Webb and Chief Executive Officer, Services Australia (Freedom of information)

The Administrative Appeals Tribunal considered a freedom of information dispute between the applicant, Webb, and the Chief Executive Officer, Services Australia. The applicant sought review of a decision by the Office of Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) not to undertake further review under s 54W of the *Freedom of Information Act 1982* (Cth). The Tribunal was asked to determine whether Services Australia had taken all reasonable steps to locate documents responsive to the applicant's request and whether conditional exemptions under ss 47E and 47F of the Act were properly applied to certain documents.

The Tribunal's reasoning focused on the timeliness of the process and the application of the exemptions. It found that decisions made by Services Australia and the OAIC were generally within the prescribed time limits, with delays primarily occurring within the OAIC and the Tribunal's own processes. Regarding the substantive freedom of information issues, the Tribunal was satisfied that the relevant documents had been provided and that the conditional exemptions under ss 47E and 47F were correctly applied.

Consequently, the Tribunal affirmed the decision under review dated 22 February 2021.