FOI Disclosure Log

‘… all documents held by the Department of Social Services that relate to the use of "income averaging" by DSS, Services Australia, the Department of Human Services, or Centrelink, to finalise welfare debts in either the 1990s or the 1980s. To be clear, I am not seeking documents created in the 1990s or 1980s. I am seeking documents which relate to inquiries that the department has recently about the use of income-averaging dating back to the 1990s or 1980s. The documents could likely include correspondence between departmental staff relating to requests for investigations into the potential use of income averaging dating back to the 1990s, or 1980s, and the subsequent findings of these investigations in whatever form they may take. As a result, please confine my request to documents that were created after 1 July 2019.’

“…all correspondence, by email, text message or WhatsApp, between the Minister and the Minister's office and APM including its chief executive Michael Anghie sent this year.

I am also after all correspondence (email, text message or WhatsApp) between Minister Ruston and Minister Roberts about the JobActive fee change”

I request a list of all entities which received work from the Department under the National Indigenous Procurement Policy in the 2019-20 financial year.

“I kindly request a copy of the document/s, paper or electronic, that outline:

1. any conditions, requirements etc. that ACN must adhere to in relation to the grant, for example, how the grant monies are to be spent, and general governance conditions that ACN must meet in order to continue to be eligible for the grant monies,
2. any conditions, requirements etc. that stipulate what the grant is permitted to be used for”

FOI Request 2021-002 Documents

...the funding agreement for the years 2017-2020 and 2020-2022 for the DDS- NDIS Appeals between the Department of Social Services and Side by Side Advocacy Inc

Data on the Student Start-Up Loan - for each of 2016-17, 2017-18 and 2018-19 – total amount lent and estimated fair value of lending for each of those years.

As of 30 June 2019, the total amount lent for Student Start-Up loans and current fair value.

The Australian Government Actuary Report on the Student Start-Up loan mentioned on page 157 of the DSS Annual Report 2018-19.

I seek access to the issue frequency analysis document.

• Any document disclosing the total number of search requests received by ISS Australia, including the number of families located and the number of reunions facilitated.
• ISS’s final report.
• Any document which discloses the number of search requests from Indian adoptees or adoptive parents of children from India.
• The number of families located by ISS in India, including the number of reunions facilitated.
• Any document relating to the total funding received by ISS for this project.

a) A document created and/or compiled by DSS between May 18 2019 and June 30 2019 (inclusive of both dates) prepared at the request of and/or prepared for and/or delivered to the Minister for the NDIS and/or the Office of the Minister for the NDIS outlining and/or detailing and/or explaining and/or reviewing the status of the NDIS.

b) Any other “brief” and/or “submission” and/or PDF and/or word document of more than 10 pages in length created and/or compiled by DSS between May 18 2019 and June 30 2019 (inclusive of both dates) prepared at the request of and/or prepared for and/or delivered to the Minister for the NDIS and/or the Office of the Minister for the NDIS about the NDIS.

I request:

• the number of domestic violence incident reports made (or any other measure used to monitor domestic violence incidents) in the East Kimberley area between 1 July 2017 - 30 June 2018, and 1 July 2018 - 30 June 2019,
• the number of domestic violence incident reports made (or any other measure used to monitor domestic violence incidents) in the Ceduna area between 1 July 2017 - 30 June 2018, and 1 July 2018 - 30 June 2019,
• the number of domestic violence incident reports made (or any other measure used to monitor domestic violence incidents) in the Kalgoorlie area between 1 July 2017 - 30 June 2018, and 1 July 2018 - 30 June 2019,
• the number of domestic violence incident reports made (or any other measure used to monitor domestic violence incidents) in the Hinkler area between 1 July 2017 - 30 June 2018, and 1 July 2018 - 30 June 2019.

My understanding is that this information is collected by DSS in relation to the Cashless Debit Card program.

The annual number of DSP recipients from 1992 and number of DSP recipients for each state and territory from 1992. 

The annual number of NSA recipients - who have a disability - from 1992 and number of NSA recipients - who have a disability - for each state and territory from 1992.

The Department’s Freedom of Information business rules, guidelines, manuals and templates

• Information about welfare payments to homeless people including any analysis and/or advice about the impact of homelessness on receipt of support and individuals entitled to support but not receiving it because of homelessness;
• Policies relating to payment support for the homeless;
• Any estimation and/or forecasts about the extent or number of homeless people who could be receiving government welfare support but are not.

