Understanding the April 2024 Debt Pause Cohort
Dear Services Australia,
This request relates to the cohort of debts 'indirectly' affected by income apportionment. A number of such cases were paused by the Agency in April. I believe at the time, it was 42,000 debts affecting 31,000 people.
I seek the most recent document prepared by the Agency which describes:
- The potential extent and nature of the cohort (breakdown by payment type etc)
- the manner in which income apportionment affected or may have affected the calculation.
This request is in the public interest as it will assist the public to understand what full remediation of income apportionment will actually look like. In 2020, the secondary effects of unlawful robodebt received no systemic remedy, as the Agency chose lowest cost options. With the agency proposed recalculation method now lying under a legal cloud, these documents will assist an improved policy conversation.
Yours faithfully,
Frank N Fearless
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How long do I have to wait?
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Dear Frank N Fearless
Please find attached an acknowledgement letter dated 9 October 2024 in
relation to your request for access to documents under the Freedom of
Information Act 1982.
Yours sincerely,
Molly, Authorised FOI Decision Maker
Freedom of Information and Reviews Branch, Legal Services
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Dear Frank N Fearless
I am writing regarding your request to Services Australia (the Agency),
dated 3 October 2024, for documents under the Freedom of Information Act
1982 (Cth) (FOI Act).
The FOI team is actively engaging with relevant business areas and
reviewing documents within the scope of your FOI request. Unfortunately,
due to Agency workload and the need to undertake further consultations
with relevant business areas, this process will likely take longer than
normal. The Agency will therefore not be in a position to provide you with
an FOI decision by the current due date of 4 November 2024.
The Agency respectfully seeks your written agreement to extend the
processing time by an additional 14 days under section 15AA of the FOI
Act. This would result in a decision being due by 18 November 2023. If we
are able to provide you with a decision sooner, we will do so.
For your action
We would be grateful if you could respond to this email by close of
business Thursday 31 October 2024 to confirm your consent to an extension
of time. If no response is received, we may seek an extension of time from
the Information Commissioner.
We apologise for the delay and thank you for your patience and
understanding as we continue to process your request.
Yours sincerely
Alyssa, Authorised FOI Decision Maker
Freedom of Information and Reviews Branch, Legal Services
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agency’s progress story for First Nations people.
Services Australia acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of the lands we
live on. We pay our respects to all Elders, past and present, of all
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander nations.
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Dear FOI.LEGAL.TEAM,
I'm afraid I can't consent to the extension, so you'll need to check in with OAIC. I asked for *one* document - the most recent document meeting the description I provided. So I felt it was tightly drawn.
The delivery of these documents will now slip past estimates next week which is unfortunate.
Yours sincerely,
Frank N Fearless
Our reference: RQ24/04745
Agency reference: LEX 81846
Services Australia
By email: [1][email address]
Frank N Fearless
By email: [2][FOI #12134 email]
Extension of time under s 15AB
Dear Parties,
Please find attached an extension of time decision relating to FOI request
made by Frank N Fearless to Services Australia.
Kind regards,
[3][IMG] Claire Lynch (she/her)
Assistant Review Adviser
Freedom of Information Branch
Office of the Australian Information Commissioner
Sydney | GPO Box 5288 Sydney NSW 2001
P 1300 363 992 E [4][email address]
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2024. For more information about these revised procedures, including new
resources to assist applicants and respondents, see our webpage: [5]OAIC
Information Commissioner Reviews | Procedure Directions
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and their continuing connection to land, waters and communities. We pay
our respect to First Nations people, cultures and Elders past and
present.
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