Social media policy
Dear Department of Social Services,
I seek access to the following documents under the Freedom
of Information Act 1982:
1. Current social media policy of the department, which covers
departmental use and/or private use by employees in an individual
capacity.
2. Any current guidance material which is available for employees to make informed decisions about their private social media use.
Yours faithfully,
James Smith
Thank you for contacting the Freedom of Information (FOI) inbox of the
Commonwealth Department of Social Services (DSS). Your email, should it be
a request for access to documents under the Freedom of Information Act
1982, will be actioned by the appropriate team member.
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[1][email address]. It will not be actioned from this inbox.
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Kind regards,
DSS FOI Team
Email: [4][Department of Social Services request email]
References
Visible links
1. mailto:[email address]
2. http://www.dss.gov.au/contact/freedom-of...
3. http://www.oaic.gov.au/freedom-of-inform...
4. mailto:[Department of Social Services request email]
Dear Mr Smith
Freedom of Information Request No. 15/16-130
I refer to your correspondence received by the Department of Social
Services (the Department) on 18 April 2016, in which you requested access
under the Commonwealth Freedom of Information Act 1982 (FOI Act) to the
following:
"I seek access to the following documents under the Freedom of Information
Act 1982:
1. Current social media policy of the department, which covers
departmental use and/or private use by employees in an individual
capacity.
2. Any current guidance material which is available for employees to make
informed decisions about their private social media use."
The Department’s Social Media Policy is publicly available on the
Department’s website at [1]https://www.dss.gov.au/social-media-poli...
The policy also includes a link to the Department’s Social Media Terms of
Use, which are also publicly available at
[2]https://www.dss.gov.au/dss-social-media-....
The Social Media Policy covers both Departmental use and private use by
employees in their individual capacity, and it also includes guidance for
employee’s private use. I attach a pdf version of the document to this
email, and web accessible versions are available at the link provided.
As the documents within the scope of your FOI request are publicly
available, the Department will consider your request to be withdrawn as of
today’s date and not processed further.
Should you have any queries about this matter, please contact the
Department via email at [3][Department of Social Services request email].
Kind regards
Clare McLean
Principal Legal Officer and FOI Coordinator
Commercial, Disability, Housing and Information Law Branch
Legal Services Group
Department of Social Services
[4][Department of Social Services request email]
DSS 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.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Note: This email and any attachments may contain confidential or legally
privileged information (and neither are waived or lost if this email has
been sent to you by mistake). If you are not the intended recipient, you
must not use, disclose, copy or retain it. If you have received it in
error, please let me know by reply email and then delete this email from
your system and do not retain any copy. Recipients within DSS should seek
assistance from DSS Legal before disseminating this email to third
parties.
-----Original Message-----
From: James Smith [mailto:[FOI #1859 email]]
Sent: Monday, 18 April 2016 3:31 PM
To: FOI
Subject: Freedom of Information request - Social media policy
Dear Department of Social Services,
I seek access to the following documents under the Freedom of Information
Act 1982:
1. Current social media policy of the department, which covers
departmental use and/or private use by employees in an individual
capacity.
2. Any current guidance material which is available for employees to make
informed decisions about their private social media use.
Yours faithfully,
James Smith
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Please use this email address for all replies to this request:
[5][FOI #1859 email]
Is [6][Department of Social Services request email] the wrong address for Freedom of Information requests
to Department of Social Services? If so, please contact us using this
form:
[7]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:
[8]https://www.righttoknow.org.au/help/offi...
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.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
References
Visible links
1. https://www.dss.gov.au/social-media-policy
2. https://www.dss.gov.au/dss-social-media-...
3. mailto:[Department of Social Services request email]
4. mailto:[Department of Social Services request email]
5. mailto:[FOI #1859 email]
6. mailto:[Department of Social Services request email]
7. https://www.righttoknow.org.au/change_re...
8. https://www.righttoknow.org.au/help/offi...
Dear Clare,
Please process this request under the FOI act.
I note, in addition to the publicly available document, I also request:
2. Any current guidance material which is available for employees to make
informed decisions about their private social media use."
I assume the department must have published some additional material internally, for example, any supporting guidance material or case studies on using social media privately.
Yours sincerely,
James Smith
Dear FOI,
Apologies, I am happy to exclude the publicly available documents you have highlighted from this request.
When I refer to 'guidance material', I mean any guidelines, policy, procedures, case studies, etc, which may be used by managers and/or their employees, to assist staff meet their obligations under DHS policy.
