdentific... ]

 

Dear FOI Coordinator,

 

 

 

Many thanks for your response, I confirm that I understand that the names
and personal

 

information of public servants are not relevant to my request.

 

 

 

In future correspondence, I would kindly ask that you use 'Mx' if you must
use a title in your responses.

 

 

 

Regards,

 

Eliza Sorensen

 

 

 

-----Original Message-----

 

 

 

OFFICIAL

 

 

 

Good afternoon Ms Sorensen

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I am writing to acknowledge your request of 1 January 2024 under the

 

Freedom of Information Act 1982 (Cth) (FOI Act).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The FOI Act allows 30 days for processing your request. This time period

 

may be extended for charges and third party consultation. We will let you

 

know if this occurs.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I note your instructions not to presume material to be out of scope under

 

section 22. However, I infer from your email that the names and personal

 

information of public servants are not relevant to your request. Please

 

confirm whether you agree for us to redact this information on relevance

 

grounds pursuant to section 22 of the FOI Act.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

With respect to the period of your request, the FOI Act provides a right

 

of access to documents of an agency at the time of the request.

 

Accordingly, only documents between 1 July 2021 and 1 January 2024 will be

 

captured.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I will contact you at this email address unless you advise otherwise. Any

 

documents released to you as part of this decision will be published on

 

our disclosure log unless one of the relevant exceptions apply. Further

 

information about the FOI Act, including eSafety’s publication

 

obligations, is available on our website at

 

[1][9]https://www.esafety.gov.au/about-us/corp....

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kind regards

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

FOI Coordinator

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[2]eSafety logo Email-Signautre

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[3]Email-Footers icons3   [4]esafety.gov.au

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[5]Email-Footers iconsT    [6]Email-Footers iconsF    [7]Email-Footers

 

iconsL

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

eSafety acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout

 

Australia and their continuing connection to land, waters and community.

 

We pay our respects to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, and

 

to Elders past, present and emerging.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

-------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Please use this email address for all replies to this request:

 

[10][FOI #10994 email]

 

 

 

This request has been made by an individual using Right to Know. This
message and any reply that you make will be published on the internet.
More information on how Right to Know works can be found at:

 

[11]https://www.righttoknow.org.au/help/offi...

 

 

 

Please note that in some cases publication of requests and responses will
be delayed.

 

 

 

If you find this service useful as an FOI officer, please ask your web
manager to link to us from your organisation's FOI page.

 

 

 

-------------------------------------------------------------------

 

NOTICE: This email message is for the sole use of the intended
recipient(s)
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intended recipient, please contact the sender by reply email and destroy
all
copies of the original message.

References

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Dear FOI Coordinator,

Thank you for the update.

Yours sincerely,
Eliza Sorensen

FOI, eSafety Commissioner

5 Attachments

OFFICIAL

Dear Mx Sorensen

 

I am writing to consult with you about your request and proposed use of
section 22 of the FOI Act.

 

Our searches have uncovered a number of PowerPoint presentations
concerning eSafety matters and practice. These presentations include, but
do not expand in any way upon, the term 'cheese pizza' as used in the
context of your request.

 

These presentations are relatively lengthy (each running to 50-60 slides)
and contain broadly the same material from version to version. Only two
slides in each version of the presentation refer or relate to the search
term. These slides are substantively the same in every version of the
presentation, with only minor formatting variations. Reviewing and
preparing every version of the full presentation for release may lead to
an unreasonable diversion of eSafety resources, particularly noting that
the vast majority of this material is only in scope as part of a document
that ‘references’ the search term, but is otherwise irrelevant to your
request.

 

Please advise whether you agree for eSafety to release one copy of the
slides that are relevant to your request (i.e. exempting the remainder of
the presentation under section 22), to avoid unnecessary duplication and
ensure that only relevant material is released.

 

Kind regards

 

FOI Coordinator

 

[1]eSafety logo Email-Signautre

 

[2]Email-Footers icons3   [3]esafety.gov.au

 

[4]Email-Footers iconsT    [5]Email-Footers iconsF    [6]Email-Footers
iconsL

 

eSafety acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout
Australia and their continuing connection to land, waters and community.
We pay our respects to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, and
to Elders past, present and emerging.

 

 

 

-----Original Message-----

From: Eliza Sorensen <[7][FOI #10994 email]>

Sent: Monday, January 29, 2024 4:53 PM

To: FOI <[8][email address]>

Subject: Re: FOI 24101 - Notice of third-party consultation [SEC=OFFICIAL]

 

[You don't often get email from
[9][FOI #10994 email]. Learn why this is
important at [10]https://aka.ms/LearnAboutSenderIdentific... ]

 

Dear FOI Coordinator,

 

 

 

Thank you for the update.

