The FOI Coordinator
National Disability Insurance Agency
GPO Box 700
Canberra ACT 2601

Dear sir/madam,

In relation to my Freedom of Information (FoI) request in the email below, the FoI Team at DSS contacted me to say that the information provided to me previously by The Hon. J. Prentice MP's office, that "your email has been forwarded to the Department to provide a response as soon as possible", is not correct. They told me that a Parliamentary record shows that my email was forwarded to the National Disability Insurance Agency rather than being forwarded to The Department [of Social Security].

Under the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act 1982, Autism Aspergers Advocacy Australia (A4) hereby requests copies of all documents, records, information and communication that relate to A4's letter to the Ministers on the 4/12/2017. We request documents showing:

1. the Agency received this email from the Minister's office and/or from the Hon. J. Prentice MP's office;
2. any associated documents or instructions received from the Minister's office and/or from the Hon. J. Prentice MP's office; and
3. consideration of whether or not to respond, and/or how to proceed in processing the correspondence; and
4. any subsequent communication with the Department of Social Security or with either Ministers' offices relating to the issues raise in the email.

A4 is particularly interested in anything related to its concern raised in the the email that NDIS Planners told autistic NDIS participants and their associates either:

• "ABA doesn't work" or
• "the NDIS does not fund ABA".

A4 prefers to receive FoI responses in electronic form, rather than any paper copy.

Please contact A4's Convenor via email or by telephone (on 0418 677 288) if you want further information or clarification about this request.

--

Bob Buckley
Convenor, Autism Aspergers Advocacy Australia (A4)
website: http://a4.org.au/

-------- Forwarded Message --------

Freedom of Information Team
Government and Executive Services Branch
Department of Social Services (DSS)
GPO Box 9820
Canberra ACT 2601

On the 4/12/2017, Autism Aspergers Advocacy Australia (known as A4) wrote to the Hon. Mr Porter MP and others (see http://a4.org.au/node/1580). A4 received:

• an automated response acknowledging receipt of the email from the Minister, and
• a response from the Hon. J. Prentice MP that said "your email has been forwarded to the Department to provide a response as soon as possible".

Under the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act 1982, Autism Aspergers Advocacy Australia (A4) hereby requests copies of all documents, records, information and communication that relate to A4's letter to the Minister on the 4/12/2017. We request documents showing:

1. the Department received this email from the Minister's office and from the Hon. J. Prentice MP's office and any associated documents or instructions;
2. consideration of whether or not to respond, and how to respond; and
3. communication with the NDIA relating to the issues raise in the email.

A4 is particularly interested in anything related to its concern raised in the the email that NDIS Planners told autistic NDIS participants and their associates either:

• "ABA doesn't work" or
• "the NDIS does not fund ABA".

A4 prefers to receive FoI responses in electronic form, rather than any paper copy.

Please contact A4's Convenor via email or by telephone (on 0418 677 288) if you want further information or clarification about this request.

--

Bob Buckley
Convenor, Autism Aspergers Advocacy Australia (A4)
website: http://a4.org.au/

A4 is the national grassroots organisation advocating for autistic people, their families, carers and associates. A4 is internet based so that Australians anywhere can participate.
Politicians and bureaucrats, note A4's policy on unanswered questions at http://a4.org.au/node/1419.

“The first step in solving any problem is recognising there is one.” Jeff Daniels as Will McEvoy in The Newsroom.

A4 received a belated response: see https://a4.org.au/node/2172 

The response claims the NDIA has no record of receiving the letter from the Department ... hence they did not respond. Clearly, either:

• the Department did not pass the letter on to the NDIA - we cannot tell whether they tried and had a technical failure or they didn't actually make an attempt. They did not produce any evidence that they tried to transmit the letter to the NDIA - or
• the NDIA did not record receiving the letter - either because they didn't get it, their records are unreliable or someone actively "lost" the document.

Actually, the NDIA did respond at the time (see https://a4.org.au/node/1588) but the response did not address the issues raised (as is shown by the subsequent failure to locate any relevant documents). So the key issue remains unaddressed.