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Releasing FOI Disclosure Log documents

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DOCUMENT 2 FOI 24/25-0861OFFICIAL Standard Operating Procedure

For Internal Use Only

The contents of this document are OFFICIAL.

Releasing FOI Disclosure Log documents

  1. Purpose

This standard operating procedure (SOP) outlines the processes involved in releasing documents listed on the National Disability Insurance Agency’s (NDIA) Freedom of Information

(FOI) disclosure log.

  1. Contents

Releasing FOI Disclosure Log documents. …………………………………………………………………………….. 1

  1.   Purpose....................................................................................................................................... 1
  2.   Contents...................................................................................................................................... 1

  3. Procedure ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 2

3.1 Background …………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 2

3.2 Procedure……………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 2

3.3 Preparing for release ………………………………………………………………………………………………. 3

3.4 Release of Disclosure Log items…………………………………………………………………………….. 6

  1. Version control …………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 8

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FOI 24/25-0861OFFICIAL Standard Operating Procedure

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  1. Procedure

3.1 Background

  1. The Agency’s FOI disclosure log (DL) lists documents that have previously been released in response to a non-personal FOI access request. The FOI disclosure log can be

accessed via the NDIS website at FOI Disclosure log | NDIS.

  1. Information about the disclosure log and our legal obligations can be found here

Disclosure logs - Home (oaic.gov.au) and Part 14 — Disclosure log - Home (oaic.gov.au)

  1. Agencies and ministers must publish information on the DL within 10 working days of giving the FOI applicant access to documents (s 11C(6)). Where a person requests

access to information not published on an Agency’s DL (s 11C(3)(c)), the agency or

minister should provide access to the information within a reasonable period,

which should be no more than 5 working days after receiving the request.

3.2 Procedure

  1. Requests for documents listed on the FOI disclosure log are received via the foi@ndis.gov.au mailbox and are moved during triage to the Disclosure log request to

action sub-folder under actioned.

  1. The triage officer notifies all Analysis & Referral staff of the active disclosure log request

for action.

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3.3 Preparing for release

Before actioning a request for documents from the disclosure log, check the document being

requested is listed on the FOI Disclosure log | NDIS. The comments column will indicate how

many documents were released.

If the document is not on the website, please seek support from your line manager.

Check the scope of the original request to ensure no personal information was included in the original request. Only non-personal information should be sent with the Disclosure Log

request.

  1. Once you’ve confirmed the document is on the website, check for the disclosure log

bundle on SharePoint: Freedom_of_Information - c. Disclosure Log (sharepoint.com).

  1. Choose the financial year folder to find the document requested. For example, if the document is labelled 21/22, look in the FY_2021_2022 folder. Then search for the

relevant reference number of the request e.g. 22.23-0487.

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FOI 24/25-0861OFFICIAL Standard Operating Procedure

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  1. Check the document contents match the request description and do not contain any

personal information.

  1. If the document is located in SharePoint proceed to section 3.4 of this SOP.

  2. If the document is not located in Sharepoint disclosure log folder, this means it has not

been previously released via the disclosure log and you need to create the folder and locate the document for release.

  1. Create a folder under Freedom of Information > c. Disclosure Log > FY_(Select the

correct Financial Year). Name this folder using the following naming convention:

Example:

Financial Year document was released – The documents assigned matter number – Original applicant surname. 21.22-0045 (Smith).

  1. Once a new folder has been created, retrieve the bundle of documents which were

released to the applicant for the original FOI request. Copy the document bundle

into the new disclosure log folder. The document bundle may consist of multiple

PDFs. (Note: we only ever send the documents released, not the notice of decision letter). You can find the document using one of the following two methods:

  1. Go to the folder for the original matter on SharePoint: Freedom_of_Information - a.

Matters - All Documents (sharepoint.com)

  1. Documents sent out to the requestor as part of the original request can also be

found in the Matters folder under the relevant FY folder. Search Decision > Final

Bundle folder to locate the release document/s.

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  1. If you are unable to locate the document using the methods outline above, search

the FOI shared mailbox using the FOI reference number 21.22-0001. This will show

the notification of decision email which includes the documents released as

attachments. See below example of subject heading and relevant attachments to a

notified decision email.

  1. If documents were released more than 6 months ago, search the FOI Online

Archive mailbox to search for the documents.

  1. If you have any issues searching the mailbox. Please reach out to the Triage Officers for help.

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3.4 Release of Disclosure Log items

  1. To release the Disclosure Log document/s, draft a reply using the below template

ensuring it is sent from foi@ndis.gov.au mailbox and only cc’s foi@ndis.gov.au.

Subject: Disclosure log request - Part 1 of X

Email: Add Requesters Email

CC: foi@ndis.gov.au

Dear XXXX

Thank you for your below request seeking access to documents from the Agency’s Disclosure

Log.

Please find attached the following documents:

• 23/24-XXXX – Document – Disclosure Log. • 23/24 -XXXX – Document – Disclosure Log.

(Delete this sentence if not applicable and before sending) Due to the size of the documents, release is provided in more than one email as detailed in the subject heading of

this email.

Kind regards,

Freedom of Information Team

Government Division

National Disability Insurance Agency

E foi@ndis.gov.au

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The NDIA acknowledges the Traditional Custodians 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 past, present and emerging.

  1. Once the email is drafted, attach the document for release. You may need to split

attachments into bundles no larger than 9MB.

  1. Move the email into the “For PC” folder for the DM to check.

  2. Ask the APS6 level Decision Maker staff member trained in FOI to perform a privacy

check (PC) on the email before it is sent. Once the email has been PC’ed, send the

email.

  1. Once this has been completed the DM will move it into the ‘PC Completed” folder.

  2. Send the email/s and cc in the FOI inbox

  3. Move the email into the “Actioned” Folder

  4. Record the release in the spreadsheet - Daily Tally - FOI Triage.xlsx (sharepoint.com)

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  1. Version control

Version Amended Brief Description of Change Status Date by

0.1 CH0058 Update Version Draft 2023-03-09

0.2 CLK818 Draft reviewed Review 2023-03-09

0.3 LDP633 Draft revised Approved 2023-05-03

1.0 LDP633 Removed steps about delaying release – no Approved 2023-08-07 longer practice. Added appendix of key stakeholders.

1.1 LDP633 Removed steps about notifying media, Approved 2023-11-23 stakeholder engagement and ministerial team as this process has been eliminated

1.1 CH0058 Accessibility Review Approved 2023-12-04

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