OFFICIAL

Reference: FOI/2023/361

 

Dear Naveen

 

Thank you for your email of 7 December 2023, in which you made a request
under the Freedom of Information Act 1982 (the FOI Act) to the Department
of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (the Department).

 

You set out the terms of the request as follows:

 

I would like to know the details of the mRNA vaccine mandate for the
members of Parliament during 2021 and 2022.

Did the Australian Government had any mRNA Covid vaccine requirements for
members of Parliament to enter Parliament building In Canberra?

How many Members of Parliament had exemptions for mRNA vaccines? What were
the reasons for their exemptions?

 

Timeframe for receiving your decision and request for extension of time

The 30 day statutory period for processing your request commenced from the
day after the Department received your request. A decision is therefore
due from us by 8 January 2024.  However, we note that the processing time
for your FOI request overlaps with the departmental shutdown period from
23 December 2023 to 1 January 2024 (inclusive).  Given this, we are
seeking your agreement to a 14-day extension of time under section 15AA of
the FOI Act.  This would result in a decision due from us by 22 January
2024.

 

Please confirm your agreement to the extension of time by replying to this
email by 13 December 2023.

 

Charges

Agencies may decide that an applicant is liable to pay a charge in respect
of a request for access to documents. If the Department decides that you
are liable to pay a charge, we will send you a preliminary assessment of
the charge as soon as possible.

 

Publication of documents

Please note that information released under the FOI Act may later be
published online on our disclosure log at
[1]https://www.pmc.gov.au/government/depart...,
subject to certain exceptions. If you think you might wish to raise any
objections to the publication of any of the information which may be
released to you please contact us by email at [2][DPMC request email].  If you
do wish to object to the publication of information, you would need to
provide supporting reasons.

 

Exclusion of officers’ names and contact details

For documents that fall within scope of the request, it is the
Department’s policy to withhold:

·        any person’s signature;

·        the names and contact details of Australian Public Service
officers not in the Senior Executive Service (SES);

·        the mobile or direct numbers of SES officers;

·        the names and contact details of Ministerial staff at a level
below Chief of Staff.

 

If you consider that the information categorised above is relevant to the
terms of your request please let us know at [3][DPMC request email], otherwise
we will take it that you agree to that information being excluded from the
scope of your request (that is, the information will be treated as
irrelevant and deleted from any documents for release). The names and
other details of SES officers will not be withheld unless there is some
reason for that information to be exempt from release.

 

Further information on FOI processing can be found at the website of the
Office of the Australian Information Commissioner
[4]https://www.oaic.gov.au/freedom-of-infor....

 

Kind regards

Coordinator | FOI Section

[ ]

Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet

p. (02) 6271 5849

Ngunnawal Country | One National Circuit Barton ACT 2600 | PO Box
6500 CANBERRA ACT 2600
e. [5][email address]  w. [6]pmc.gov.au

 

[7]cid:image003.jpg@01D78E24.FF2DAFB0 The
Department
acknowledges
and pays
respect to
the past,
present and
emerging
Elders and
Traditional
Custodians
of Country,
and the
continuation
of cultural,
spiritual
and
educational
practices of
Aboriginal
and Torres
Strait
Islander
peoples.

 

 

______________________________________________________________________ 
IMPORTANT: This message, and any attachments to it, contains information 
that is confidential and may also be the subject of legal professional or 
other privilege. If you are not the intended recipient of this message,
you 
must not review, copy, disseminate or disclose its contents to any other 
party or take action in reliance of any material contained within it. If
you 
have received this message in error, please notify the sender immediately
by 
return email informing them of the mistake and delete all copies of the 
message from your computer system. 
______________________________________________________________________

References

Visible links
1. https://www.pmc.gov.au/government/depart...
2. mailto:[DPMC request email]
3. mailto:[DPMC request email]
4. https://www.oaic.gov.au/freedom-of-infor...
5. mailto:[email address]
6. https://www.pmc.gov.au/

OFFICIAL

Reference: FOI/2023/361

 

Good morning Naveen

 

We would be grateful if you could please let us know once you have had the
opportunity to consider our email below, seeking your approval of a 14 day
extension of time to be applied to your FOI request.

 

For any questions in the meantime, please do not hesitate to contact us.