Can you please confirm if any such documents exist, other than the policy you have highlighted, before withdrawing this request.
Yours sincerely,
James Smith
Dear Mr Smith,
Thank you for your email.
I acknowledge your revised request. Under your revised request you seek
access to [paraphrasing]:
"Any guidelines, policy, procedures, case studies, etc, which may be used
by managers and/or their employees, to assist staff to meet their
obligations under the DSS Social Media policy, excluding any publicly
available documents”
The Department will process this request in accordance with the FOI Act,
including all relevant timelines which may apply.
Kind regards,
Clare McLean
Principal Legal Officer and FOI Coordinator
Commercial, Disability, Housing and Information Law Branch
Legal Services Group
Department of Social Services
[Department of Social Services request email]
DSS 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.
Note: This email and any attachments may contain confidential or legally
privileged information (and neither are waived or lost if this email has
been sent to you by mistake). If you are not the intended recipient, you
must not use, disclose, copy or retain it. If you have received it in
error, please let me know by reply email and then delete this email from
your system and do not retain any copy. Recipients within DSS should seek
assistance from DSS Legal before disseminating this email to third
parties.
-----Original Message-----
From: James Smith [mailto:[FOI #1859 email]]
Sent: Monday, 18 April 2016 9:21 PM
To: FOI
Subject: Re: FOI Request No 15/16-130 - Social media policy -
Acknowledgment of request and provision of publicly available information
[DLM=For-Official-Use-Only]
Dear FOI,
Apologies, I am happy to exclude the publicly available documents you
have highlighted from this request.
When I refer to 'guidance material', I mean any guidelines, policy,
procedures, case studies, etc, which may be used by managers and/or their
employees, to assist staff meet their obligations under DHS policy.
Can you please confirm if any such documents exist, other than the policy
you have highlighted, before withdrawing this request.
Yours sincerely,
James Smith
-----Original Message-----
Dear Mr Smith
Freedom of Information Request No. 15/16-130
I refer to your correspondence received by the Department of Social
Services (the Department) on 18 April 2016, in which you requested access
under the Commonwealth Freedom of Information Act 1982 (FOI Act) to the
following:
"I seek access to the following documents under the Freedom of
Information Act 1982:
1. Current social media policy of the department, which covers
departmental use and/or private use by employees in an individual
capacity.
2. Any current guidance material which is available for employees to make
informed decisions about their private social media use."
The Department’s Social Media Policy is publicly available on the
Department’s website at [1][1]https://www.dss.gov.au/social-media-policy.
The policy also includes a link to the Department’s Social Media Terms of
Use, which are also publicly available at
[2][2]https://www.dss.gov.au/dss-social-media-....
The Social Media Policy covers both Departmental use and private use by
employees in their individual capacity, and it also includes guidance for
employee’s private use. I attach a pdf version of the document to this
email, and web accessible versions are available at the link provided.
As the documents within the scope of your FOI request are publicly
available, the Department will consider your request to be withdrawn as
of today’s date and not processed further.
Should you have any queries about this matter, please contact the
Department via email at [3][Department of Social Services request email].
Kind regards
Clare McLean
Principal Legal Officer and FOI Coordinator
Commercial, Disability, Housing and Information Law Branch
Legal Services Group
Department of Social Services
[4][Department of Social Services request email]
DSS 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.
Please use this email address for all replies to this request:
[5][FOI #1859 email]
Is [6][Department of Social Services request email] the wrong address for
Freedom of Information requests to Department of Social Services? If so,
please contact us using this
form:
[7][3]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:
[8][4]https://www.righttoknow.org.au/help/offi...
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.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
References
Visible links
1. [5]https://www.dss.gov.au/social-media-policy
2. [6]https://www.dss.gov.au/dss-social-media-...
3. [7]mailto:[Department of Social Services request email] 4.
[8]mailto:[Department of Social Services request email] 5. [9]mailto:[FOI
#1859 email] 6. [10]mailto:[Department of Social Services request email]
7.
[11]https://www.righttoknow.org.au/change_re...
8. [12]https://www.righttoknow.org.au/help/offi...
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Please use this email address for all replies to this request:
[13][FOI #1859 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:
[14]https://www.righttoknow.org.au/help/offi...
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.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
References
Visible links
1. https://www.dss.gov.au/social-media-policy
2. https://www.dss.gov.au/dss-social-media-...
3. https://www.righttoknow.org.au/change_re...
4. https://www.righttoknow.org.au/help/offi...
