Protecting information rights — advancing information policy

ICON meetingTuesday, 18 February 2014

James PoppleFreedom of Information Commissioner

2

Outline• Notices to produce• Practical refusal• Guidelines• OAIC’s processes: IC reviews, complaints• Update since last meeting: 13 August 2013

– significant IC reviews– statistics: extensions, complaints, IC reviews

3

Notices to produce

• Section 55R (IC reviews) andsection 79 (complaints):– give information– produce documents– failure to comply is an offence:

6 months imprisonment

4

Practical refusal• 40 hours practical refusal• A practical refusal reason exists if:

– the work involved in processing the request would substantially and unreasonably divert the resources of the agency from its other operations, or

– the request does not adequately identify the documents sought (s 24AA)

5

Guidelines• Major updates:

– Part 6 (conditional exemptions) anddiscussion about s 47F

– Part 7(amendment and annotation of personal records)

• Minor updates:– Parts 3 (processing requests for access),

4 (charges), 14 (disclosure logs), 15 (reporting) and Glossary.

6

OAIC’s processes• IC reviews and complaints• Reducing stockpile by:

– triage/early resolution– increased focus on finalising decisions

• ‘Gaming’ the system

7

IC reviews• Besser and Department of Families, Housing,

Community Services and Indigenous Affairs[2013] AICmr 65 (21 August 2013)

• Sweeney and Australian Securities and Investments Commission [2013] AICmr 68 (30 August 2013)

• Crowe and Department of the Treasury[2013] AICmr 69 (29 August 2013)

• Combined Pensioners and Superannuants Association of NSW Inc and Deputy Prime Minister and Treasurer [2013] AICmr 70 (3 September 2013)

8

IC reviews• Cornerstone Legal Pty Ltd and Australian Securities

and Investment Commission[2013] AICmr 71 (10 September 2013)

• Kemp and Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade [2013] AICmr 75 (4 October 2013)

• ‘AP’ and Department of Human Services[2013] AICmr 78 (25 October 2013)

• ‘AR’ and Australian Federal Police[2013] AICmr 80 (12 November 2013)

9

IC reviews• Thomson and Australian Federal Police

[2013] AICmr 83 (22 November 2013)• National Australia Bank Ltd and Australian

Competition and Consumer Commission[2013] AICmr 84 (11 December 2013)

• Philip Morris Ltd and Treasurer[2013] AICmr 88 (13 December 2013)

• ‘AW’ and Australian Taxation Office[2014] AICmr 1 (10 January 2014)

10

IC reviews• Australian Private Hospitals Association and

Department of the Treasury [2014] AICmr 4 (16 January 2014)

• ‘BA’ and Merit Protection Commissioner[2014] AICmr 9 (30 January 2014)

• Fist and Australian Broadcasting Corporation[2014] AICmr 14 (10 February 2014)

11

Extensions (1 Nov 2010 – 17 Feb 2014)• Received 7001• Closed 6998

– by agreement s 15AA 4916

– complex or voluminous s 15AB 1184

• granted 1030

• not granted 37– deemed refusal / ss 15AC, 51DA

deemed affirmation s 54D 809

• granted 682

• not granted 35– to lodge an IC review s 54T 88

• granted 56

• not granted 20

• Open 3

70%

17%

12%

1%

87%

84%

64%

12

Complaints (1 Nov 2010 – 17 Feb 2014)• Received 424

– processing delay 194– unsatisfactory customer service 88– failure to acknowledge request 62– failure to assist with application 41– incorrect application of law 33– unsatisfactory reasons for decision 30– inadequate search 26– information publication scheme 14– other 59

