Friday, 27 July 2012

Email to the Information Commissioner RE FOI APS Commission




From: fionabrown01@hotmail.com
To: raewyn.harlock@oaic.gov.au
Subject: RE: FOI Complaint Acknowledgement - Case Number: CP12/06677 [SEC=UNCLASSIFIED]
Date: Sat, 28 Jul 2012 13:24:04 +1000



Dear Raewyn,
I refer to the following email.  I beleive the time limit has now transpired for   acknowledgement of my FOI request from the Australian Public Service Commission.
Your office would be experiencing  a large number of complaints  purely because there appears to be no incentive for agencies to comply with any legislation  required of  them by law.
The  Australian Public Service Commissioner who has the power under S41(f) to inquire into agency heads who flaunt the Law has made a conscious  decision to abuse his power and cover up all complaints made to him . Like -wise he has  chosen to do the  same with Whistleblowers.
This could only be seen that  Commissioner Steve Sedgwick is involved in conduct that requires an investigation into  his position.
This is clearly why the APS is refusing me access to the information I require.
If this information was made available it would expose  gross malpractice in the entire Public Service.
However I still require these documents.
Thanking you
Fiona Brown 




From: Raewyn.Harlock@oaic.gov.au
To: fionabrown01@hotmail.com
Subject: FOI Complaint Acknowledgement - Case Number: CP12/06677 [SEC=UNCLASSIFIED]
Date: Mon, 16 Jul 2012 06:55:34 +0000

Our reference:                        CP12/06677
Dear Ms Brown
Your complaint about the Australian Public Service Commission
I refer to your email about the Australian Public Service Commission (the APSC) received on 15 July 2012.
In your email you complained that the APSC had not responded to your requests for information under the Freedom of Information Act 1982 (the FOI Act) in a timely way.
Section 15(5) of the FOI Act sets out the timeframes for dealing with a request for information. This section requires agencies to acknowledge requests for information no later than 14 days after the day on which the request for information is received by the agency. If the day for responding falls on a Saturday, Sunday or public holiday, the date for the agency to respond is the next working day after the Saturday, Sunday or public holiday.
At this time it does not appear there has been a delay on the part of the APSC in acknowledging receipt of your FOI request.
Section 15(5) requires agencies to make decisions on requests for information no later than 30 days after the day on which the request for information is received. An agency can extend the time to process a request under ss 15AA, 15AB, 15AC or 15(6) of the FOI Act.
Our office is currently receiving a large number of complaints and applications for Information Commissioner review and as a consequence there will be a delay of more than six weeks in allocating your complaint to a case officer for processing. We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause you.
Information about our complaint handling process is available on our website www.oaic.gov.au. You may also find the fact sheet “How to make a complaint” helpful, which you can access at:
If your contact details change please let us know by calling our Enquiries Line on 1300 363 992 (local call cost, but calls from mobile and pay phones may incur higher charges). Our preference is to receive correspondence by email however mail can be sent to our Sydney office on GPO Box 5218 SYDNEY NSW 2001. Please quote the reference number CP12/06677.
Yours sincerely


Raewyn Harlock
Deputy Director
Compliance Branch

16 July 2012

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