… the policy under which the in-kind funding aspect of the coag bilateral agreement between the Commonwealth of Australia and Victoria on the NDIS was considered necessary…

1. Data and/or documents showing the number of Outcome Fee Claims lodged by Disability Employment Services (DES) providers which were rejected as invalid by the department for the 2018-2019 financial year, and what percentage of total Claims submitted for the 2018-2019 financial year this figure represents.
2. Data and/or documents showing the number of Outcomes claimed and paid to DES providers which did not result in the participant remaining employed after the completion of the minimum 13 or 26 week periods for the 2018-2019 financial year.

File EF18/47804 Social Welfare Services – Grant Administration- Funding (Non-government Organisations NGO) -  018-2583 - Support for Trafficked People Program Trial for Forced Marriage Victims - Agreement Creation - Final Documents.

Item 1: the most recent breakdown of customer spending, by category and amount; and

Item 2: the most recent analysis of spending habits in relation to the Cashless Debit Card.

…all correspondence between the department and Minister Ruston’s office related to the timing of release of the DSS Payment Demographic Data.

"…modelling since May 18, 2019 relating to options to make the deeming rate more generous. I am particularly interested in any material that shows the distribution of the winners under the reforms. That is which proportion of retirees get over $500 and what is average benefit eligible retirees receive."

- any minutes from any meetings between NOW Australia and DSS
- any communication NOW Australia has had with DSS
- any communication between Tracey Spicer and DSS since 2017

All email correspondence between the minister's office and the department and internally within the department regarding Samantha Maiden's media inquiry relating to the deeming rate.

I am seeking:

1. The parts and/or sections and/or chapters of 2019 incoming ministerial and/or government briefing documents and/or packages and/or blue book(s) about and/or relating to the Cashless Debit Card and/or Basics Card and/or BasicsCard and/or income management.
2. Any briefs to the Minister (excluding any and/or all covered by part A above) produced on and/or after May 18 2019 about and/or relating to the Cashless Debit Card and/or Basics Card and/or BasicsCard and/or income management.

Data or documents used by, or showing how, the Minister for Families and Social Services made a decision to cut deeming rates in July 2019.

‘…the number of annual bookings made for the National Auslan Interpreter Booking and Payment Service (NABS) in South Australia only. NABS is currently contracted out to Wesley Mission Queensland.

I require statistics going back 5 years.

I also require statistics to be broken down into NDIS-funded assignments and non-NDIS-funded assignments.

Portions of the incoming government brief prepared for the Minister for Families and Social Services following the 2019 federal election that relate to:

1. the Community Development Program

2. the Cashless Debit Card

3. Income Management in the Northern Territory

4. the Targeted Compliance Framework

5. the Parentsnext Program

Documents containing the data compilation of interest rates from the various sources included in continuous monitoring of the financial markets and the application of a mathematical procedure to determine the appropriate deeming rate. Please limit these documents to those relating to the previous four changes in deeming rates.

1. Any documents of the analysis conducted or commissioned by the Department of Social Service to inform the design of, or in relation to the impact of, the Social Services Legislation Amendment (Defined Benefit Income Streams) Act 2015;

2. Any correspondence or memos between the Department of Social Service and the Office of the Minister for Social Service in 2014 and 2015 relating to the Social Services Legislation Amendment (Defined Benefit Income Streams) Act 2015; and

3. Any documents that have analysed the impact of the Social Services Legislation Amendment (Defined Benefit Income Streams) Act 2015 since it came into force.

Herewith I request the final report, or a similar document which ISS made regarding the $516,000 AUD received from the Department.

1. How many applications for Redress has the Scheme received between the starting date for applications and 30 May 2019?

2. How many applications for Redress have been successfully completed and actioned by the Scheme since it began accepting applications?

3. What is the average time taken, across all successfully completed and actioned applications to date, from receipt of an application until its successful completion and actioning?

I am seeking access to the incoming government brief prepared for the social services minister following the 2019 federal election. I am only seek access to those parts of the brief that relate to welfare debt recovery, drug testing of welfare recipients, the cashless welfare card, welfare fraud prevention, and the ParentsNext program.

1. At 30 April 2019, the number of staff employed by the Department in Redress Policy and Legislation Branch and Redress Implementation Branch) to administer the National Redress Scheme.

2. Between 1 July 2018 and 30 April 2019, the amount spent on salaries (plus superannuation, allowances, etc) for staff employed by the Department in Redress Policy and Legislation Branch and Redress Implementation Branch to administer the National Redress Scheme.