 

 

Kind regards

Leisha

 

FOI Section[]

Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet

p. (02) 6271 5849

Ngunnawal Country | One National Circuit Barton ACT 2600 | PO Box
6500 CANBERRA ACT 2600
e. [1][email address]  w. [2]pmc.gov.au

 

[3]cid:image003.jpg@01D78E24.FF2DAFB0 The
Department
acknowledges
and pays
respect to
the past,
present and
emerging
Elders and
Traditional
Custodians
of Country,
and the
continuation
of cultural,
spiritual
and
educational
practices of
Aboriginal
and Torres
Strait
Islander
peoples.

 

 

 

 

From: FOI <[email address]>
Sent: Monday, 11 December 2023 9:07 AM
To: 'Naveen' <[FOI #10948 email]>
Cc: FOI <[email address]>
Subject: Freedom of Information Acknowledgement - FOI/2023/361
[SEC=OFFICIAL]

 

OFFICIAL

Reference: FOI/2023/361

 

Dear Naveen

 

Thank you for your email of 7 December 2023, in which you made a request
under the Freedom of Information Act 1982 (the FOI Act) to the Department
of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (the Department).

 

You set out the terms of the request as follows:

 

I would like to know the details of the mRNA vaccine mandate for the
members of Parliament during 2021 and 2022.

Did the Australian Government had any mRNA Covid vaccine requirements for
members of Parliament to enter Parliament building In Canberra?

How many Members of Parliament had exemptions for mRNA vaccines? What were
the reasons for their exemptions?

 

Timeframe for receiving your decision and request for extension of time

The 30 day statutory period for processing your request commenced from the
day after the Department received your request. A decision is therefore
due from us by 8 January 2024.  However, we note that the processing time
for your FOI request overlaps with the departmental shutdown period from
23 December 2023 to 1 January 2024 (inclusive).  Given this, we are
seeking your agreement to a 14-day extension of time under section 15AA of
the FOI Act.  This would result in a decision due from us by 22 January
2024.

 

Please confirm your agreement to the extension of time by replying to this
email by 13 December 2023.

 

Charges

Agencies may decide that an applicant is liable to pay a charge in respect
of a request for access to documents. If the Department decides that you
are liable to pay a charge, we will send you a preliminary assessment of
the charge as soon as possible.

 

Publication of documents

Please note that information released under the FOI Act may later be
published online on our disclosure log at
[4]https://www.pmc.gov.au/government/depart...,
subject to certain exceptions. If you think you might wish to raise any
objections to the publication of any of the information which may be
released to you please contact us by email at [5][DPMC request email].  If you
do wish to object to the publication of information, you would need to
provide supporting reasons.

 

Exclusion of officers’ names and contact details

For documents that fall within scope of the request, it is the
Department’s policy to withhold:

·       any person’s signature;

·       the names and contact details of Australian Public Service
officers not in the Senior Executive Service (SES);

·       the mobile or direct numbers of SES officers;

·       the names and contact details of Ministerial staff at a level
below Chief of Staff.

 

If you consider that the information categorised above is relevant to the
terms of your request please let us know at [6][DPMC request email], otherwise
we will take it that you agree to that information being excluded from the
scope of your request (that is, the information will be treated as
irrelevant and deleted from any documents for release). The names and
other details of SES officers will not be withheld unless there is some
reason for that information to be exempt from release.

 

Further information on FOI processing can be found at the website of the
Office of the Australian Information Commissioner
[7]https://www.oaic.gov.au/freedom-of-infor....

 

Kind regards

Coordinator | FOI Section

[ ]

Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet

p. (02) 6271 5849

Ngunnawal Country | One National Circuit Barton ACT 2600 | PO Box
6500 CANBERRA ACT 2600
e. [8][email address]  w. [9]pmc.gov.au

 

[10]cid:image003.jpg@01D78E24.FF2DAFB0 The
Department
acknowledges
and pays
respect to
the past,
present and
emerging
Elders and
Traditional
Custodians
of Country,
and the
continuation
of cultural,
spiritual
and
educational
practices of
Aboriginal
and Torres
Strait
Islander
peoples.