• Closed 377• Open 47

13

Complaints received by monthNo

v 20

10

Dec 2

010

Jan

2011

Feb

2011

Mar

201

1

Apr 2

011

May

201

1Ju

n 20

11

Jul 2

011

Aug

2011

Sep

2011

Oct

201

1

Nov

2011

Dec 2

011

Jan

2012

Feb

2012

Mar

201

2

Apr 2

012

May

201

2Ju

n 20

12

Jul 2

012

Aug

2012

Sep

2012

Oct

201

2

Nov

2012

Dec 2

012

Jan

2013

Feb

2013

Mar

201

3

Apr 2

013

May

201

3

Jun

2013

Jul 2

013

Aug

2013

Sep

2013

Oct

201

3

Nov

2013

Dec 2

013

Jan

2014

Feb

2014

0

5

10

15

20

25

30 Open Closed as at 17 Feb 2014

14

Complaints closed by monthNo

v 20

10

Dec 2

010

Jan

2011

Feb

2011

Mar

201

1

Apr 2

011

May

201

1Ju

n 20

11

Jul 2

011

Aug

2011

Sep

2011

Oct

201

1

Nov

2011

Dec 2

011

Jan

2012

Feb

2012

Mar

201

2

Apr 2

012

May

201

2Ju

n 20

12

Jul 2

012

Aug

2012

Sep

2012

Oct

201

2

Nov

2012

Dec 2

012

Jan

2013

Feb

2013

Mar

201

3

Apr 2

013

May

201

3

Jun

2013

Jul 2

013

Aug

2013

Sep

2013

Oct

201

3

Nov

2013

Dec 2

013

Jan

2014

Feb

2014

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

15

IC reviews received by monthNo

v 20

10

Dec 2

010

Jan

2011

Feb

2011

Mar

201

1

Apr 2

011

May

201

1Ju

n 20

11

Jul 2

011

Aug

2011

Sep

2011

Oct

201

1

Nov

2011

Dec 2

011

Jan

2012

Feb

2012

Mar

201

2

Apr 2

012

May

201

2Ju

n 20

12

Jul 2

012

Aug

2012

Sep

2012

Oct

201

2

Nov

2012

Dec 2

012

Jan

2013

Feb

2013

Mar

201

3

Apr 2

013

May

201

3

Jun

2013

Jul 2

013

Aug

2013

Sep

2013

Oct

201

3

Nov

2013

Dec 2

013

Jan

2014

Feb

2014

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80 Open Closed as at 17 Feb 2014

16

IC reviews closed by monthNo

v 20

10

Dec 2

010

Jan

2011

Feb

2011

Mar

201

1

Apr 2

011

May

201

1Ju

n 20

11

Jul 2

011

Aug

2011

Sep

2011

Oct

201

1

Nov

2011

Dec 2

011

Jan

2012

Feb

2012

Mar

201

2

Apr 2

012

May

201

2Ju

n 20

12

Jul 2

012

Aug

2012

Sep

2012

Oct

201

2

Nov

2012

Dec 2

012

Jan

2013

Feb

2013

Mar

201

3

Apr 2

013

May

201

3

Jun

2013

Jul 2

013

Aug

2013

Sep

2013

Oct

201

3

Nov

2013

Dec 2

013

Jan

2014

Feb

2014

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

17

IC reviews (1 Nov 2010 – 17 Feb 2014)• Received 1484• Closed 1046

– invalid / out of jurisdiction s 54N 162

– closed at discretion of IC s 54W 382

– withdrawn s 54R 325– varied by agreement s 55F 4

– substituted by agency/minister s 55G 10– reasons for decision published s 55K 163

• affirmed (access refusal) 87• affirmed (access grant) 9• varied 4• set aside and substituted 63

• Open 438

15%

36%

32%

16%

18

OAIC FOI statistics (as at 1 Feb 2014)IC reviews Complaints

• Oldest case (days) 1101 511• Oldest unallocated case (days) 248 252• Completion rate (cases per day)

2013–141.47 0.382012–131.15 0.412011–120.70 0.27first 18 months 0.37 0.21

• Average time to close (days)2013–14312 1442012–13268 1522011–12169 164

+64.3%

+58.6%

+51.9%

-7.3%

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