5. https://www.dss.gov.au/social-media-policy
6. https://www.dss.gov.au/dss-social-media-...
7. mailto:[department
8. mailto:[department
9. mailto:[foi
10. mailto:[department
11. https://www.righttoknow.org.au/change_re...
12. https://www.righttoknow.org.au/help/offi...
13. mailto:[FOI #1859 email]
14. https://www.righttoknow.org.au/help/offi...
Dear Mr Smith,
Freedom of Information Request No. 15/16-130
I am advised by the Communications and Media Branch of the Department, that the only guidance documents provided to staff on their use of social media are the publicly available DSS Social Media Policy and the Social Media Terms of Use. No other internal guidance exists.
If you can confirm by return email that you would like to withdraw your FOI request it would be greatly appreciated, otherwise I will issue a formal decision notice under s24 of the FOI Act that no documents falling within your revised scope exist.
Kind regards,
Clare McLean
Principal Legal Officer and FOI Coordinator
Commercial, Disability, Housing and Information Law Branch
Legal Services Group
Department of Social Services
[Department of Social Services request email]
DSS 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.
Note: This email and any attachments may contain confidential or legally privileged information (and neither are waived or lost if this email has been sent to you by mistake). If you are not the intended recipient, you must not use, disclose, copy or retain it. If you have received it in error, please let me know by reply email and then delete this email from your system and do not retain any copy. Recipients within DSS should seek assistance from DSS Legal before disseminating this email to third parties.
-----Original Message-----
From: James Smith [mailto:[FOI #1859 email]]
Sent: Monday, 18 April 2016 9:21 PM
To: FOI
Subject: Re: FOI Request No 15/16-130 - Social media policy - Acknowledgment of request and provision of publicly available information [DLM=For-Official-Use-Only]
Dear FOI,
Apologies, I am happy to exclude the publicly available documents you have highlighted from this request.
When I refer to 'guidance material', I mean any guidelines, policy, procedures, case studies, etc, which may be used by managers and/or their employees, to assist staff meet their obligations under DHS policy.
Can you please confirm if any such documents exist, other than the policy you have highlighted, before withdrawing this request.
Yours sincerely,
James Smith
-----Original Message-----
Dear Mr Smith
Freedom of Information Request No. 15/16-130
I refer to your correspondence received by the Department of Social Services (the Department) on 18 April 2016, in which you requested access under the Commonwealth Freedom of Information Act 1982 (FOI Act) to the
following:
"I seek access to the following documents under the Freedom of Information Act 1982:
1. Current social media policy of the department, which covers departmental use and/or private use by employees in an individual capacity.
2. Any current guidance material which is available for employees to make informed decisions about their private social media use."
The Department’s Social Media Policy is publicly available on the Department’s website at [1]https://www.dss.gov.au/social-media-policy.
The policy also includes a link to the Department’s Social Media Terms of Use, which are also publicly available at [2]https://www.dss.gov.au/dss-social-media-....
The Social Media Policy covers both Departmental use and private use by employees in their individual capacity, and it also includes guidance for employee’s private use. I attach a pdf version of the document to this email, and web accessible versions are available at the link provided.
As the documents within the scope of your FOI request are publicly available, the Department will consider your request to be withdrawn as of today’s date and not processed further.
Should you have any queries about this matter, please contact the Department via email at [3][Department of Social Services request email].
Kind regards
Clare McLean
Principal Legal Officer and FOI Coordinator
Commercial, Disability, Housing and Information Law Branch
Legal Services Group
Department of Social Services
[4][Department of Social Services request email]
DSS 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.
Please use this email address for all replies to this request:
[5][FOI #1859 email]
Is [6][Department of Social Services request email] the wrong address for Freedom of Information requests to Department of Social Services? If so, please contact us using this
form:
[7]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:
[8]https://www.righttoknow.org.au/help/offi...
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.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
References
Visible links
1. https://www.dss.gov.au/social-media-policy
2. https://www.dss.gov.au/dss-social-media-...
3. mailto:[Department of Social Services request email] 4. mailto:[Department of Social Services request email] 5. mailto:[FOI #1859 email] 6. mailto:[Department of Social Services request email] 7. https://www.righttoknow.org.au/change_re...
8. https://www.righttoknow.org.au/help/offi...
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Please use this email address for all replies to this request:
[FOI #1859 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:
https://www.righttoknow.org.au/help/offi...
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.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Thank you for confirming the non-existence of documents in my revised request.
As requested, I withdraw this FOI request.
Yours sincerely,
James Smith