 

 

______________________________________________________________________ 
IMPORTANT: This message, and any attachments to it, contains information 
that is confidential and may also be the subject of legal professional or 
other privilege. If you are not the intended recipient of this message,
you 
must not review, copy, disseminate or disclose its contents to any other 
party or take action in reliance of any material contained within it. If
you 
have received this message in error, please notify the sender immediately
by 
return email informing them of the mistake and delete all copies of the 
message from your computer system. 
______________________________________________________________________

References

Visible links
1. mailto:[email address]
2. https://www.pmc.gov.au/
4. https://www.pmc.gov.au/government/depart...
5. mailto:[DPMC request email]
6. mailto:[DPMC request email]
7. https://www.oaic.gov.au/freedom-of-infor...
8. mailto:[email address]
9. https://www.pmc.gov.au/

OFFICIAL

Reference: FOI/2023/361

 

Good morning Naveen

 

Just following up my previous emails (below) to you requesting your
agreement to a 14 day extension of time request, to be applied to your FOI
request.

 

Most grateful for your advice before Friday 22 December 2023.

 

 

Kind regards

Leisha

 

FOI Section[]

Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet

p. (02) 6271 5849

Ngunnawal Country | One National Circuit Barton ACT 2600 | PO Box
6500 CANBERRA ACT 2600
e. [1][email address]  w. [2]pmc.gov.au

 

[3]cid:image003.jpg@01D78E24.FF2DAFB0 The
Department
acknowledges
and pays
respect to
the past,
present and
emerging
Elders and
Traditional
Custodians
of Country,
and the
continuation
of cultural,
spiritual
and
educational
practices of
Aboriginal
and Torres
Strait
Islander
peoples.

 

 

From: FOI <[email address]>
Sent: Thursday, 14 December 2023 8:54 AM
To: 'Naveen' <[FOI #10948 email]>
Cc: FOI <[email address]>
Subject: Freedom of Information Acknowledgement & Extension of Time
Request - FOI/2023/361 - Follow-up [SEC=OFFICIAL]

 

OFFICIAL

Reference: FOI/2023/361

 

Good morning Naveen

 

We would be grateful if you could please let us know once you have had the
opportunity to consider our email below, seeking your approval of a 14 day
extension of time to be applied to your FOI request.

 

For any questions in the meantime, please do not hesitate to contact us.

 

 

Kind regards

Leisha

 

FOI Section[]

Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet

p. (02) 6271 5849

Ngunnawal Country | One National Circuit Barton ACT 2600 | PO Box
6500 CANBERRA ACT 2600
e. [4][email address]  w. [5]pmc.gov.au

 

[6]cid:image003.jpg@01D78E24.FF2DAFB0 The
Department
acknowledges
and pays
respect to
the past,
present and
emerging
Elders and
Traditional
Custodians
of Country,
and the
continuation
of cultural,
spiritual
and
educational
practices of
Aboriginal
and Torres
Strait
Islander
peoples.

 

 

 

 

From: FOI <[7][email address]>
Sent: Monday, 11 December 2023 9:07 AM
To: 'Naveen' <[8][FOI #10948 email]>
Cc: FOI <[9][email address]>
Subject: Freedom of Information Acknowledgement - FOI/2023/361
[SEC=OFFICIAL]

 

OFFICIAL

Reference: FOI/2023/361

 

Dear Naveen

 

Thank you for your email of 7 December 2023, in which you made a request
under the Freedom of Information Act 1982 (the FOI Act) to the Department
of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (the Department).

 

You set out the terms of the request as follows:

 

I would like to know the details of the mRNA vaccine mandate for the
members of Parliament during 2021 and 2022.

Did the Australian Government had any mRNA Covid vaccine requirements for
members of Parliament to enter Parliament building In Canberra?

How many Members of Parliament had exemptions for mRNA vaccines? What were
the reasons for their exemptions?

 

Timeframe for receiving your decision and request for extension of time

The 30 day statutory period for processing your request commenced from the
day after the Department received your request. A decision is therefore
due from us by 8 January 2024.  However, we note that the processing time
for your FOI request overlaps with the departmental shutdown period from
23 December 2023 to 1 January 2024 (inclusive).  Given this, we are
seeking your agreement to a 14-day extension of time under section 15AA of
the FOI Act.  This would result in a decision due from us by 22 January
2024.

 

Please confirm your agreement to the extension of time by replying to this
email by 13 December 2023.