3. Between 1 July 2018 and 30 April 2019, the direct costs associated with implementing the National Redress Scheme, including salaries, entitlements, contractors, travel, and consultancies for the Department.

Documents produced in the last 12 months containing information about trans-generational welfare dependence.

I am specifically looking for data and/or statistics about the extent and/or incidence of trans-generational welfare dependence and analysis and/or assessment about, but not limited to, its causes and possible policy responses.

Documents used by the Complaints team to respond to incoming correspondence from members of the public, including processing instructions, standard operating procedures or task cards.

1. The Departmental decision minutes prepared for the refusal of the transfer from Ethan Affordable Housing Ltd to Quantum Housing Group Pty Ltd;
2. The Departmental decision minutes prepared for the approval of the transfer from Ethan Affordable Housing Ltd to Questus Fund Management Ltd; and
3. Reports on NRAS applications to transfer prepared by Deloitte which are related to Ethan Affordable Housing Ltd.

Item 1. Any statistical information about the number of interviews being conducted via alternative mode as per clause 93.6 of the Disability Employment Services Grant Agreement effective 1 July 2018

Documents produced in the last 12 months containing information analysis and/or advice and/or briefings about whether (a) recipients of the Newstart Allowance are below the standard relative income poverty possible line and (b) whether the Newstart Allowance is capable of meeting rental, food, clothing and other living costs for recipients. Information about the extent of any shortfall is also within scope.

[Item 1] the department’s timeline(s) for finalising the 2018 tender and notifying successful and unsuccessful applicants;

[Item 4] any documents used by the Department to assess the tender applications (such as assessment criteria).

Documents showing the gender segregated breakdown of the number of people with disability working in Australian Disability Enterprises (ADEs). I would like to find out how many people working in ADEs for the previous and current financial year are women.

A copy of the 2013 Urbis Pty Ltd’s reports used by DSS to evaluate the HIPPY program.

a copy of the "Post Implementation Review of No Jab, No Pay 2015 Budget measure"

..documents on the funding for The Yiriman Project 2017-18

1. The overall government funding for the Y4Y Youth Force Programme
2. The breakdown of where that funding is going: how much is going to White Lion and how much is going to any employer partners
3. If Deliveroo is in receipt of any government funding as part of the programme
4. If there are any other employers in the task or “gig economy” which are participating and if so how much funding they are in receipt of
5. How the overall spend is broken down: how much on training, equipment such as bicycles, etc
6. How long the training lasts and what participants specifically get trained on
7. How many participants have so far been taken on in the programme and from which cities
8. How many participants have worked with Deliveroo so far
9. How long participants stayed working with Deliveroo (on average)
10. What their average hourly earnings were while working with Deliveroo
11. A breakdown of any allowances, superannuation or other benefits participants received while working with Deliveroo
12. An explanation of what insurance (to cover personal injury and workers compensation) they have while working with Deliveroo
13. Any feedback or assessments which have been carried out on participants working for Deliveroo.

“…all documents held by the Department - other than documents already in the public domain - about the likely cost to providers of implementing the NDIS Quality and Safeguarding Scheme.”

[Item 1] Procurement plans, work orders and inventory documents relating to the purchase of laptops for the department for the 2017-18 financial year.

[Item 2] Signed/Agreed support plans or Service Level Agreements with the vendors relating to Item 1

[Item 3] Options/advice papers provided to senior DSS executive about the purchase

Documents showing the amounts paid by salary and/or any additional payments/stipends/consultancy fees etc for each member of the Commission’s Independent Advisory Council on Redress.

Ministerial briefing documents, excluding drafts, prepared between 01 January 2015 and 23 November 2015 by the Department of Social Services with respect to: the abolition of belief-based exemptions, (both religious and conscientious); and, the narrowing of medical contraindication exemptions in Commonwealth legislation

A document showing:

The number of current age pensioners whose payment is determined under the asset test and who have an assessable amount for curtilage adjacent to their principal home on their record at 31 December 2017.

The number of age pensioners who have had their payment cancelled due to the application of the assets tests and at the time of cancellation had an assessable amount for curtilage on their record between 1 January 2016 and 31 December 2017.

All documents on the file titled ‘briefing on the outcome of the Whole of Government Debt Strategy Review in September 2017 (EF17/35266)’

[Item 1] A copy of the summary checklist required for submission of requirements under the National Rental Affordability Scheme (NRAS).

Documents in the last twelve months on the demand for the Carer Adjustment Payment and the granting of such assistance.