How to Submit a Freedom of Information (FOI) Data Request?
As per DHA website: The Freedom of Information Act 1982 (FOI Act) gives you a right to access information held by us, the Department and other Commonwealth agencies. You can request documents we hold and we will assess your request against the provisions of the FOI Act. We will give you the document unless an exemption applies.
You can submit a general FOI request or a Data Request. This post is about Data Requests. To submit one: 1. Visit this page to access the form 2. Fill out the basic information. Ensure your email address is correct. 3. For Select the type of statistical data you are requesting:, select Statistics about visas 4. For Describe the statistical data you are requesting, clearly type out the information you want to request. For example: " Please provide Subclass 190 visas lodged and granted per month for each month, starting 1 January 2023 till 30 April 2025. Please provide separate columns for total applicants and primary applicants only" 5. Submit the Form
Once submitted, you will receive an payment invoice within 2 to 3 days. Typically, a payment of AU$30 is required, but depending on the extent and scope of data requited, AU$60, AU$90 or more can be requested.
If the department thinks the data requested is too demanding/unreasonable, they can even refuse the FOI request. in that case, you can try to reframe your request to make the data more compact and/or shorter time frames.
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