Our Freedom of Information disclosure log

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.

[Item 1] A copy of the impact assessment carried out by DSS and Business Information Services into the breach of DSS employee information identified in October, 2017 by Australian Signals Directorate.

All documents which relate to the decision of the Department of Social Services not to send a representative to the conference convened by AbilitySeer

All reports given to the Attorney-General, Attorney-General’s Department or Office of Legal Services Coordination regarding compliance with the Legal Services Directions, including but not limited to annual compliance certificates, for the period 1 July 2015 to present.

The gift register for the Department of Social Services for the previous five years.

Excluding staff names, contact details and signatures.

Correspondence between the OAIC and the Department of Social Services pertaining to the exposure of DSS staffs' personal information by contractor Business Information Services.

Item 1: A previous FOI request confirmed over 40 people are exempt from the cashless welfare card. What are the following demographics of those with current exemptions:

• Indigenous / Non Indigenous status
• Age
• Sex
• Payment type
• Housing status

Item 2: With over 40 people being granted exemption from the cashless welfare card trials, I would like to request the procedural guidelines for assessing this exemption.

Item 3: Please provide the procedure or guidelines used when assessing how rent assistance is paid to those who are subjected to the cashless welfare card, if rent assistance does form part of the 80/20 split please also provide evidence of rent assistance being included as a restrict-able payment within the allowing legislation or instrument.

The number of DV incident reports made available to Orima Research for their evaluation of the Cashless Debit Card Trials

National Rental Affordability Scheme documents relating to properties at 56, 58, 60, 62 1and 64 Church street Armadale (Strata Lots 5 to 1)

How many people currently reside in a postcode declared via instrument to be a trial area for the purposes of the cashless welfare card trails, collect a restrictable declared payment yet are not subjected to the welfare card.

Documents such as reports, ministerial/ executive briefings and attachments, Senate Estimates briefings, internal correspondence involving the Department Secretary such as emails, since 1 January 2017, relating to drug testing of welfare recipients.

The total cost of the cashless debit card trials in Ceduna and the East Kimberley from the beginning until 31 August 2017 and the total projected cost of the rollout of the cashless debit card in Bundaberg and Hervey Bay and the Goldfields.

The Method Report in relation to the Australian Priority Investment Approach to Welfare.

The number of people who will not receive the Energy Supplement as a result of its abolition for new recipients, by State and by electorate, by 2020 and the number of people currently in the workforce who will be affected by increasing the pension eligibility age to 70.

Documents that address the possibility of false positives in drug testing of welfare recipients

Documents regarding misuse of the cashless debit card in Ceduna, Kununurra and Wyndham regions.