 

Charges

Agencies may decide that an applicant is liable to pay a charge in respect
of a request for access to documents. If the Department decides that you
are liable to pay a charge, we will send you a preliminary assessment of
the charge as soon as possible.

 

Publication of documents

Please note that information released under the FOI Act may later be
published online on our disclosure log at
[10]https://www.pmc.gov.au/government/depart...,
subject to certain exceptions. If you think you might wish to raise any
objections to the publication of any of the information which may be
released to you please contact us by email at [11][DPMC request email].  If you
do wish to object to the publication of information, you would need to
provide supporting reasons.

 

Exclusion of officers’ names and contact details

For documents that fall within scope of the request, it is the
Department’s policy to withhold:

·       any person’s signature;

·       the names and contact details of Australian Public Service
officers not in the Senior Executive Service (SES);

·       the mobile or direct numbers of SES officers;

·       the names and contact details of Ministerial staff at a level
below Chief of Staff.

 

If you consider that the information categorised above is relevant to the
terms of your request please let us know at [12][DPMC request email], otherwise
we will take it that you agree to that information being excluded from the
scope of your request (that is, the information will be treated as
irrelevant and deleted from any documents for release). The names and
other details of SES officers will not be withheld unless there is some
reason for that information to be exempt from release.

 

Further information on FOI processing can be found at the website of the
Office of the Australian Information Commissioner
[13]https://www.oaic.gov.au/freedom-of-infor....

 

Kind regards

Coordinator | FOI Section

[ ]

Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet

p. (02) 6271 5849

Ngunnawal Country | One National Circuit Barton ACT 2600 | PO Box
6500 CANBERRA ACT 2600
e. [14][email address]  w. [15]pmc.gov.au

 

[16]cid:image003.jpg@01D78E24.FF2DAFB0 The
Department
acknowledges
and pays
respect to
the past,
present and
emerging
Elders and
Traditional
Custodians
of Country,
and the
continuation
of cultural,
spiritual
and
educational
practices of
Aboriginal
and Torres
Strait
Islander
peoples.

 

 

______________________________________________________________________ 
IMPORTANT: This message, and any attachments to it, contains information 
that is confidential and may also be the subject of legal professional or 
other privilege. If you are not the intended recipient of this message,
you 
must not review, copy, disseminate or disclose its contents to any other 
party or take action in reliance of any material contained within it. If
you 
have received this message in error, please notify the sender immediately
by 
return email informing them of the mistake and delete all copies of the 
message from your computer system. 
______________________________________________________________________

References

Visible links
1. mailto:[email address]
2. https://www.pmc.gov.au/
4. mailto:[email address]
5. https://www.pmc.gov.au/
7. mailto:[email address]
8. mailto:[FOI #10948 email]
9. mailto:[email address]
10. https://www.pmc.gov.au/government/depart...
11. mailto:[DPMC request email]
12. mailto:[DPMC request email]
13. https://www.oaic.gov.au/freedom-of-infor...
14. mailto:[email address]
15. https://www.pmc.gov.au/

OFFICIAL

FOI/2023/361

 

Dear Naveen

 

Please see attached correspondence regarding your Freedom of Information
request.

 

Kind regards

 

Adviser

FOI Section | Legal Policy Branch[]

Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet

p. (02) 6271 5849

Ngunnawal Country, One National Circuit, Barton ACT 2600 | PO Box
6500 CANBERRA ACT 2600
e. [1][email address] w. [2]pmc.gov.au

 

[3]cid:image003.jpg@01D78E24.FF2DAFB0 The
Department
acknowledges
and pays
respect to
the past,
present and
emerging
Elders and
Traditional
Custodians
of Country,
and the
continuation
of cultural,
spiritual
and
educational
practices of
Aboriginal
and Torres
Strait
Islander
peoples.

 

 

______________________________________________________________________ 
IMPORTANT: This message, and any attachments to it, contains information 
that is confidential and may also be the subject of legal professional or 
other privilege. If you are not the intended recipient of this message,
you 
must not review, copy, disseminate or disclose its contents to any other 
party or take action in reliance of any material contained within it. If
you 
have received this message in error, please notify the sender immediately
by 
return email informing them of the mistake and delete all copies of the 
message from your computer system. 
______________________________________________________________________

References

Visible links
1. mailto:[email address]
2. https://www.pmc.gov.au/