 

 

 

Yours sincerely,

 

Eliza Sorensen

 

 

 

-----Original Message-----

 

 

 

OFFICIAL

 

 

 

Dear Mx Sorensen

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Please find a notice of third-party consultation attached.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kind regards

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

FOI Coordinator

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[1]eSafety logo Email-Signautre

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[2]Email-Footers icons3   [3]esafety.gov.au

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[4]Email-Footers iconsT    [5]Email-Footers iconsF    [6]Email-Footers

 

iconsL

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

eSafety acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout

 

Australia and their continuing connection to land, waters and community.

 

We pay our respects to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, and

 

to Elders past, present and emerging.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

-------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Please use this email address for all replies to this request:

 

[11][FOI #10994 email]

 

 

 

This request has been made by an individual using Right to Know. This
message and any reply that you make will be published on the internet.
More information on how Right to Know works can be found at:

 

[12]https://www.righttoknow.org.au/help/offi...

 

 

 

Please note that in some cases publication of requests and responses will
be delayed.

 

 

 

If you find this service useful as an FOI officer, please ask your web
manager to link to us from your organisation's FOI page.

 

 

 

-------------------------------------------------------------------

 

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Dear FOI Coordinator

Thank you for your email.

I agree to with your proposal to release only one copy of the slides.

Regards,
Eliza Sorensen

FOI, eSafety Commissioner

8 Attachments

OFFICIAL

Dear Mx Sorensen

 

I attach a decision and statement of reasons for your FOI request of 1
January 2024, along with a statement of your review rights.

 

Kind regards

 

FOI Coordinator

 

[1]eSafety logo Email-Signautre

 

[2]Email-Footers icons3[3]esafety.gov.au

 

[4]Email-Footers iconsT[5]Email-Footers iconsF[6]Email-Footers iconsL

 

eSafety acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout
Australia and their continuing connection to land, waters and community.
We pay our respects to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, and
to Elders past, present and emerging.

 

 

 

 

-----Original Message-----

From: Eliza Sorensen <[7][FOI #10994 email]>

Sent: Saturday, February 10, 2024 7:08 AM

To: FOI <[8][email address]>

Subject: RE: FOI 24101 - Notice of third-party consultation [SEC=OFFICIAL]

 

Dear FOI Coordinator

 

 

 

Thank you for your email.

 

 

 

I agree to with your proposal to release only one copy of the slides.

 

 

 

Regards,

 

Eliza Sorensen

 

 

 

-----Original Message-----

 

 

 

OFFICIAL

 

 

 

Dear Mx Sorensen

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I am writing to consult with you about your request and proposed use of

 

section 22 of the FOI Act.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our searches have uncovered a number of PowerPoint presentations

 

concerning eSafety matters and practice. These presentations include, but

 

do not expand in any way upon, the term 'cheese pizza' as used in the

 

context of your request.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

These presentations are relatively lengthy (each running to 50-60 slides)

 

and contain broadly the same material from version to version. Only two

 

slides in each version of the presentation refer or relate to the search

 

term. These slides are substantively the same in every version of the

 

presentation, with only minor formatting variations. Reviewing and

 

preparing every version of the full presentation for release may lead to

 

an unreasonable diversion of eSafety resources, particularly noting that

 

the vast majority of this material is only in scope as part of a document

 

that ‘references’ the search term, but is otherwise irrelevant to your

 

request.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Please advise whether you agree for eSafety to release one copy of the

 

slides that are relevant to your request (i.e. exempting the remainder of

 

the presentation under section 22), to avoid unnecessary duplication and

 

ensure that only relevant material is released.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kind regards

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

FOI Coordinator

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[1]eSafety logo Email-Signautre

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[2]Email-Footers icons3 [3]esafety.gov.au

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[4]Email-Footers iconsT [5]Email-Footers iconsF [6]Email-Footers

 

iconsL

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

eSafety acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout

 

Australia and their continuing connection to land, waters and community.

 

We pay our respects to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, and

 

to Elders past, present and emerging.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

-------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Please use this email address for all replies to this request:

 

[9][FOI #10994 email]

 

 

 

This request has been made by an individual using Right to Know. This
message and any reply that you make will be published on the internet.
More information on how Right to Know works can be found at:

 

[10]https://www.righttoknow.org.au/help/offi...

 

 

 

Please note that in some cases publication of requests and responses will
be delayed.

 

 

 

If you find this service useful as an FOI officer, please ask your web
manager to link to us from your organisation's FOI page.

 

 

 

-------------------------------------------------------------------

 

NOTICE: This email message is for the sole use of the intended
recipient(s)
and may contain confidential and privileged information. Any unauthorized
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intended recipient, please contact the sender by reply email and destroy
all
copies of the original message.

References

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8. mailto:[email address]
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