Skip to main content
Home
  • The Legislative Assembly meets on 16/04/2024 (01:00 PM)
    Assembly sit 16/04/2024
  • The Legislative Council meets on 16/04/2024 (01:00 PM)
    Council sit 16/04/2024
  • The Public Administration meets on 08/04/2024 (10:00 AM)
    Committee meet 08/04/2024

Parliamentary Questions


Question Without Notice No. 748 asked in the Legislative Council on 11 September 2018 by Hon Peter Collier

Parliament: 40 Session: 1

NORTH METROPOLITAN HEALTH SERVICE BOARD — MEMBERSHIP

748. Hon PETER COLLIER to the parliamentary secretary representing the Minister for Health:

I refer to the minister's response to question without notice 730 asked on Thursday, 30 August 2018, regarding six former board members of the North Metropolitan Health Service and their formal resignation via letter to the Minister for Health.

(1) Why did a freedom of information response released to the opposition seeking the resignation letters of any North Metropolitan Health Service board members since 11 March 2017 result in only three resignation letters being identified and released when the parliamentary secretary's response to part (3) indicated that all six board members had resigned via letter?

(2) In relation to part (4), with regard to the response on tabling the resignation documents in this place, why did the minister indicate that consent is being sought from each board member before they are tabled, given that consent had already been given for at least three of these documents?

(3) Why were the letters released under FOI heavily redacted, given that at least one former board member has indicated publicly they consented to the letter being released in its entirety?

(4) When will the remaining resignation letters be tabled and will these letters be tabled un-redacted?

Hon ALANNA CLOHESY replied:

I thank the honourable member for some notice of the question. I am advised of the following.

(1) Following an internal review of the FOI process by the North Metropolitan Health Service, it was identified that one resignation letter was withheld inadvertently due to an error. The final two resignation letters were not recorded on the NMHS record management system and therefore did not appear in the original search.

(2) The Department of Health sought consent from the author of each resignation letter for the purpose of responding to the parliamentary question. The freedom of information request was directed to the North Metropolitan Health Service, not the Minister for Health.

(3) Schedule 1, clause 3, ''Personal Information'', provides that rights of privacy of third parties may outweigh the applicant's rights for full access. Personal information of the author and third parties was therefore redacted.

(4) Yes. The resignation letters will be tabled with the signatures and home addresses redacted.