PIPAG minutes.
Dear Department of Health,
I have a request under the FOI Act.
Can you please provide the minutes for the last four meetings of the Practice Incentives Program Advisory Group (PIPAG)?
I request that any fees arising in relation to this request be waived as the information is in the public interest.
Thank you.
Yours faithfully,
Antony Scholefield
Attention: Antony Scholefield
FREEDOM OF INFORMATION REQUEST – NOTIFICATION OF RECEIPT
I am writing to notify you that the Department of Health (Department) has received your request (in your below email) for access to documents under the Freedom of Information Act 1982 (FOI Act).
The Department will take all reasonable steps to notify you of a decision no later than 30 calendar days after the date your request was received. You will be contacted where a charge is applied for processing your request or if we need to consult a third party.
Unless you advise otherwise, duplicate documents and Commonwealth employee names and contact details below Senior Executive Service level and mobile telephone numbers of all staff will be excluded from the scope of your request under s22(1)(a)(ii) of the FOI Act.
You can contact the FOI Unit on (02) 6289 1666, or via email at [email address], should you have any enquiries.
Regards
FOI Unit
Legal Advice & Legislation Branch
Legal & Assurance Division
Australian Government Department of Health
T: (02) 6289 1666 | E: [Health request email]
PO Box 9848, Canberra ACT 2601, Australia
The Department of Health 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 Mr Scholefield
I refer to your request to the Department of Health seeking access under
the Freedom of Information Act 1982 (FOI Act) to:
‘The minutes for the last four meetings of the Practice Incentives Program
Advisory Group (PIPAG)’
Notice of Liability to Pay a Charge
Ms Kylie James, Director – Freedom of Information, an officer authorised
under section 23(1) of the FOI Act to make decisions in relation to
freedom of information requests, has decided that you are liable to pay a
charge in respect of the processing of your request.
Preliminary Assessment
In accordance with section 29 of the FOI Act and the Freedom of
Information Charges Regulations 1982, the preliminary assessment of the
charge you are liable to pay is $61.00.
This has been calculated as follows:
search and retrieval time (including 4.07 hours @ $15.00 per $61.00
time spent locating relevant files hour
and collating relevant documents
contained on those files)
decision making time (including time 4.18 hours @ $20.00 per $83.64
spent examining the documents, hour
considering exemptions, undertaking
consultation, writing the decision
and preparing any documents for ($100.00)
release) Less first 5 hours free
TOTAL $61.00
Deposit
Ms James has also decided that you are required to pay a deposit of
$20.00. Payment of a deposit is taken as your authority to proceed with
processing of your request and your agreement to pay the full charge in
which case you will become liable to the Commonwealth for the full cost of
processing the charge.
Payment
The Department can accept credit card, money order or cheque payments.
If you choose to pay by cheque (personal or bank) or money order it should
be sent to the following:
FOI Unit (MDP 41)
Department of Health
GPO Box 9848
CANBERRA ACT 2601
If you wish to pay by credit card, please contact the Department’s FOI
unit on (02) 6289 1666 to be further advised.
Response
Under the FOI Act, you have 30 days to respond in writing to this notice.
You must, within 30 days after this notice is given, do one of the
following things in writing: (i) advise the Department that you agree to
pay the charge, or (ii) advise the Department that you contend that the
charge has been wrongly assessed, or should be reduced or not imposed,
giving reasons for your contention, or (iii) advise the Department that
you withdraw the request for access to the documents concerned. Please
send your response to the above postal address or [1]this email address.
If you do not provide a response within 30 days, your freedom of
information request will be taken to have been withdrawn.
If you choose to make a contention that the charge should be reduced or
not imposed, the Department must, in making a decision on your contention,
take into account the matters set out in section 29(5) of the FOI Act or
any relevant matter.
Processing time
Processing of your request and counting the 60 calendar days are suspended
from the date you receive this notice and resume either when you pay the
deposit or when any contention you make about the charge has been
resolved.
Relevant provisions
The FOI Act, including the provisions referred to in this email, can be
accessed from the Federal Register of Legislation website.
If you require clarification of any of the matters discussed in this
letter you should contact the Department’s FOI Unit on (02) 62891666, or
by email at [2][email address].
Regards
FOI Unit
[3]cid:image002.png@01D152AA.D704F7C0
Legal Advice & Legislation Branch
Legal & Assurance Division
Australian Government Department of Health
T: (02) 6289 1666 | E: [4][Health request email]
PO Box 9848, Canberra ACT 2601, Australia
The Department of Health 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.
Locutus Sum left an annotation ()
I have said that this request was refused because the correspondence terminates suddenly. But it is possible that the applicant continued to correspond with the agency by snail mail and that she paid the required fees. Another alternative is that because the applicant did not pay the required fees, the application was treated, under s 29(2) of the FOI Act, as having been withdrawn.