Risk and Fraud Management Committee

Julie made this Freedom of Information request to Department of Veterans' Affairs

This request has been closed to new correspondence from the public body. Contact us if you think it ought be re-opened.

The request was refused by Department of Veterans' Affairs.

Dear Department of Veterans' Affairs,

Under FOI I seek the minutes of the DVA Risk and Fraud Management Committee for FY17/18.

Yours faithfully,

Julie

INFORMATION.LAW, Department of Veterans' Affairs

1 Attachment

Dear Julie,

 

Acknowledgement of FOI Request – FOI 25068

 

I refer to your request to access information held by our Department under
the Freedom of Information Act 1982 (FOI Act).  The Department received
your request on 13 October 2018. In accordance with section 15(5)(b) of
the FOI Act, the Department has 30 days to process your request. As such,
a decision on your request is due by 12 November 2018.

 

If you have any questions about your FOI matter, please contact us using
the following details:

 

Post: Legal Services & Assurance, Department of Veterans’ Affairs

GPO Box 9998, Canberra ACT 2601

Facsimile: (02) 6289 6337

Email: [1][email address]

 

In all communications please quote reference FOI 25068.

 

Kind Regards,

 

 

Information Law | Legal Services & Assurance Branch

Department of Veterans’ Affairs

GPO Box 9998 Canberra ACT 2601

E: [2][email address]

 

 

[3]cid:image001.png@01D0027A.1DAB84F0

 

 

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INFORMATION.LAW, Department of Veterans' Affairs

1 Attachment

Good afternoon Julie,

 

FOI 25068 - Decision and Statement of Reasons

 

Further to your FOI request received by the Department on 13 October 2018,
please now find attached the decision in relation to your request.

 

Kind Regards,

 

Information Law Section | Legal Services and General Counsel Branch Legal
Assurance and Governance Division Department of Veterans’ Affairs

E: [1][email address] | W: [2]www.dva.gov.au

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To the Department of Veterans' Affairs,

Please pass this on to the person who conducts Freedom of Information reviews.

I am writing to request an internal review of Department of Veterans' Affairs's handling of my FOI request.

Another disappointing cut and paste job from the Department who recycles its refusals so much it deserves a bad faith laziness award.

Despite framing it as such, Minutes are not deliberative, but are a record of decisions taken and actions assigned. They are not verbatim transcripts of discussions had and to claim exemption in full over them requires a very high bar to be met, which simply has not been.

It is also untenable to suggest everything is subject to an impenetrable veil of secrecy when some of the information in these minutes will be very basic and ordinary indeed, and is even published by the Department.

Given the FOI Act creates a positive obligation to consider release, even if parts of the document may have a valid exemption for release, it is untenable to suggest that such basic parts of Minutes such as attendees, agenda items and other basic elements would somehow met any exemption category.

In short, while this response is slightly better than earlier Departmental decisions claiming these Committees kept no minutes at all, it is still yet another example of this Department’s hostility and bad faith towards FOI, which is frankly well out of proportion.

A full history of my FOI request and all correspondence is available on the Internet at this address: https://www.righttoknow.org.au/request/a...

Sincerely,

Julie

INFORMATION.LAW, Department of Veterans' Affairs

1 Attachment

Dear Julie,

 

Acknowledgement of Internal Review of FOI Request 25068  – IR 25503

 

I refer to your request for internal review by our Department under the
Freedom of Information Act 1982 (FOI Act). The Department received your
request on 15 November 2018. In accordance with section 54C(3) of the FOI
Act, the Department has 30 days to process your request. As such, a
decision on your request is due by 17 December 2018.

 

If you have any questions about your FOI matter, please contact us using
the following details:

 

Post: Legal Services & Assurance, Department of Veterans’ Affairs

GPO Box 9998, Canberra ACT 2601

Facsimile: (02) 6289 6337

Email: [1][email address]

 

In all communications please quote reference IR 25503.

 

Kind Regards,

 

Information Law Team

 

Information Law Section | Legal, Assurance & Governance Division

Department of Veterans’ Affairs

Gnabra House – 21 Genge Street Canberra City ACT 2601|GPO Box 9998
Canberra ACT 2601

E: [2][email address]

 

 

[3]cid:image001.png@01D0027A.1DAB84F0

 

 

 

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INFORMATION.LAW, Department of Veterans' Affairs

2 Attachments

Good evening Julie,

 

FOI 25503 (Internal Review of FOI 25068)

 

Please find attached a decision in relation to the above mentioned
internal review.

 

Kind Regards,

 

Information Law Section | Legal Services & Assurance Branch

Legal Assurance and Governance Division

Department of Veterans’ Affairs
E: [1][email address] | W: [2]www.dva.gov.au

 

[3]cid:image001.png@01D0027A.1DAB84F0

 

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Julie left an annotation ()

Referred to IC Review