Speakers: Senator Andrew Bragg, Erin Wells, Katrina Di Marco

Transcript

Senator Andrew Bragg

Thank you very much. So I just want to ask you about a couple of FOIs. Is that allowed?

Katrina Di Marco

Senator, we've made available the FOI team to be able to discuss some FOI matters with you. However, again, similar to appointments, we can discuss the process in relation to FOI, but specific freedom of information decisions will need to be directed to the relevant decision maker in their session. So I'll ask Ms. Wells and Mr. Hertzberg to come to the table.

Senator Andrew Bragg

I'd like to ask you about FOI 434. Which was an FOI that I put in in relation to the modelling around the budget, tax changes. Do you know about that one? Have you come pre it's like a you come pre-rehearse with like a pre-made meal or something you put in the microloges?

Erin Wells

Thank you. Thank you.

Senator Andrew Bragg

Um shouldn't do that by the way, you might get microplastics and other things.

Erin Wells

Um Aaron Wells, Chief Council and First Assistant Secretary for the Law Division. Um my colleague is finding information about that. We can certainly talk about the process more generally.

Senator Andrew Bragg

I want to ask you about that, the FOI. I have some questions about it. Your response. Is that okay?

Erin Wells

Is this one of your FOIs? It is. And has it been decided, Senator? Is that for the question?

Senator Andrew Bragg

Yeah, and there's massive, like it's it's you know, covered in redactions, which is a standard kind of treasury practice, but it's the reason I'm asking you about it is because it was an FOI looking for the modelling underpinning the budget judgments around tax changes and you've used section 47 and 48 E, which I think are the deliberative and operational agency. That's so um how can providing the modelling for public inspection about government changes be um an operational

Erin Wells

Well, Senator, as you're aware there's legitimate exemptions available under the FOI Act. The decision maker has those available for them. Um but I wouldn't uh propose to understand um without you know I wasn't the decision maker on that matter. Um but all I can say is that you know there's the the Parliament's enacted a legitimate um exemptions under the Act and that decision makers can and and do exercise um uh the use of those appropriately appropriately.